Cuán

Cuán is a Spanish adverb used to express degree in exclamatory or interrogative clauses, roughly equivalent to “how” in English. It is primarily literary and formal, and is commonly found in poetry, religious writing, and classical prose. In everyday speech, cuán is often replaced by qué tan or by cuánto/cuánta depending on the context.

Cuán normally modifies adjectives or adverbs, as in cuán grande, cuán rápido, or cuán lejos. It is not used directly with nouns; to ask about quantity with a noun, Spanish typically uses cuánto/cuánta (por ejemplo, cuánto dinero, cuánta gente). The accent mark on cuán serves to indicate the stressed syllable and to distinguish it from other forms.

Etymology-wise, cuán derives from Latin quantus, meaning “how great” or “how much,” through the historical development of Spanish interrogative and exclamative forms. The form has appeared in Spanish literature since the classical period and remains attested in modern texts, especially in formal, poetic, or religious registers.

In usage guidance, cuán can heighten expressive impact: “Cuán bello es este mundo” means “How beautiful this world is.” In contemporary, non-literary speech, qué tan is often preferred for similar meanings. The word remains a relevant example for studies of Spanish grammar and stylistic variation.

See also: qué tan, cuánto, cuánta. The Real Academia Española treats cuán as an exclamative/adverb meaning “how” used before adjectives or adverbs.