Hiccups in Spanish

What it means

Hiccups have two parts. The first is an involuntary movement of the diaphragm, the muscle at the base of the lungs that is the main muscle used for breathing. The second is a quick closing of the vocal cords, which causes the "hic" sound. Hiccups can start and stop for no obvious reason, but they often happen when something irritates the diaphragm, such as eating too quickly, eating too much, eating hot or spicy foods, or drinking alcohol or carbonated drinks. They usually go away on their own after a few minutes. Some people have chronic hiccups, which last more than a few days or keep coming back and can interfere with sleep, eating, drinking, and talking. Hiccups are common and normal in newborns and infants.

Hiccups in Spanish

Spanish term: Hipo
Gender and article: masculine: el hipo
Pronunciation: EE-poh

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
singulto	General	The alternative name listed in the MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia article; the RAE dictionary gives singulto as a synonym of hipo.

Hipo is the term MedlinePlus en español uses, and the Real Academia Española dictionary records it as a masculine noun: el hipo. The dictionary describes the word as imitative in origin and defines it as a convulsive movement of the diaphragm that produces interrupted, violent breathing and some noise. English uses the plural "hiccups" where the Spanish pages keep the singular: MedlinePlus en español writes cuando tiene hipo where the English page says "when you hiccup," and its encyclopedia asks ¿Le da hipo con facilidad? for "Do you get hiccups easily?" The sound that the English page spells "hic" is written "hip" on the Spanish page.

The MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia lists singulto as its alternative name, and the English one lists "singultus." Hiccups that last more than a few days or come back are hipo crónico. Related words: diafragma (diaphragm), cuerdas vocales (vocal cords), espasmo (spasm) and nervio frénico, the nerve that controls the diaphragm. The dictionary also records the idiom quitar el hipo, marked colloquial, which means to surprise or astonish.

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	I have had hiccups for three days and they will not go away.	Llevo tres días con hipo y no se me quita.
Clinician	Do the hiccups stop for a while and then start again?	¿El hipo se detiene por un rato y luego comienza de nuevo?
Patient	Yes, they stop for an hour or two and then come back.	Sí, se detiene una o dos horas y luego vuelve.
Clinician	Do you get hiccups easily?	¿Le da hipo con facilidad?
Clinician	Did you recently eat something hot or spicy, or drink carbonated beverages?	¿Comió recientemente algo caliente o picante, o tomó bebidas carbonatadas?
Patient	The hiccups do not let me sleep or eat well.	El hipo no me deja dormir ni comer bien.
Clinician	What have you tried to relieve the hiccups?	¿Qué ha intentado para aliviar el hipo?
Patient	I held my breath and drank a glass of cold water, but it did not help.	Aguanté la respiración y tomé un vaso de agua fría, pero no sirvió.

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Hiccups
Spanish (Español)	Hipo
Chinese (中文)	打嗝
Korean (한국어)	딸꾹질
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Nấc cụt
Filipino (Tagalog)	Singhap
Portuguese (Português)	Soluços
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	สะอึก
Japanese (日本語)	しゃっくり

Where you'll see it

charttriage notemedical record

Related ICD-10-CM category

ICD-10-CM code: R06 → Abnormalities of breathing

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Digestive system

All terms in this area: Digestive system — Sistema digestivo

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.