“Bone marrow” in Spanish is médula ósea. It is pronounced approximately MEH-doo-lah OH-seh-ah, with the strongest stress on the first syllable of each word. This is the standard anatomical and medical term used across the Spanish-speaking world. In food-related contexts, you may also hear tuétano, which refers specifically to the edible marrow found inside animal bones.
Introduction
The most accurate translation of bone marrow is médula ósea. The word médula means “marrow,” while ósea means “related to bone.” Together, the phrase describes the soft tissue found inside many bones, where important blood cells are produced.
Spanish speakers use médula ósea in hospitals, biology classes, scientific writing, and everyday medical conversations. Knowing this term is especially useful when discussing blood disorders, cancer treatment, stem cells, bone marrow donation, or nutrition.
How to Say Bone Marrow in Spanish
Use the phrase:
- médula ósea — bone marrow
The phrase is feminine and singular:
- la médula ósea — the bone marrow
- una médula ósea sana — a healthy bone marrow
- la producción de la médula ósea — bone marrow production
The accent marks are important in written Spanish:
- médula has an accent on the first e.
- ósea has an accent on the o.
Without the accents, the words would be written incorrectly as medula oseа, even though the pronunciation may still be understandable in casual digital communication Most people skip this — try not to..
Pronunciation Guide
A simple pronunciation guide is:
MEH-doo-lah OH-seh-ah
For a more Spanish-like pronunciation:
- médula: MEH-dhoo-lah
- ósea: OH-seh-ah
Spanish vowels are usually short, clear, and consistent:
- e sounds like the e in “bed,” but often cleaner and shorter.
- u sounds like the oo in “food,” but shorter.
In connected speech, the h in ósea is silent, so the ending sounds like OH-seh, without any hard English h sound.
Médula Ósea vs. Tuétano
Although both expressions can refer to marrow, they are used in different contexts:
- médula ósea refers to the biological tissue inside bones.
- tuétano usually refers to the edible marrow found in animal bones, especially in cooking.
For example:
- La médula ósea produce células sanguíneas. — Bone marrow produces blood cells.
- El chef preparó huesos con tuétano. — The chef prepared bones filled with marrow.
Using tuétano in a medical conversation may sound unusual, while using médula ósea when discussing food may sound overly technical.
The word médula by itself can also mean “marrow,” particularly in medical or informal speech. Still, médula ósea is clearer because médula can refer to other types of marrow or internal tissue depending on the context.
Common Medical Phrases
Here are some useful expressions:
- análisis de médula ósea — bone marrow test
- biopsia de médula ósea — bone marrow biopsy
- aspirado de médula ósea — bone marrow aspiration
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