16 Spanish Words Starting With K You Should Know

There are hardly any native Spanish words that begin with the letter K.

It’s true.

You won’t find very many, unfortunately.

So, if these words are so rare, why might you need a list of Spanish words that begin with K?

The main reason to be aware of it is that the list of words that the Spanish language has adopted is abundant.

With this fact in mind, it’s a handy trick to know which Spanish words begin with K as they’ll be easier to remember.

In essence, you won’t be learning completely new words when studying most Spanish courses because with many Spanish words, you’ll most likely have already heard them in English.

You’ll be pleasantly surprised when you check out my list below.

For extra facts about K in Spanish and this list, read on.

What is the Spanish letter K called, and how do native Spaniards pronounce its name?

The Spanish letter K is named ka.

It’s the eleventh letter of the alphabet and a consonant. A phonetic way of spelling the pronunciation of this letter is kah.

What letter combination can replace the letter K in Spanish?

The letter combination that often replaces the letter K in Spanish is the qu combination (think words like queso and querida).

For this reason, you’ll find very few Spanish words that begin with the letter K, and you’ll notice that several words that begin with K in Spanish are loan words.

Two examples of loanwords that the Spanish language has adopted (that begin with K) include kebab and kayak.

Spanish nouns that begin with K

Let’s now jump to my list of Spanish words that begin with K.

I’ll begin with a list of 10 nouns mostly borrowed from other languages (but you can find them in the RAE dictionary).

1. Kiosco

Un kiosco is a masculine noun that refers to a small outdoor booth where you can purchase newspapers or flowers.

However, there is also another definition.

This Spanish word that begins with K also refers to a pavilion you’ll find in parks where concerts are held.

Kiosco means “kiosk” in English.

Voy a ir al kiosco. Voy a comprar un periódico.

I'm going to the kiosk. I'm going to buy a newspaper.

2. Kárate

Note that this Spanish word that starts with K might be borrowed from Japanese, but its Spanish equivalent has an accent mark.

You may recognize this word without much effort - it means karate in English and refers to the combat sport.

En mi tiempo libre hago kárate. Es un deporte muy interesante.

In my spare time, I do karate. It's a very interesting sport.

3. Kilogramo

Kilogramo is a Spanish noun that describes the international system’s unit of mass.

The English equivalent is “kilogram.”

Remember that kilogramo is a masculine noun that must be paired with either the article el or un when modifying or using this word in sentences.

Necesitó un kilogramo de harina para dos pasteles.

She needed one kilo of flour for two cakes.

4. Kilómetro

The Spanish noun kilómetro is a borrowed word that refers to a unit used to measure distance. Un kilómetro is 1000 meters.

Note that the Spanish version has an accent mark above the first o to remind us how this word is pronounced. Learn more about Spanish accent marks by checking out our linked article.

Here’s a usage example of the word kilómetro:

Habíamos viajado un kilómetro y tuvimos que volver.

We had traveled one kilometer, and we had to go back.

5. Kilometraje

You might not instantly recognize this Spanish word with the letter K at the beginning.

Kilometraje means “mileage” in English.

It refers to the distance traveled in kilometers.

El kilometraje se había roto antes de que nos fuéramos.

The mileage had broken before we left.

6. Kilovatio

There’s a slight difference between this Spanish word and its English equivalent.

Kilovatio means “kilowatt” in English.

As you can see, there’s just one letter difference (the ‘w’ changes to a ‘v’). Un kilowatio is the equivalent of 1000 vatios or watts.

¿Cuántos kilovatios de energía usamos todos los días?

How many kilowatts of power do we use every day?

7. Koala

Koala in Spanish is a masculine noun that refers to the mammal that lives in Australia.

It’s found in the RAE dictionary, where it is described as a small marsupial that looks similar to a small bear.

Again, this is a borrowed word with no variation in spelling, so it’s easy to remember.

¡Mira! Un koala. Es super lindo.

Look! A koala. It's super cute.

8. Kiwi

Un kiwi is a masculine noun that you’ll find in the RAE dictionary even though it’s a loan word.

This word means “kiwi” in English and refers to the sweet and citrusy fruit with a hairy skin.

There’s another definition of kiwi: Use it to refer to the bird species found in New Zealand.

Como muchos kiwis. Tienen mucha vitamina C.

I eat many kiwis. They have a lot of vitamin C.

9. Kit

If your set of products or utensils is sold as a unit, you can refer to them as un kit in Spanish.

Use this Spanish word that begins with K, similarly to its English equivalent.

Tengo un kit de maquillaje. Lo uso todos los días.

I have a makeup kit. I use it every day.

10. Kiosquero

This Spanish noun is unique to Spain. This word describes the attendants who work in kiosks or kioscos.

If the person who serves you at the kiosco is female, you can refer to her role as kiosquera.

La kiosquera me recomendó un periódico nuevo el otro día.

The newsstand attendant recommended a new newspaper the other day.

5 Spanish adjectives that begin with K

In this next list, you’ll find five Spanish adjectives that begin with ‘K.’

Do you already know any of these words? Write them down if you need to jog your memory.

1. Kafkiano

If something belongs to the work of famous writer Franz Kafka or is similar in style, you can use this Spanish loan word to describe it.

Kafkiano means “Kafkian” in English.

You can also use this adjective when describing a situation similar to the absurd or distressing characteristics of Kafka’s work.

Remember to use the feminine equivalent Kafkiana when modifying or using a Spanish feminine noun.

Check the usage examples below to see how to use them.

La historia es Kafkiana. Es muy parecida a sus obras.

The story is Kafkaesque. It's very similar to his works.

El evento es Kafkiano. Es muy absurdo.

The event is Kafkaesque. It's very absurd.

2. Kantiano

If something is related or similar to philosopher Immanuel Kant’s work or ideas, you might use the word Kantiano to describe it.

Kantiano means “Kantian”.

As with the Spanish adjective Kafkian, you must use the feminine version of the word Kantiano to modify feminine nouns. The feminine equivalent of Kantiano is Kantiana.

La teoría es Kantiana. Se dice que la ley moral está creada de manera no empírica.

The theory is Kantian. They say moral law is created in a non-empirical way.

3. Kárstico

In geology, you can use this Spanish adjective to refer to limestone formation.

Kárstico features a Spanish accent mark, so you’ll know that the word’s stress falls on the accented a.

The word also has a feminine equivalent, kárstica, so if you modify a feminine noun, use kárstica to describe it. This word means

Los monumentos kársticos estuvieron construidos hace muchos años.

The karstic monuments were created many years ago.

4. Kinesiológico

The Spanish word kinesiológico is an adjective you can use to describe actions related to therapeutic procedures to restore the human body’s movements.

Note the accent mark hovering above the second o, which tells you that the word’s stress falls on the letter o.

Antonio es fisioterapeuta. Es experto en el uso de técnicas kinesiológicas.

Antony is a physiotherapist. He's an expert in kinesiological techniques.

5. Kinesiterápico

The Spanish word kinesiterápico is an adjective you can use for actions that are relative or similar to those used in kinesitherapy.

Samuel es experto en técnicas kinesiterápicas. Lleva muchos años trabajando con la gente.

Samuel is an expert in kinesitherapeutic methods. He's worked with people for many years.

One Spanish verb that begins with K

Kilometrar is the Spanish verb beginning with K that has made my list.

It refers to the process of signaling measured distances using kilometers.

Since this is a verb, you can conjugate it to make different people the subject of the sentence. For example, if you wanted to say, “I measure distances in kilometers,” you can simply use the first-person singular verb kilometro.

You can change this to kilometras to say, “you measure distances in kilometers.”

Los obreros kilometran las distancias de la carretera.

The workers measure by kilometers the distances of the road.

Other Spanish words that start with K

Spanish words that have a K at the beginning: What to remember

You now have a good list of Spanish words starting with a K. Here’s what to remember.

First, remember that nouns and adjectives can be masculine or feminine. This rule means you should consider the article and the suffix to modify them correctly.

You should also remember that many of these words have been borrowed from their English equivalent.

That’s a bonus - you will find that memorizing them is easier than you first thought.

Use this list of Spanish words beginning with K to build your vocabulary.

Are there other Spanish words beginning with K that you’d like to see listed here?

Comment below with your suggestion.

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