How to Pronounce the Letter Q in Portuguese (and Words That Use It)

Knowing how to say the letter Q in Portuguese is more important than it looks. In Portuguese the letter Q is called "quê" and it sounds almost like the word "que", so one tiny slip when you spell something out loud can make us here in Brazil understand something very different from what you actually meant.

In this lesson you'll learn how to pronounce the letter Q in Portuguese, see a list of common Portuguese words with Q with real, everyday examples, and finally understand why we always say "quê" whenever we spell things out here in Brazil.

And heads up, because the letter Q is not the same as the word "que" in Portuguese. A bit further down I'll show you how to say "que" in Portuguese and how it's different from the letter, so you never mix the two up again.

Video: How to Pronounce the LETTER Q in Portuguese

In this video I show you how the letter Q is pronounced in Portuguese in under two minutes: the Q is almost always attached to a U and it sounds like a soft /k/. Watch it first and then we'll keep going with the word list so you can train your ear.

Para mejorar tu portugués

Herramientas gratis. Toca una para ver más.

Guía PDF Mini curso Test Calculadora Mapa Clases

HEADS UP: Be careful with the letter "Q" in Portuguese. We call this letter "quê", so if your name is something like Joaquin, don't spell the "Q" out as "cu", because "cu" in Portuguese is a vulgar word for "ass" (quite literally the hole itself).

Improve your pronunciation with these classes and tips.

How to pronounce the B and V in Portuguese

A list of some Portuguese words with the letter Q

These are Portuguese words with the letter Q that we use all the time in Brazil, each one with a real sentence so you can see how we use it day to day. Notice that in almost all of them the Q is followed by a U.

Quesito

In Portuguese, "quesito" means an aspect, a criterion or a point, for example within an evaluation or a checklist. It has nothing to do with cheese, even though the word might look like it should, so it's one of those words that quietly trips learners up.

• Alguns quesitos passaram batidos na reunião de hoje, amanhã de manhã falo com o pessoal.

27 expressions with the verb BATER.

Pesquisa

In Portuguese, "pesquisa" is a piece of research, a study or a survey. It's the word we use in Brazil for what in English you'd call doing research or running a survey.

• Eles fizeram uma pesquisa muito detalhada sendo que o problema foi que todas as fontes eram falsas.

Learn the difference between "Buscar, Procurar, Pesquisar, Investigar".

Qualquer

"Qualquer" means any, anything or whichever. We use it constantly: "qualquer coisa" means "anything" and "qualquer dia" means "any day".

• Fico preocupado com você dirigindo cansado desse jeito, é capaz de qualquer dia desses cair no sono ao volante.

Several ways to say "I FELL ASLEEP" in Portuguese.

Several ways to say TO DIE in Portuguese.

Questão

In Portuguese, "questão" means a question, a matter or an issue. The expression "o X da questão" is like saying "the crux" or "the heart of the matter" in English.

• O grande X da questão é saber se ele vai topar ou não essa proposta.

The different pronunciations of the LETTER X in Portuguese.

Qualitativo

"Qualitativo" means qualitative: it has to do with quality, not quantity. Its opposite is "quantitativo" (quantitative), just like in the example sentence.

• Isso não tá dando certo, precisamos focar em fazer uma análise qualitativa ao invés de quantitativa.

Several ways to say that something is damaged, broken, or not working.

Corriqueiro

"Corriqueiro" means common, everyday or routine, something that happens all the time. There isn't one perfect one-word match in English, which is exactly why it confuses learners: "algo corriqueiro" is "something totally ordinary".

• A segurança aqui no bairro tá foda, esses assaltos já viraram algo corriqueiro por aqui, só esse mês já foram 5.

The meaning of FODA in Portuguese.

Queijo

"Queijo" simply means cheese. It's one of the most useful Portuguese words with Q in everyday life in Brazil, especially when it's time to eat.

• Quando eu for na padaria eu vou comprar um queijo bem gostoso pra você.

Learn how to use FOR (ir/ser), the future subjunctive.

Queixa

"Queixa" means a complaint or a formal report. The expression "prestar queixa" is exactly "to file a report", like when someone goes to the police in the example below.

• Ela me contou que prestou queixa na delegacia depois que roubaram vários produtos eletrônicos da casa dela.

More Portuguese words with the letter Q

The key to pronouncing the letter Q in Portuguese is the vowel that comes right after it. In the QUE and QUI groups the "u" is silent and you only hear the /k/ (as in "queijo" or "quilo"), while in the QUA and QUO groups the "u" is pronounced, with a /kw/ sound (as in "quando" or "quota"). Here are more words with Q, split exactly by that rule.

The QUE / QUI group (the "u" is silent: sounds like /ke/, /ki/)

In the QUE and QUI groups the U isn't pronounced: you only hear the /k/, just like the "k" in the English "kettle" or "key". That's why "queijo" sounds like "KAY-zhoo" and "quilo" sounds like "KEE-loo".

• Quente — hot
• Quem — who
• Quebrar — to break
• Queda — a fall
• Queixo — chin
• Quilo — kilo
• Quintal — backyard
• Quinta-feira — Thursday
• Quibe — kibbeh (the fried snack, very common in Brazil)
• Quiabo — okra
• Queijo — cheese

The QUA / QUO group (the "u" is pronounced: sounds like /kwa/, /kwo/)

Here it's the other way around: in QUA and QUO the U is pronounced and sounds like /kw/, like the "qu" in the English "quantity" or "quota". So "quando" sounds like "KWAN-doo" and "quota" sounds like "KWO-ta".

• Quando — when
• Quanto — how much
• Quota — quota
• Quociente — quotient
• Qual — which
• Qualidade — quality
• Quantidade — quantity
• Quantificar — to quantify
• Qualificar — to qualify
• Quarto — room / bedroom (also "fourth")
• Quarta-feira — Wednesday
• Quadrado — square
• Quadril — hip
• Quadrilha — a typical dance from the June festivals (also: a gang of criminals)

Brazilian names with the letter Q

Proper names are where spelling the Q in Portuguese gets trickiest, and that's exactly why it's so easy to embarrass yourself saying them out loud. These are the Brazilian first names and surnames with the letter Q that you'll hear the most, with a note on how each one is pronounced.

Very common names

• Henrique — very common (ends in "-que": sounds like /ke/); nicknames: Rique, Riquinho
• Joaquim — a classic that's back in fashion; the "u" is silent and the "im" is nasal (/kĩ/); nicknames: Quim, Quinho
• Raquel — very common (feminine)
• Isaque — common, especially in evangelical families (the Portuguese version of "Isaac")
• Kaique / Caíque — very popular with younger people (spelled with a K or a Q)
• Ezequiel — common (a name with biblical roots)

Traditional or less common names

• Pasqual — of Italian origin, found in southern Brazil
• Jacques — of French origin, used in Brazil
• Quézia / Quezia — common (feminine)

Surnames with the letter Q in Portuguese

• Siqueira — very common
• Queiroz / Queirós — very common
• Marques — very common (don't confuse it with "Marquês")
• Albuquerque — common (double Q)

Careful with the letter Q in Portuguese: the slip that says "ass"

Here's the most dangerous trap with the letter Q in Portuguese: in Brazil the letter Q is called "quê" (it sounds like /ke/), but a lot of learners spell it out as "cu", and that tiny slip changes everything, because "cu" in Portuguese is a vulgar word that means "ass". Picture spelling out a name like Joaquim and dropping a "cu" right in the middle of the conversation: instead of your name, we here in Brazil are going to hear something very different and pretty embarrassing.

So every time you need to name the letter Q out loud, remember to say "quê" and never "cu". It's exactly the same kind of stumble that false friends cause, those words that sound almost the same as in your own language but mean something completely different in Brazil.

• Find out what "cu" really means in Portuguese (and why you should never confuse it with the Q)
• 11 false friends in Portuguese that will embarrass you

Is the letter Q the same as the word "que" in Portuguese?

No. The letter Q is a consonant in the alphabet and it's called "quê". The word "que" (meaning that, what or which) is a completely different, everyday word, and in Brazil it's usually pronounced "qui". They're two separate things that are easy to mix up.

The letter Q isn't the only one that hides pronunciation surprises in Portuguese. These other letters also change their sound and trip learners up:

• The letter X in Portuguese
• The letter R and RR in Portuguese
• The Z, S, SS and Ç in Portuguese
• How to pronounce every letter in Portuguese (video + PDF)

How do you say "que" in Portuguese? (don't confuse the letter with the word)

A lot of people search for how to say "que" in Portuguese and end up confusing the word with the letter Q, but they're two different things. The word "que" means that, what or which, and in everyday speech in Brazil it almost always sounds like "qui", with a /ki/ sound. For example, the phrase "o que é isso?" ("what is that?") sounds roughly like "u qui é issu?". The letter Q, on the other hand, is called "quê" and it's just a letter of the alphabet.

• que — that / which (pronounced "qui" in Brazil)
• o que — what (as in "o que você quer?" = "what do you want?")
• por que / porque — why / because (one of the most common mix-ups, even for us Brazilians)

If you want to understand why the same vowel changes its sound depending on the stress, it really helps to learn how vowels and accentuation work in Portuguese, because that's where the logic that makes "que" sound like "qui" in Brazil comes from.

• How vowels and accentuation sound in Portuguese (with audio)
• Learn to spell your name in Portuguese without embarrassing yourself

Learn to spell in Portuguese

Spelling in Portuguese is exactly where the letter Q can betray you, because when you say your name out loud a single sound changes everything. Learn how each letter of the alphabet is named so you can spell your name and your details without embarrassing yourself in Brazil.

How to spell in Portuguese.