Translation of "bowl"

Question

I have heard many different translations for bowl (the dish) in different Spanish-speaking countries. What words are normally used to translate "bowl"? Which is most universally understood? What regional variants are there?

A bowl of soup or a mixing bowl? The two most obvious examples. — Lambie, Oct 25 '21 at 15:01

score 18 · Accepted Answer · edited Oct 23 '21 at 16:29

18

From the top of my head, I use here in Spain, quite interchangeably:

bol: a generic hemispheric vessel (any size).
ponchera: a large bowl (e.g. a punch-bowl)
cuenco: also generic, but smaller ones
tazón: the below kind of bowl (with a "foot"):

enter image description here

edited Oct 23 '21 at 16:29

Community

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answered Jan 13 '12 at 08:22

MikMik

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+1 bol and cuenco are news to me :) – Icarus Jan 13 '12 at 19:52
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Ponchera is another possible translation. – Gonzalo Medina Jan 16 '12 at 00:48
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bol is the most familiar to me – leonbloy Jan 16 '12 at 16:32
@leonbloy where are you from / what dialect of Spanish do you speak/know? – theforestecologist Aug 07 '17 at 16:14
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@theforestecologist Argentina (Buenos Aires) – leonbloy Aug 07 '17 at 16:41
I learned cuenco as "water-shed": vivo en el cuenco del lago Llanquihue. However, a quick Google shows that this must just be an extensión. – Conrado Mar 12 '20 at 09:46
@Conrado I think that would be "cuenca". Though maybe somewhere "cuenco" is used for that meaning, who knows... – MikMik Mar 12 '20 at 14:18
@MikMik sorry, you're right. Thanks! – Conrado Mar 12 '20 at 14:24
ponchera is punch bowl. – Lambie Oct 23 '21 at 16:38
falta: palangana y fuente: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english-spanish/bowl – Lambie Oct 23 '21 at 16:44

score 7 · Answer 2 · edited Jan 13 '12 at 15:43

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I think that "at least when I grew up" we called bowls by their function.

"Plato de sopa" (soup plate)
"Plato de cereal" (cereal plate)
"Plato hondo" (deep plate)

edited Jan 13 '12 at 15:43

Flimzy

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answered Jan 13 '12 at 09:49

Fortunato

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please try to spell words correctly both in English and Spanish – Javi Jan 13 '12 at 10:27
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Believe me I tray – Fortunato Jan 13 '12 at 20:46
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@Fortunato: I tray? sigh – Flimzy May 18 '14 at 02:24
plato de sopa is a bowl full of soup. plato sopera is soup bowl. – Lambie Oct 23 '21 at 16:46

theforestecologist · Answer 3 · 2017-08-07T21:24:42.027

5

I learn confusing vocabulary best visually, so I want to try to clarify this a bit using pictures.

Cuenco o Bol:

[Bol more often used for larger bowls]

Tazón:

[has a "foot"]

Plato hondo:

[literally "deep plate"]

The above seem to be the most distinct uses of these various words that I have picked up on. However, it seems many people/dialects use each of these words more broadly (or synonymously) or even not at all.

As pointed out in another answer, some dialects seem to just use Plato with certain context words to refer to bowls.

^{(Note: I am a native English speaker trying to relearn Spanish, so if you disagree, have further input, better pictures, etc., please update or comment. Thanks!)}

edited Aug 07 '17 at 21:24

answered Aug 07 '17 at 16:01

theforestecologist

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Native speakers, please feel free to agree or disagree with my generalizations as you see fit. But please mention your dialect and what you use instead (if not already stated in another answer). – theforestecologist Aug 07 '17 at 21:27
plato hondo is not a bowl. It's a soup or pasta dish. But your answer is the best so far. – Lambie Oct 23 '21 at 16:48

score 3 · Answer 4 · edited Mar 11 '20 at 07:18

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Bowl is translated as pana in my country. I'm from Nicaragua 😁

Quoting from the Diccionary of Americanisms

pana
V. 1. f. Gu, Ho, Ni. Vasija circular de metal o plástico para usos domésticos.

edited Mar 11 '20 at 07:18

RubioRic

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answered Mar 10 '20 at 21:30

Betsy

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Hola, Betsy, bienvenida a Spanish Exchange. Si te fijas, he editado bastante tu post. Procura incluir alguna referencia a diccionarios u otros textos donde se respalden o puedan corroborarse tus afirmaciones. – RubioRic Mar 11 '20 at 07:21

score 3 · Answer 5 · edited May 18 '14 at 02:20

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I am Cuban for me the correct answer is Plato Hondo (deep plate).

edited May 18 '14 at 02:20

Flimzy

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answered May 17 '14 at 18:18

Jose' Pendas

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That's a good option, actually, the best. But somebody has already answer that. So, if you agree, you should upvote that answer, but not add a new answer repeating information. – c.p. May 18 '14 at 10:48
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@c.p. The OP asked about regional differences. The other answer doesn't say anything about that. – May 25 '14 at 10:23
plato hondo is a soup dish or plate. – Lambie Oct 23 '21 at 16:36

score 1 · Answer 6 · answered Oct 23 '21 at 03:43

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Soy de Mexico y mi familia y yo le decimos al "bowl" plato hondo.

answered Oct 23 '21 at 03:43

Shantal

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Translation of "bowl"

6 Answers6