vs
QUICK ANSWER
"Cualidades" is a form of "cualidad", a noun which is often translated as "quality". "Características" is a form of "característica", a noun which is often translated as "characteristic". Learn more about the difference between "cualidades" and "características" below.
la cualidad(
kwah
-
lee
-
dahd
)A feminine noun is almost always used with feminine articles and adjectives (e.g., la mujer bonita, la luna llena).
a. quality (of a person)
La curiosidad puede ser una cualidad positiva o negativa.Curiosity can be a positive or a negative quality.
b. property (of a plant or a substance)
Las cualidades inherentes del acero son dureza y resilencia.The inherent properties of steel are hardness and resilience.
c. attribute
Estos héroes encarnan cualidades caballerescas, como un marcado sentido del honor.These heroes embody knightly attributes, such as an acute sense of honor.
la característica(
kah
-
rahk
-
teh
-
rees
-
tee
-
kah
)A feminine noun is almost always used with feminine articles and adjectives (e.g., la mujer bonita, la luna llena).
1. (trait)
a. characteristic
Su inteligencia es una de las características que más la distingue.Her intelligence is one of the characteristics that makes her stand out.
b. feature
El esqueleto es una característica fundamental de los vertebrados.The skeleton is a fundamental feature of vertebrates.
a. country code
¿Te sabes la característica para llamar a Colombia?Do you know the country code for Colombia?
b. prefix
La característica para hacer una llamada a Chile es +56.The prefix for calling Chile is +56.
a. characteristic
Hay que distinguir entre la característica del logaritmo y la mantisa.We need to distinguish between the characteristic of the logarithm and the mantissa.
