jalapeño

See also: jalapeno

English

Immature jalapeño peppers

Alternative forms

• jalapeno (more common in the UK)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Classical Nahuatl xalli

Proto-Uto-Aztecan *paC-ta

Proto-Nahuan *aa-tl

Classical Nahuatl atl

Classical Nahuatl -pan

Classical Nahuatl Xalapanbor.

Spanish Jalapa

Proto-Indo-European *-nósder.

Latin -ēnus

Spanish -eño

Mexican Spanish jalapeñoubor.

English jalapeño

Unadapted borrowing from Mexican Spanish jalapeño.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌhæl.əˈpeɪn.jəʊ/, /ˌhæləˈpiːnəʊ/, /ˌdʒæləˈpiːnəʊ/, /ˌhæləˈpɛnjəʊ/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌhɑ.ləˈpeɪn.joʊ/, /ˌhæl.əˈpeɪn.joʊ/, /ˌhɑ.ləˈpin.joʊ/
  • (US, less commonly) IPA^(key): /ˌhɑ.ləˈpin.oʊ/, /ˌhæl.əˈpin.oʊ/, /ˌhɑ.ləˈpeɪn.oʊ/, /ˌhæl.əˈpeɪn.oʊ/
  • (US, humorous spelling pronunciation) IPA^(key): /d͡ʒəˈlæpənoʊ/
• (Canada) IPA^(key): [ˌhaləˈpiːnjo] IPA^(key): [-pɛn-], [-pe(ɪ)n-]

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (Northern California):

  (file)

Noun

jalapeño (plural jalapeños)

1. A cultivar of hot chili pepper, Capsicum annuum.

   Synonyms: jalapeño pepper, jalap

   Coordinate term: cayenne pepper

   • 2024 June 6, Brooke Younger, “What Is Swicy, and Why Do You Need It in Your Life?”, in Cozymeal‎^[1], archived from the original on 15 January 2025:

     For example, salsa and pico de gallo from Mexican cuisine sometimes include fruits like peach, mango or pineapple, balancing hot peppers like habanero or jalapeño with their sweetness.

Derived terms

• jalapeñorita
• jalapeñotini

Translations

variety of hot chili pepper

• Arabic: هَلَبِينْيُو m (halabīnyū), هَالَابِينْيُو m (hālābīnyū)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 墨西哥辣椒 (Mòxīgē làjiāo)

• Danish: jalapeno
• Finnish: jalapeno, jalapeño (fi)
• German: Jalapeño (de) m, Jalapeno m
• Hindi: ख़ालापेन्यो m (xālāpenyo)
• Japanese: ハラペーニョ (harapēnyo)
• Korean: 할라페뇨 (hallapenyo)
• Nahuatl:

  Classical Nahuatl: chīlchotl

• Polish: jalapeño (pl) n
• Portuguese: pimenta-jalapenho f, jalapenho m
• Russian: халапе́ньо (ru) n (xalapɛ́nʹo)
• Swedish: jalapeño (sv) c
• Turkish: jalapeño
• Yiddish: כאַלאַפּעניאָ m (khalapenyo)

Further reading

• jalapeño on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Polish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Classical Nahuatl xalli

Proto-Uto-Aztecan *paC-ta

Proto-Nahuan *aa-tl

Classical Nahuatl atl

Classical Nahuatl -pan

Classical Nahuatl Xalapanbor.

Spanish Jalapa

Proto-Indo-European *-nósder.

Latin -ēnus

Spanish -eño

Mexican Spanish jalapeñoubor.

Polish jalapeño

Unadapted borrowing from Mexican Spanish jalapeño.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /xa.laˈpɛ.ɲɔ/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛɲɔ
• Syllabification: ja‧la‧pe‧ño

Noun

jalapeño n (indeclinable)

1. jalapeño

Further reading

• “jalapeño”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[2] (in Polish)

Portuguese

Etymology

Etymology tree

Classical Nahuatl xalli

Proto-Uto-Aztecan *paC-ta

Proto-Nahuan *aa-tl

Classical Nahuatl atl

Classical Nahuatl -pan

Classical Nahuatl Xalapanbor.

Spanish Jalapa

Proto-Indo-European *-nósder.

Latin -ēnus

Spanish -eño

Mexican Spanish jalapeñoubor.

Portuguese jalapeño

Unadapted borrowing from Mexican Spanish jalapeño.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ʁa.laˈpẽ.ɲu/ [ha.laˈpẽ.j̃u]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ʁa.laˈpẽ.ɲu/ [ha.laˈpẽ.j̃u]
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ʁa.laˈpẽ.ɲu/ [χa.laˈpẽ.j̃u]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ʁa.laˈpe.ɲo/ [ha.laˈpe.ɲo]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ʁɐ.lɐˈpɐ(j).ɲu/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ʁɐ.lɐˈpɐ(j).ɲu/
  • (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ʁɐ.lɐˈpe.ɲu/
  • (Central Portugal) IPA^(key): /ʁɐ.lɐˈpe.ɲu/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ʁɐ.lɐˈpe.ɲu/

(Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this pronunciation?)

Noun

jalapeño m (plural jalapeños)

1. alternative form of jalapenho

Spanish

Alternative forms

• xalapeño

Etymology

Etymology tree

Classical Nahuatl xalli

Proto-Uto-Aztecan *paC-ta

Proto-Nahuan *aa-tl

Classical Nahuatl atl

Classical Nahuatl -pan

Classical Nahuatl Xalapanbor.

Spanish Jalapa

Proto-Indo-European *-nósder.

Latin -ēnus

Spanish -eño

Spanish jalapeño

From Jalapa + -eño.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /xalaˈpeɲo/ [xa.laˈpe.ɲo]

• Audio (Chile):

  (file)

• Audio (Spain):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɲo
• Syllabification: ja‧la‧pe‧ño

Adjective

jalapeño (feminine jalapeña, masculine plural jalapeños, feminine plural jalapeñas)

1. of, from or relating to Xalapa, Veracruz

Noun

jalapeño m (plural jalapeños, feminine jalapeña, feminine plural jalapeñas)

1. an inhabitant or resident of Xalapa
2. jalapeño (pepper)

   Synonym: cuaresmeño

Descendants

• → English: jalapeño, jalapeno (more common in the UK)
• → Hijazi Arabic: هلپينيو (halapēnyu, halapīnyu), هلبينيو (halabīnyu, halabēnyu)
• → Japanese: ハラペーニョ (harapēnyo)
• → Korean: 할라페뇨 (hallapenyo)
• → Portuguese: jalapenho

See also

• chipotle
• habanero

Further reading

• “jalapeño”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Swedish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Spanish jalapeño.

Noun

jalapeño c

1. jalapeño

Declension

Declension of jalapeño

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	jalapeño	jalapeños
	definite	jalapeñon	jalapeñons
plural	indefinite	jalapeños	jalapeños
	definite	jalapeñosarna	jalapeñosarnas

References

• “jalapeño”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “jalapeño”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)

Turkish

Alternative forms

• jalapeno

Etymology

Etymology tree

Classical Nahuatl xalli

Proto-Uto-Aztecan *paC-ta

Proto-Nahuan *aa-tl

Classical Nahuatl atl

Classical Nahuatl -pan

Classical Nahuatl Xalapanbor.

Spanish Jalapa

Proto-Indo-European *-nósder.

Latin -ēnus

Spanish -eño

Mexican Spanish jalapeñoubor.

Turkish jalapeño

Unadapted borrowing from Mexican Spanish jalapeño.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ha.ɫaˈpen.jo/, (informal) /ʒa.ɫaˈpen.jo/

Noun

jalapeño (definite accusative jalapeñoyu, plural jalapeñolar)

1. jalapeño

Declension

Declension of jalapeño

singular plural nominative jalapeño jalapeñolar definite accusative jalapeñoyu jalapeñoları dative jalapeñoya jalapeñolara locative jalapeñoda jalapeñolarda ablative jalapeñodan jalapeñolardan genitive jalapeñonun jalapeñoların Possessive forms nominative singular plural 1st singular jalapeñom jalapeñolarım 2nd singular jalapeñon jalapeñoların 3rd singular jalapeñosu jalapeñoları 1st plural jalapeñomuz jalapeñolarımız 2nd plural jalapeñonuz jalapeñolarınız 3rd plural jalapeñoları jalapeñoları definite accusative singular plural 1st singular jalapeñomu jalapeñolarımı 2nd singular jalapeñonu jalapeñolarını 3rd singular jalapeñosunu jalapeñolarını 1st plural jalapeñomuzu jalapeñolarımızı 2nd plural jalapeñonuzu jalapeñolarınızı 3rd plural jalapeñolarını jalapeñolarını dative singular plural 1st singular jalapeñoma jalapeñolarıma 2nd singular jalapeñona jalapeñolarına 3rd singular jalapeñosuna jalapeñolarına 1st plural jalapeñomuza jalapeñolarımıza 2nd plural jalapeñonuza jalapeñolarınıza 3rd plural jalapeñolarına jalapeñolarına locative singular plural 1st singular jalapeñomda jalapeñolarımda 2nd singular jalapeñonda jalapeñolarında 3rd singular jalapeñosunda jalapeñolarında 1st plural jalapeñomuzda jalapeñolarımızda 2nd plural jalapeñonuzda jalapeñolarınızda 3rd plural jalapeñolarında jalapeñolarında ablative singular plural 1st singular jalapeñomdan jalapeñolarımdan 2nd singular jalapeñondan jalapeñolarından 3rd singular jalapeñosundan jalapeñolarından 1st plural jalapeñomuzdan jalapeñolarımızdan 2nd plural jalapeñonuzdan jalapeñolarınızdan 3rd plural jalapeñolarından jalapeñolarından genitive singular plural 1st singular jalapeñomun jalapeñolarımın 2nd singular jalapeñonun jalapeñolarının 3rd singular jalapeñosunun jalapeñolarının 1st plural jalapeñomuzun jalapeñolarımızın 2nd plural jalapeñonuzun jalapeñolarınızın 3rd plural jalapeñolarının jalapeñolarının