This list includes 76 Italian words that start with Q, from “qua” to “quoziente”. Many entries are everyday words or technical terms useful for learners and translators.
Italian words that start with Q are words where ‘q’ almost always pairs with ‘u’, producing the “qu” sound. This pattern reflects Latin origins, and includes everyday terms like “qua” and technical ones like “quoziente”.
Below you’ll find the table with Italian word, English translation and Example usage.
Italian word: Shows the Italian lemma as written, so you can learn spelling and quickly recognize forms in real texts.
English translation: Presents a concise one-phrase meaning in English, letting you grasp each word’s core sense at a glance.
Example usage: Gives a short Italian sentence followed immediately by an English gloss, so you see the word used in context.
Italian words that start with Q
| Word | Part of speech | English translation | Frequency/Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| quanto | pronoun/adverb | how much; how many | Common |
| quando | adverb/conjunction | when | Common |
| quale | adjective/pronoun | which; what | Common |
| qualche | determiner | some; a few | Common |
| qualcuno | pronoun | someone; somebody | Common |
| qualcosa | pronoun | something | Common |
| qualsiasi | adjective/pronoun | any; whichever | Common |
| qualunque | adjective/pronoun | any; whichever | Common |
| quasi | adverb | almost; nearly | Common |
| qui | adverb | here (near speaker) | Common |
| qua | adverb | here (informal) | Common |
| questo | determiner/pronoun | this; this one | Common |
| questo | pronoun (demonstrative) | this one | Common |
| questione | noun | issue; matter | Common |
| questura | noun | police headquarters | Uncommon |
| questore | noun | chief of police (town) | Uncommon |
| quotidiano | adjective/noun | daily; newspaper | Common |
| quotazione | noun | quotation; market price | Uncommon |
| quota | noun | share; quota; fee | Common |
| quotare | verb | to quote; to list a price | Uncommon |
| quoziente | noun | quotient | Uncommon |
| quattro | numeral | four | Common |
| quarto | adjective/noun | fourth; quarter | Common |
| quintale | noun | quintal (100 kg) | Uncommon |
| quinto | adjective | fifth | Common |
| quinta | noun | fifth (music) or room rent (archaic) | Rare |
| quintessenza | noun | quintessence; essence | Uncommon |
| quintuplo | adjective | fivefold | Rare |
| quindici | numeral | fifteen | Common |
| quindici | numeral | fifteen | Common |
| quinquennale | adjective | five-yearly | Uncommon |
| quaderno | noun | notebook | Common |
| quadro | noun | painting; frame; scene | Common |
| quadrato | adjective/noun | square; squared | Common |
| quadrante | noun | dial; quadrant | Uncommon |
| quadrilatero | noun | quadrilateral | Rare |
| quadruplicare | verb | to quadruple | Rare |
| quadruplice | adjective | fourfold | Rare |
| quaglia | noun | quail | Uncommon |
| quercia | noun | oak | Uncommon |
| querela | noun | formal complaint; lawsuit | Uncommon |
| querelare | verb | to file a complaint | Rare |
| querulo | adjective | complaining; querulous | Rare |
| questeggiare | verb | to court favor (regional/rare) | Rare |
| quiescenza | noun | retirement; inactive state | Rare |
| quiete | noun | quiet; calm | Uncommon |
| quietare | verb | to calm; to quiet | Uncommon |
| quieto | adjective | calm; still | Common |
| quietanza | noun | receipt; discharge | Rare |
| quagliare | verb | to curdle; to solidify | Uncommon |
| querelanza | noun | complaint (archaic) | Rare |
| questare | verb | to ask for (literary/rare) | Rare |
| questionevole | adjective | questionable; dubious | Common |
| questualità | noun | pertaining to funds/collections (rare) | Rare |
| questore | noun | magistrate/police chief | Uncommon |
| questuare | verb | to beg (archaic) | Rare |
| questua | noun | alms-collection; begging (archaic) | Rare |
| quattrocentesco | adjective | 15th-century (cultural) | Uncommon |
| quarto | noun | room in older usage; fourth | Uncommon |
| quartiere | noun | neighborhood; district | Common |
| quartetto | noun | quartet | Uncommon |
| quartina | noun | quatrain (poetry) | Rare |
| quasar | noun | quasar (astronomy, loanword) | Uncommon |
| quasiola | noun | diminutive/rare (regional) | Rare |
| quattrino | noun | old small coin; figurative small amount | Rare |
| quadrare | verb | to square; to fit; to balance | Common |
| quadrifoglio | noun | four-leaf clover | Uncommon |
| qualificare | verb | to qualify; to characterize | Common |
| qualificazione | noun | qualification; certification | Uncommon |
| qualora | conjunction | in case; if | Uncommon |
| quantificare | verb | to quantify | Uncommon |
| quantità | noun | quantity; amount | Common |
| quantomeno | adverb | at least; at minimum | Uncommon |
| quantitativo | adjective/noun | quantitative; quantity-related | Uncommon |
| quantitativamente | adverb | quantitatively | Rare |
| quarticidio | noun | killing of a fourth (rare/constructed) | Rare |
Descriptions
quanto
Quanto costa il biglietto? — How much is the ticket? (Used in questions and comparatives.)
quando
Quando arrivi? — When will you arrive? (Also introduces temporal clauses.)
quale
Quale film preferisci? — Which film do you prefer? (Agrees in gender/number with noun.)
qualche
Ho qualche amico a Roma. — I have a few friends in Rome.
qualcuno
C’è qualcuno alla porta. — There’s someone at the door.
qualcosa
Ho visto qualcosa di strano. — I saw something strange.
qualsiasi
Prendi qualsiasi strada. — Take any road.
qualunque
Puoi scegliere qualunque opzione. — You can choose any option.
quasi
È quasi pronto. — It’s almost ready.
qui
Vieni qui! — Come here!
qua
Stai qua un attimo. — Stay here a moment. (Colloquial)
questo
Questo libro è interessante. — This book is interesting.
questo
Preferisco questo. — I prefer this one.
questione
È una questione importante. — It’s an important matter.
questura
Devo andare in questura per la denuncia. — I must go to the police station.
questore
Il questore ha parlato in tv. — The police chief spoke on TV.
quotidiano
Leggo il quotidiano ogni mattina. — I read the newspaper every morning.
quotazione
La quotazione delle azioni sale. — The stock price is rising.
quota
La mia quota è cinque euro. — My share is five euros.
quotare
La società è quotata in borsa. — The company is listed on the stock exchange.
quoziente
Calcola il quoziente della divisione. — Calculate the division’s quotient.
quattro
Ho quattro mele. — I have four apples.
quarto
È il quarto capitolo. — It’s the fourth chapter.
quintale
Ho comprato un quintale di mele. — I bought a hundred kilos of apples.
quinto
È arrivato quinto alla gara. — He came fifth in the race.
quinta
La quinta nella scala musicale. — The fifth in the musical scale. (musical; other senses archaic)
quintessenza
Questa descrizione è la quintessenza del romanzo. — This description is the novel’s essence.
quintuplo
Ha un guadagno quintuplo. — He has a fivefold profit.
quindici
Oggi è il quindici del mese. — Today is the fifteenth of the month.
quindici
Ci sono quindici persone. — There are fifteen people.
quinquennale
Il piano quinquennale è stato approvato. — The five-year plan was approved.
quaderno
Prendi un quaderno per gli appunti. — Take a notebook for notes.
quadro
Il quadro è appeso al muro. — The painting is hung on the wall.
quadrato
Il tavolo è quadrato. — The table is square.
quadrante
Guarda il quadrante dell’orologio. — Look at the watch face.
quadrilatero
Studiamo un quadrilatero in geometria. — We study a quadrilateral in geometry.
quadruplicare
I profitti sono quadruplicati. — Profits quadrupled.
quadruplice
Ha una funzione quadruplice. — It has a fourfold function.
quaglia
La quaglia è un piccolo uccello migratore. — The quail is a small migratory bird.
quercia
Sotto la quercia c’è una panchina. — There’s a bench under the oak.
querela
Ha presentato una querela per diffamazione. — He filed a defamation complaint.
querelare
Ha querelato l’ex dipendente. — He sued the former employee.
querulo
Il tono querulo mi infastidisce. — The querulous tone annoys me.
questeggiare
(Regional) Usato in alcune espressioni antiche. — (Regional/archaic) Rare usage. (labelled)
quiescenza
È in quiescenza da due anni. — He has been retired/inactive for two years. (technical)
quiete
Cercano la quiete della campagna. — They seek the countryside’s quiet.
quietare
Devi quietare il bambino. — You must calm the child.
quieto
Rimani quieto per favore. — Stay still please.
quietanza
Ho ricevuto la quietanza del pagamento. — I received the payment receipt.
quagliare
Il sugo ha iniziato a quagliare. — The sauce began to curdle.
querelanza
Termine più formale e arcaico. — More formal/archaic term. (archaic)
questare
Usato in contesti letterari. — Used in literary contexts. (rare)
questionevole
La decisione è questionevole. — The decision is questionable.
questualità
Usato in ambito amministrativo. — Used in administrative contexts. (rare)
questore
Il questore coordina le forze dell’ordine. — The questore coordinates law enforcement.
questuare
Verbo arcaico per mendicare. — Archaic verb for begging. (archaic)
questua
La questua era pratica religiosa antica. — Alms-collection was an old religious practice. (archaic)
quattrocentesco
Un dipinto quattrocentesco. — A fifteenth-century painting.
quarto
Affittano il quarto al piano terra. — They rent the room on the ground floor. (older usage)
quartiere
Abito in un bel quartiere. — I live in a nice neighborhood.
quartetto
Il quartetto suona musica classica. — The quartet plays classical music.
quartina
La poesia ha una quartina finale. — The poem has a final quatrain.
quasar
Il quasar emette radiazioni intense. — The quasar emits intense radiation.
quasiola
Termine regionale o raro; poco comune. — Regional or rare term; uncommon. (regional)
quattrino
Non vale un quattrino. — It’s not worth a penny. (idiomatic)
quadrare
I conti non quadrano. — The accounts don’t add up.
quadrifoglio
Il quadrifoglio porta fortuna. — The four-leaf clover brings luck.
qualificare
Vai a qualificare la tua risposta. — You will qualify your answer.
qualificazione
La qualificazione è obbligatoria. — The qualification is mandatory.
qualora
Qualora piova, restiamo a casa. — If it rains, we’ll stay home.
quantificare
Dobbiamo quantificare i risultati. — We must quantify the results.
quantità
La quantità è sufficiente. — The quantity is sufficient.
quantomeno
Quantomeno prova a chiamare. — At least try to call.
quantitativo
Il dato quantitativo è rilevante. — The quantitative data is relevant.
quantitativamente
Usato in contesti scientifici. — Used in scientific contexts.
quarticidio
Termine tecnico o raro; poco usato. — Technical or rare term; little used. (rare)