Den Haag in Spanish | The Name You’ll Hear Abroad

In Spanish, the city is called La Haya, and that’s the form you’ll see in news, maps, and official Spanish-language writing.

You’ll hear “Den Haag” the moment you arrive in the Netherlands. You’ll also see “The Hague” on English signs, tickets, and travel apps. Switch to Spanish, and a different name pops up: La Haya. Same city. Different language label.

This trips people up in real life. You might be booking a train, labeling a photo album, writing a school assignment, or translating a short bio. You want the Spanish name that sounds normal to Spanish readers, not a word-for-word Dutch copy that feels off.

So here’s the straight answer: Spanish uses La Haya for the city known in Dutch as Den Haag and in English as The Hague. If you want to write Spanish that reads cleanly, “La Haya” is the default in most contexts.

Den Haag in Spanish And When You Should Use It

Spanish writing typically treats this place name as a settled form: La Haya. You’ll find it in Spanish-language media, textbooks, and international organization materials. It’s also the way many Spanish speakers refer to the city in speech.

You can still keep “Den Haag” in Spanish text in a few cases. It tends to show up when you’re dealing with Dutch-only wording, like a legal entity name, a local address line, or a sign you’re quoting exactly. In those cases, “Den Haag” isn’t wrong; it’s just a direct Dutch form inside Spanish text.

If you’re writing for Spanish readers and you’re not quoting Dutch text, go with La Haya. It reads like Spanish, and it’s instantly recognizable to Spanish speakers who follow international news or travel.

What’s Going On With The Different Names

Place names often behave like nicknames across languages. A language may keep the local name, reshape it to fit its sounds, or use a long-established form that came through history, diplomacy, and publishing habits.

For this city, Spanish settled on “La Haya.” English settled on “The Hague.” Dutch uses “Den Haag,” with “’s-Gravenhage” also seen in formal settings. None of these are “translations” in the strict sense. They’re the names each language uses as the normal label.

If you’ve ever said “Londres” in Spanish for London, or “Múnich” for Munich, you already know the pattern. “La Haya” fits that same everyday language behavior.

Why Spanish Uses “La Haya”

Spanish didn’t pick “La Haya” at random. It’s a long-used Spanish form tied to how the name circulated through European languages over time. French uses “La Haye,” and the Spanish form lines up closely with that route of use in print and diplomacy.

You can see “La Haya” treated as a proper name with its own built-in article “La.” The Diccionario panhispánico de dudas entry on the article “el/la” notes that the article can be part of a city name in Spanish, with “La Haya” as a clear case.

Spanish style references also list Dutch place names with their Spanish forms. Fundéu’s list of European place names includes “Den Haag: La Haya,” which is handy when you want a quick, publishing-oriented confirmation from a language usage authority: Fundéu’s European place names list.

How To Write It Correctly In Spanish

Most of the time, you only need two rules.

• Capitalize both words: La Haya.
• Keep the article: write “en La Haya,” “desde La Haya,” “la ciudad de La Haya.”

Many Spanish writers keep the article even after a preposition: “en La Haya,” not “en Haya.” That looks and sounds right in Spanish because “La” is baked into the name for normal usage.

One more detail: “haya” is also a common Spanish word (a verb form of haber and also a tree). That’s fine. In the city name, capitalization plus context keeps it clear. If you want a quick check on the everyday word “haya,” the RAE dictionary entry is here: RAE DLE: “haya”. That page is about the word itself, not the city, yet it explains why lowercase “haya” can mean something else in Spanish.

When “Den Haag” Still Makes Sense In Spanish Text

“La Haya” is the Spanish default. Still, you’ll run into moments where “Den Haag” is the better pick inside Spanish writing.

Addresses And Local Labels

If you’re copying a Dutch address, keep the city as written locally. Dutch postal systems and local forms often expect “Den Haag.” A Spanish sentence can still wrap around it:

• “La carta va dirigida a una oficina en Den Haag.”
• “El evento se celebra en Den Haag (Países Bajos).”

Official Names Of Dutch Entities

Organizations, departments, and programs may have registered names that include “Den Haag.” If you’re citing the registered name, keep it exact. You can follow it with “La Haya” in parentheses if the audience needs instant recognition.

Quoted Text And Screenshots

If your article includes a screenshot of a Dutch booking page, or you’re quoting signage, keep “Den Haag” as-is. Spanish readers won’t mind as long as your surrounding sentence is clear.

Common Places Where You’ll See “La Haya”

You’ll see “La Haya” in Spanish-language reporting on courts and international law, in sports coverage, and in travel writing. The city hosts major institutions, so the name shows up often in Spanish headlines.

If you’re writing about legal or diplomatic topics, you might also bump into the name as part of organization titles, like “Conferencia de La Haya.” The official site of the Hague Conference on Private International Law uses Spanish naming on its language selector, which reflects real institutional usage: HCCH official site.

If you’re writing more broadly about the city, you may want a source that confirms how the city is labeled in Dutch and English contexts. A locally focused page like “A short history of The Hague” on a Hague tourism site notes the Dutch official name usage in everyday city branding: A short history of The Hague.

And if you want a background reference for the city’s alternate names used across languages, Encyclopaedia Britannica lists other known forms of the name on its The Hague page: Britannica: The Hague.

Table Of Dutch Names And The Spanish Forms You’ll Meet

Here’s a practical way to stop second-guessing yourself. Many Dutch city names stay the same in Spanish, while a few have long-set Spanish forms.

Dutch Name	Spanish Form	Notes For Spanish Writing
Den Haag	La Haya	Spanish default for the city; “La” is part of the name in normal usage.
Amsterdam	Ámsterdam	Accent often appears in Spanish; you’ll see both in casual text.
Rotterdam	Róterdam	Accent is common in Spanish style; the base name stays recognizable.
Utrecht	Utrecht	Usually unchanged in Spanish; pronunciation shifts in speech.
Eindhoven	Eindhoven	Usually unchanged; keep Dutch spelling in Spanish text.
Groningen	Groninga	A Spanish form exists and appears in style references.
Maastricht	Maastricht	Usually unchanged; keep as-is in Spanish writing.
Leiden	Leiden	Usually unchanged; many readers know it from the university.
Den Bosch	Bolduque	Spanish form appears in reference lists; also seen as “’s-Hertogenbosch” in Dutch.

Spanish Sentences That Sound Natural

If you’re translating or writing from scratch, it helps to see the name inside normal Spanish sentences. Here are patterns that fit travel, school, and work contexts without sounding stiff.

Travel And Logistics

• “Tengo una escala en Ámsterdam y luego voy a La Haya en tren.”
• “El hotel queda en La Haya, cerca del centro.”
• “Salimos de Róterdam por la mañana y llegamos a La Haya antes del mediodía.”

News And Institutions

• “La reunión se celebró en La Haya.”
• “La delegación viajó a La Haya para una cita oficial.”
• “El anuncio se hizo desde La Haya.”

When You Keep The Dutch Form

• “En la web del ayuntamiento figura ‘Den Haag’ en la dirección postal.”
• “El formulario pide la ciudad tal como aparece en el registro: Den Haag.”

Table For Choosing The Right Form In Real Situations

This quick table helps you pick the name that fits the job you’re doing, without overthinking.

Situation	Best Spanish Choice	Reason
Essay, blog post, or homework in Spanish	La Haya	Reads natural to Spanish readers and matches standard usage.
Spanish subtitle for a travel photo	La Haya	Short, familiar, easy to recognize.
Copying a Dutch postal address	Den Haag	Matches local addressing and official Dutch formatting.
Quoting a Dutch ticket, sign, or screenshot	Den Haag	Keeps the quoted text exact.
Bilingual text (Spanish + Dutch)	La Haya (Den Haag)	Spanish readers get the familiar name, Dutch readers get the local label.
Organization name that includes the city	Use the organization’s own form	Registered names should stay exact, even inside Spanish writing.

Quick Checks Before You Hit Publish

If you’re writing for Spanish readers, these checks keep your text clean:

• Use La Haya as the city name in Spanish sentences.
• Keep the article “La” with the name in normal Spanish phrasing: “en La Haya,” “desde La Haya.”
• Use “Den Haag” only when you’re copying Dutch text, citing a registered name, or writing an address line.
• Capitalize the city name so it can’t be confused with the everyday word “haya.”

That’s it. Once you lock those habits in, the name stops being a guessing game. Your Spanish will read like it was written by a person who actually uses the language, and your readers won’t stumble over a city they already know by another name.