Spanish Words That Start With K (and Why There Are So Few)
Spanish has very few native words that start with K. The common ones are borrowings: kilo, kilómetro, kiosco, kiwi, koala, karate (Spain: kárate), kétchup, kayak, karaoke, kit and kimono. The reason is spelling: Spanish normally writes the /k/ sound with c (casa, cosa, cuna) or qu (queso, quince), so K appears mainly in words from other languages, in metric units with kilo-, and in names.
The letter is called ka (plural kas) and is the 11th letter of the Spanish alphabet. Below you’ll find the K words learners actually need, with gender and examples, the words that can also be spelled with C or QU, pronunciation, and practice with answers.
On this page: common K words · food and animals · kilo- words · K or QU? · why K is rare · pronunciation · gender and plurals · places and nationalities · K in texting · dialogue · sentences · mistakes · practice · FAQ
Common Spanish words that start with K
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| el kilo | kilo (kilogram) | Un kilo de tomates, por favor. (A kilo of tomatoes, please.) |
| el kilómetro | kilometre | Vivo a dos kilómetros del centro. (I live two kilometres from the centre.) |
| el kiosco (also quiosco) | kiosk, newsstand | Compré el periódico en el kiosco. (I bought the paper at the kiosk.) |
| el karate / el kárate | karate (kárate in Spain, karate in most of Latin America) | Mi hija hace kárate. (My daughter does karate.) |
| el kayak | kayak | Alquilamos un kayak en la playa. (We rented a kayak at the beach.) |
| el karaoke | karaoke; also a karaoke bar | Cantamos en un karaoke. (We sang at a karaoke bar.) |
| el kit | kit, set | un kit de primeros auxilios (a first-aid kit) |
| el kimono (also quimono) | kimono | Llevaba un kimono de seda. (She was wearing a silk kimono.) |
| el kínder | (Latin America) nursery school, kindergarten | Mi hijo va al kínder. (My son goes to kindergarten.) |
| el karma | karma | Es el karma. (It’s karma.) |
| el kamikaze | kamikaze; also a reckless person | Conduce como un kamikaze. (He drives like a maniac.) |
| la kermés (also quermés) | charity fair, fête | la kermés del colegio (the school fair) |
| el kart | go-kart | una carrera de karts (a go-kart race) |
| el kung-fu | kung fu | Practica kung-fu los sábados. (He does kung fu on Saturdays.) |
| el káiser | kaiser (historical title) | el káiser Guillermo II |
| el kleenex / el clínex | tissue (a brand name used as an ordinary noun; clínex is the Spanish spelling) | ¿Tienes un clínex? (Have you got a tissue?) |
| el nocaut / el KO | knockout (Spanish adapts it as nocaut; KO is read “ka o”) | Ganó por nocaut. (He won by knockout.) |
Food, drink and animals with K
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| el kiwi (also quivi) | kiwi fruit; also the bird | Desayuno un kiwi cada día. |
| el kétchup | ketchup | patatas fritas con kétchup |
| el kebab | kebab; also a kebab shop | Cenamos en un kebab. |
| el kéfir | kefir | un vaso de kéfir |
| el kale / la col rizada | kale (col rizada is the Spanish name) | una ensalada de kale |
| el kumquat | kumquat | mermelada de kumquat |
| el koala | koala | El koala come eucalipto. |
| el kril | krill | Las ballenas comen kril. |
| el kiwi (ave) | kiwi (the New Zealand bird) | El kiwi no puede volar. |
Kilo- words (units and computing)
The prefix kilo- (a thousand) gives most of the K words in a Spanish dictionary. All are masculine:
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| el kilogramo | kilogram | El paquete pesa tres kilogramos. |
| el kilómetro (cuadrado) | kilometre (square kilometre) | una superficie de 50 kilómetros cuadrados |
| el kilovatio | kilowatt; kilovatio hora = kilowatt hour | el precio del kilovatio hora |
| la kilocaloría | kilocalorie (feminine, like caloría) | Una manzana tiene unas 50 kilocalorías. |
| el kilobyte | kilobyte | un archivo de 200 kilobytes |
| el kilolitro, el kilohercio, el kilovoltio | kilolitre, kilohertz, kilovolt | technical texts |
Note that kilocaloría is feminine because caloría is; the gender comes from the second part. Other science words with K include kelvin (el kelvin) and kriptón (krypton). Many chemistry words that start with K in English start with C or QU in Spanish: queratina (keratin), cetona (ketone), caolín (kaolin), cuarzo (quartz).
K or QU? Words with two accepted spellings
The Real Academia Española accepts several K words in a second, more Spanish spelling with C or QU. Both are correct; the K spelling is usually more common today.
| With K | Spanish-style spelling |
|---|---|
| kiosco | quiosco |
| kilo, kilogramo, kilómetro | quilo, quilogramo, quilómetro (rare today) |
| kimono | quimono |
| kermés | quermés |
| kiwi | quivi |
| bikini (K inside a word) | biquini |
Why so few Spanish words start with K
Latin used C for the /k/ sound, and Spanish inherited that habit. When C comes before E or I it changes sound (cena, cine), so Spanish writes /k/ as QU before those vowels: queso, quiero. With C and QU covering every case, Spanish never needed K for its own words. K came back with borrowings from Greek (via international science), English, German, Japanese and other languages, and with the metric system’s kilo-.
How to pronounce K in Spanish
K always sounds like the K in “kit”, never silent (kiwi, not “iwi”). The one real difference from English is aspiration: at the start of a word, English speakers add a small puff of air (“khilo”); Spanish speakers do not. Hold a hand in front of your mouth and say kilo without the puff. That is what people mean when they say the Spanish K is “softer”.
Stress follows normal Spanish rules, which is why some borrowings carry an accent: kárate, kétchup, kéfir, kínder, káiser.
Gender and plurals
- Most K borrowings are masculine: el kilo, el kiosco, el kayak, el kiwi, el karaoke, el kit.
- Feminine ones usually end in -a or follow their Spanish base word: la kermés, la kilocaloría.
- Plurals add -s after a vowel or after most foreign final consonants: kilos, kioscos, kiwis, kayaks, kits, kebabs.
- Some words do not change: los karaoke is heard, but los karaokes is the standard plural. Kétchup and kéfir are uncountable in most uses.
Places, people and nationalities with K
| Place (Spanish) | English | Adjective / person |
|---|---|---|
| Kenia | Kenya | keniano, keniana |
| Kazajistán | Kazakhstan | kazajo, kazaja |
| Kuwait | Kuwait | kuwaití |
| Kirguistán | Kyrgyzstan | kirguís |
| Kosovo | Kosovo | kosovar |
| Katmandú | Kathmandu | (capital of Nepal) |
| Kioto (also Kyoto) | Kyoto | (city in Japan) |
| Kurdistán | Kurdistan | kurdo, kurda (also the language: el kurdo) |
Nationality adjectives are written with a lower-case letter in Spanish: un corredor keniano (a Kenyan runner).
K in texting and slang
In informal messages, Spanish speakers often write k for que or qué: “k tal?” (how are you?), “xk” (por qué / porque). It is fine with friends and wrong in any formal writing or exam. You will also see “ok” or “okey“, widely used and accepted as informal Spanish.
K words in a real conversation
Most learners meet K words in shops, sport and travel. A short dialogue at a market stall shows how they sit in ordinary sentences:
- Cliente: Buenos días. ¿A cuánto está el kilo de tomates?
Good morning. How much is a kilo of tomatoes? - Vendedor: A dos euros el kilo. ¿Cuántos quiere?
Two euros a kilo. How many would you like? - Cliente: Medio kilo, y también cuatro kiwis.
Half a kilo, and four kiwis as well. - Vendedor: Aquí tiene. ¿Algo más?
Here you are. Anything else? - Cliente: No, gracias. ¿Hay un kiosco cerca? Quiero comprar el periódico.
No, thanks. Is there a kiosk nearby? I want to buy the newspaper. - Vendedor: Sí, a unos cien metros, al lado del kebab.
Yes, about a hundred metres away, next to the kebab shop.
Notice medio kilo (half a kilo, no article) and a dos euros el kilo (two euros a kilo: Spanish uses el where English uses “a”).
More example sentences
- Hemos caminado diez kilómetros hoy. (We’ve walked ten kilometres today.)
- ¿Cuántos kilos pesa tu maleta? (How many kilos does your suitcase weigh?)
- Mi hermano tiene el cinturón negro de kárate. (My brother has a black belt in karate.)
- Esta lavadora gasta pocos kilovatios. (This washing machine uses few kilowatts.)
- Nunca he visto un koala de verdad. (I’ve never seen a real koala.)
- Compramos un kit para hacer pan en casa. (We bought a kit for making bread at home.)
- El sábado hay karaoke en el bar. (There’s karaoke at the bar on Saturday.)
- Los niños se ponen un kimono para judo. (The children put on a kimono for judo.)
Common mistakes
- “la kiosco” → el kiosco.
- “la kilocaloría” is wrong? No, it is correct: kilocaloría is feminine.
- “kuarzo”, “ketona”, “keratina” in formal writing → cuarzo, cetona, queratina (you will see “keratina” on hair products, but the dictionary spelling is queratina).
- “Kiev es la capital de Ucrania” vs “Kyiv”: Spanish style guides still recommend Kiev, though Kyiv is increasingly seen in the press.
- “un kilo de azúcar es cara” → es caro (agreement with kilo).
- Writing “k” for “que” in an exam → always write que.
Practice
A. Complete with a K word.
- Necesito un ______ de patatas.
- Compré una revista en el ______ de la esquina.
- La maratón tiene 42 ______ .
- Los ______ viven en Australia y comen eucalipto.
- ¿Quieres ______ con las patatas fritas?
Answers: 1 kilo. 2 kiosco (or quiosco). 3 kilómetros. 4 koalas. 5 kétchup.
B. Correct the mistake.
- La kayak es rojo.
- El kuarzo es un mineral.
- Vamos a los kioscoes.
- Una kilo de arroz, por favor.
Answers: 1 El kayak es rojo. 2 El cuarzo es un mineral. 3 Vamos a los kioscos. 4 Un kilo de arroz, por favor.
FAQ
Are there any Spanish words that start with K?
Yes, but only a few dozen common ones, nearly all borrowed: kilo, kilómetro, kiosco, kiwi, koala, kárate, kétchup, kayak, karaoke, kit, kimono, kermés, káiser.
What is the letter K called in Spanish?
Ka. The plural is kas.
Is K a Spanish letter?
Yes. It is the 11th letter of the alphabet, between J (jota) and L (ele), but it is used almost only in foreign words and names.
How do you say “okay” in Spanish?
Vale (Spain), está bien, de acuerdo, or informally ok/okey.
Which letters sound like K in Spanish?
C before A, O and U (casa, cosa, cuna) and QU before E and I (queso, quince). For those words, see Spanish words that start with Q; for the neighbouring letter, Spanish words that start with J.
