• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Speaking Latino

Teach and Learn Real World Spanish

  • Spanish Teachers
    • Spanish Curriculum
    • Free Lesson Plans
    • Free List of Spanish Songs
    • Free Cultural Calendar
    • Free Spanish Sayings Printables
    • Class Guides for Teachers
    • Scaffolded Activities Set
    • Teaching Spanish
    • Professional Development
    • Spanish Worksheets for Kids
  • Spanish Slang
    • Slang Dictionaries
    • Word Comparisons
    • Spanish Slang by Country
      • Argentina
      • Bolivia
      • Chile
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Cuba
      • Dominican Republic
      • Ecuador
      • El Salvador
      • Guatemala
      • Honduras
      • Mexico
      • Nicaragua
      • Peru
      • Puerto Rico
      • Spain
      • Venezuela
  • Blog
  • Log In
  • Join Now
Home » Blog » Puerto Rican Spanish Slang » PIRAGUA: Puerto Rican Spanish Word for Snow Cone

PIRAGUA: Puerto Rican Spanish Word for Snow Cone


Piragua is the Puerto Rican Spanish word for snow cone. This refreshing pyramid shaped ice treat is popular all year long and I had the opportunity to have one on a recent visit.

For the rest of the Spanish-speaking countries a piragua is a boat similar to a canoe. The word piragua is the result of combining the words pirámide (pyramid) and agua (water).

The Puerto Rican piragua is sold by piragüeros, street vendors with colorful carts covered by an umbrella. It is hand-shaved with an instrument called a cepillo, that literally means “a brush.” The shaved ice is covered with a flavored syrup of your choice, for example: ajonjolí (sesame seed), anís (anise), cereza (cherry), china (orange), coco (coconut), crema (cream), frambuesa (raspberry), fresa (strawberry), limón (lemon), melao (sugar cane), melón (watermelon), parcha (passion fruit), piña (pineapple), tamarindo (tamarind) or uva (grape). You can sip the piragua using a small straw or start eating the ice right away.

Here is a video I took of a piragüero in action!


Mobile viewers: watch this video here: https://youtu.be/lVimKFl2uMM

Spanish words for snow cone in other countries

It is common to find snow cones in many Spanish-speaking countries, but they use different names. Here are some examples:

1. cepillado: Venezula (Zulia and Falcón)

2. chúrchil: Puntarenas, Costa Rica

3. copo: Costa Rica

4. esnorbor: Venezuela (East part)

5. granizado: Spain, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador

6. minuta: El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras

7. nieve: Honduras

8. piragua: Puerto Rico

9. prensado: Ecuador (in the coast)

10. raspadilla: Peru

11. raspado or raspada: Argentina, Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Ecuador

12. raspao: Colombia, Panama, Venezuela (Caracas and The Andes)

13. yun yun or yunyún: Dominican Republic

What’s your favorite snow cone flavor?

Check out these other Puerto Rican Spanish Slang Word articles.

Related

Diana Caballero

I'm Jared's wife and a dedicated contributor to Speaking Latino, the Spanish Teachers Community, and the World Language Teacher Summit.

Search Speaking Latino

Read more

  • What Does MOJÓN Mean In Puerto Rico?
  • Learn Puerto Rican Spanish Slang: Bad Words and Phrases and What to Say Instead
  • Puerto Rican Spanish Slang: The Origin of CANGRIMAN, FOSTRÓ, CHAVOS, ZAFACÓN and LIMBER
  • 11 Grammar Rules to Improve Your Puerto Rico Spanish
  • Puerto Rican Spanish Slang for Penis: A Bug or a Guy’s Dick?

Navigation

About Us

Contact Us

Blog

Log In

Join the Community

Get Outstanding Student Results with Done-For-You Lessons, Activities & Resources That Can Cut Your Prep Time By 10 Hours A Week!

Get on the Invite List

Contact Jared & Diana

Click here to contact us

Search Speaking Latino

Copyright © 2025 Speaking Latino | Privacy Policy | As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.