Mexican slang Words

Mexico is a super unique country, its people are some of the most creative I’ve encountered. If Mexico was competing in a meme duel after an event- even if that event is tragic- Mexicans would win. You can expect our slang to be equally creative and widely used, making it harder to grasp the meaning of Mexican slang phrases. If you plan on traveling to Mexico, these are the Mexican slang words, swearwords, and phrases-written by a real Mexican-you need to understand before exploring Mexico.

I decided to write this guide because some explanations out there are written by foreigners with little grasp to the nuances of language or word play. Somewhere I also read that verga –a word I actually hate- is pronounced like burger. Umm, no more like the ve in verb and ga in gasp. Another one said a cantina was a bar, and malacopa a lightweight, both wrong. So do not fear, I won’t lead you astray, this is the essential Mexican dictionary to navigate your way through Mexico.

Be aware that Mexicans are some of the most politically incorrect people out there, especially for nicknames. You know the famous Mexican drug lord, El Chapo, well his nickname comes from chaparro, meaning short. Some words can be used for friends or as an insult depending on context and intonation, so always be on the lookout for that!

A lot of these words are best not used in front of your grandma or the mochas. My Umi even cringes with the word güey. Some words are associated with a lower socioeconomic status, like chido, but younger generations, rebelling against the status quo began using them regardless of where they come from.

Another thing about daily Mexican speech, there are a ton of sexual double entendres. If you learned Spanish from Spain or South America, be sure to not use coger in Mexico, because for us it means to fuck not to pick up. So if you say “Te paso a coger” You will most likely hear some laughs or a “Que pasó, que pasó!” Because instead of telling them you’ll pick them up, you are saying you will have sex with them.

We also love making everything sound cute by adding –ito or –ita, which makes it smaller like perrito.

1) Güey

Güey‘s meaning is literally ox, or buey, and used to be an insult. Today it is a crucial word in Mexican Spanish, pronounced “wey”, used mostly as dude, or mate. My mom hated my friends calling each other güey, especially my female friends, but despite older generations’ pushback, güey stayed in the everyday lexicon. You will hear it everywhere as some Mexicans sprinkle it into every phrase, “Es que güey no sabes lo que me pasó el otro día. Estaba ahí, el güey del que te hablé…” (Translation: Dude, you have no idea what happened to me the other day. The dude I talked to you about was there…”)

Sometimes it can be used as a derogatory way to refer to a person, for example “¿Qué le pasa a ese wey?”, or what’s wrong with that guy. Or even just to point out someone, “El wey de allá”, the guy over there.

2) Garnachas

Garnachas are Mexican street food, normally greasy and unhealthy, but totally delicious. You can also call them antojitos and find them in different parts of the city from street vendorsto mercados. Some garnachas you need to try are quesadillas and esquites.

When you go to the market ask for salsa que no pica if you can’t handle spicy, or salsa picante if you can. If they ask if you want it con todo it means with everything, this entails cilantro and onions in tacos, sour cream and salsa in quesadillas, with your corn or esquites they want to know if you want with mayo, butter, lime, and chili.

3) Pinche

Pinche actually means scullion, or someone who works in the kitchen doing menial work. You will not hear pinche in the kitchen but rather, it is a crucial piece of slang that is used for many different things. Mostly it can mean fucking, or a way to make a swear word worse, like “Ese pinche pendejo” or that fucking asshole. But it can also be used to express that something is horrible, “Está bien pinche”.

4) Pendejo

An essential Mexican curse word, most closely translated to asshole. You will probably hear it as often as wey, especially during the horrible Mexico City traffic, overhearing the phrase ““Ese pendejo se metió”, or that asshole cut in line. If the one insulted is a woman, you will hear the feminine form pendeja.

5) Padre

So the word for father can also be used as the Mexican slang word for cool. You will hear it a lot in conversation. For example if you say, “I am from Italy”, they might answer “Que padre!” Or how cool. Some people also use chido to mean cool, though sometimes more related to a lower socioeconomic status.

6) Madre

The Mexican word for mother has many uses, mostly it is used to refer something that is sucks-“Qué poca madre”- but it can also be used to say cool –“A toda madre” or the phrase used in Northern Mexico “Está con madre!”. When you’re using madre to cuss at someone, like saying “Chinga tu madre!” You are not really telling them to go fuck their mother as Mexican mothers are venerated- but rather “Fuck you” as the insult goes towards the person.

You can also use it to say you don’t give a shit- “Me vale madres”. Or use madrazo to say you hit yourself pretty hard or a fight is about to start- “Me di un madrazo” or “Van a empezar los madrazos”.

You might also here desmadre meaning chaotic, a shit show, or a disaster- “Tu casa es un desmadre!”

I would try to not use most of these expressions in front of my grandmother, for example instead of madrazo I would say golpazo, or instead of desmadre I would use desastre. For a fuller guide on madre.

7) Aguas

Mexican translation for aguas is in fact not water but be careful or watch out. If you tell someone, “Echame aguas”, you are telling them to be your lookout.

This very common expression was used a lot in a famous Mexican T.V. show called El Chavo del 8, where if the chavo asked the other character to keep a lookout by saying “Echame aguas”, the other character would literally pour water on them.

8) Chingar

So chingar means fuck, but it is much more complex than that. You can use it in different phrases with a negative connotation but it can also end up meaning something good, or even just an expression of surprise. Chingadazo is just like madrazo, meaning a hard hit, fall or accident. Or chingada in which you can say “Vete a la chingada” – go to hell- or “Esta en casa de la chingada” – it is extremely far away.

If somebody says, “Ya te chingaste” they are telling you you’re screwed, but if instead they say, “Ya te chingué” they are saying they’ve beaten you. If someone completely annoys you and you want to tell them to go screw themselves, you can say, “Vete a chingar a tu madre”. To let someone know they are bugging you, use this Mexican slang phrase “Cómo chingas!”

You can also just say “A chingá!” which denotes surprise, like “A chingá! What time did you get here?” Or tell someone to pass you that chingadera, or thingamajig.

Chingar, like other Mexican slang, can be good. For example, es un chingón or chingonazo which translates to he is the best, recognizing them for something. Check out this more comprehensive guide on chingar.

9) No Manches

No manches literally translates into don’t stain it, but it is used to express incredulity. Its synonym no mames- whose literal translation is don’t suck it- is used in the same way but expressing a little more outrage and one of those phrases I will not use in front of grandma.

Person 1: “No manches, me tiraste el café encima!” = No way, you spilled all your coffee on me!

Person 2: “No mames no exageres, es una gotita.” = What the fuck, don’t exaggerate it’s only a drop.

10) Huevón

A huevón, or big egg, translates to someone extremely lazy. It is different than in Venezuela, where it is used like güey. You can also use hueva, to mean something that you don’t want to do, like “I still have homework, qué hueva!” And the other person might answer, “Ya no seas huevón, empieza”- don’t be lazy, start it. Again, these words I wouldn’t use in front of the in-laws, but would switch to the better accepted flojera and floj@.

The word egg, can also be used as a good exclamation, like saying “hell yeah”, when you say “A huevo!”.

My husband wanted me to add a wiwi, a deformed version of a huevo.

11) Pedo

This is the Mexican word for drunk. If someone says “Estoy pedo” it means they are drunk. Mexicans also use the word “happy” to say they are buzzed, that perfect state between drunk and sober, so if you’re at a party and someone asks if you’re happy they may mean buzzed.

Ni pedo can both translate to not even drunk will I do that, or no problem, depending on the context.

If you want to know how to say whats up in Spanish look no further than ”¿Qué pedo?” or “¿Qué onda?” if you want to be informal but not impolite. Likewise, if someone “Es buen pedo” or “Es buena onda” it means they are nice. (Onda means wave).

Pedo can also mean to make it difficult for someone, as in “Mi novio estaba tan pedo ayer, que hoy le armé un pedote”-my boyfriend was so drunk last night, today I gave him shit for it.

But if you ever hear “Se echó un pedo”, get away as someone just farted!

12) Cruda

Cruda translates into raw, but the translation from Mexican to English is actually hungover. I think it comes from the raw feeling of the morning after when your head throbs and you feel like an uncooked fish, ie. like shit.

13) Mexican Party Slang

Other slang words you may hear when you go out are precopeo which means pre-game, chupar whose literal translation to suck but actually means to drink alcohol, chela or cheve to mean beer, chesco which means soda, and pomo means bottle of any spirit.

When my mom was younger an antro was a place of mala muerte -a dump where you might get killed-, instead today an antro is just a nightclub. A cantina instead is more of a whole in the wall, where older drunks hand out.

If someone says you’re a malacopa, instead this means you are a mean drunk.

14) Quihubo

Another Mexican greeting, quihubo is the abbreviation of que hubo or what happened.

15) Qué Oso

This is a funny Mexican word that literally translates to what a bear, but actually means how embarrassing. For example on my fifteenth birthday trip- instead of quinces party (not called quinceañera)- when touring the cruise, my friend went up on stage and danced thinking no one was there. We heard some laughing and saw this cute guy and his family there. She came down from the stage screaming, “Qué Oso!”

16) Neta

This is one of Mexican slang basic words used in everyday conversation to meaning the truth. If I were to ask a friend to tell me the truth about my dress I would say, “Dime la neta, ¿me veo bien?” Colloquially you can also joke around with words and say “La neta del planeta”.

17) Chafa

Chafa means something that is of bad quality, cheap, or even fake. Like if a purse is chafa, it might be an imitation of the real one. When a movie is chafa instead it is of bad quality or just a bad movie. It would be the opposite of chido.

A synonym of chafa is gacho. If something bad happened to your friend, for example the movie they wanted to see was sold out, you can answer with “Qué gacho!” You can also call a person gacho when they’re being mean.

18) Malinchista

This is not a Mexican cuss word, but it is still an insult. It is intended for those Mexicans who prefer foreign things rather than those made in Mexico, a traitor to your nation. This is in reference to La Malinche (also known as Malintzin or Doña Marina), an indigenous woman, daughter of a powerful man who became slave to the Spanish. After some time, she became the translator and presumed lover of Hernán Cortés, playing a critical role in the Conquest of Mexico. Although attributing the traitor label to only a woman is sexist and discounts the cultural background in which La Malinche, born from people subjected by the violent Mexicas (real name of the Aztecs), ascended through the Spanish ranks.

19) Fresa and Naco

Yes, fresa translates to strawberry but it is used to refer to a well-off, a bit snobby, person. Those that live in Polanco (a Mexico City neighborhood) could sometimes be referred to as fresa, although my friend from Polanco says fresas are the girls from Regina (a Mexican private school). They also tend to talk as if they had a potato stuck in their throat. Hand in hand with fresa can be a junior, the son of a rich Mexican family that tends to spend money, not work, and just live off of their dad.

The opposite of fresa would be a naco, which is both tacky as well as someone without manners. Historically, it has been used as a pejorative term for someone of lower class and indigenous roots, coming from Totonaco, an indigenous culture. Today, it is used more broadly and for any social class, but it does have racial undertones. It would be the equivalent of redneck in the U.S.

Today, you will probably hear the word fifi. This is a derogatory term for well-off people used by the president of Mexico, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO), to polarize Mexicans into two classes, rich and poor. If you hear chairo, it is a derogatory word for AMLO’s followers.

20) Verga

I hate this Mexican word for penis. Unlike in other parts of South America, in Mexico it is very vulgar. When you say “Vales verga” you are telling someone they are dick-useless-, or “Me vale verga” a more vulgar way of saying I don’t give a shit. If you hear “A la verga” it is an exclamation, can be both for good and bad news.

21) Chilango

People from Mexico City are called chilangos. This is sometimes used in a despective way, for example when the chilangos would invade my city of Cuernavaca on the weekends and we would say “Maldito chilango en traje”, stupid person from Mexico City in a bathing suit at the cinema. They also take over other cities for the day since there are a lot of places for day trips from Mexico City, chilangos someone act as if they’re better than others.

22) Órale

Another difficult to translate word, órale can be used as an exclamation, as a form of encouragement, expressing shock, or even agreeing with someone.

For example, if your friend asks if you want to go to the bar you can answer with “órale, vamos”- ok, let’s go. Or if your friend is running in the marathon, you can yell “Órale, Mario!”

23) Lana

Mexican slang word for money. So if you hear someone say “Chale, no tengo lana, güey”, they’re not saying they don’t have any wool, but instead that they’re out of money.

24) A poco

This word that translates to ‘a little’, can be used to say ‘really’ or ‘you don’t say?’ Depending on tone of voice and body language it can be a sign that a person is interested in your conversation or just giving you the avión (lit. airplane), or ignoring you.

So if someone is annoying you, you can say “A poco” rolling your eyes a bit and turning around, letting them know you are not interested.

25) Ahorita

Ahorita is not technically a slang word as it is the diminutive of ahora, now. What is unique to Mexico, is how long of a time period does ahorita denote. No one really knows. Ahorita can be to do it now, like if your boss says she needs something “Ahorita!” Or it can be in a while/when I’m free, if your boyfriend asks you to do something and you are watching T.V. and yell back “Ahorita, lo hago!”

26) Me Choca

This Mexican slang term used when you don’t like something, can also be used for people. You can say “Me choca el pan” when you really don’t like bread or “Maria es chocante” when you want to say Maria is not nice and is annoying.

When you want to say you REALLY don’t like something then use me caga – he shits me. So for me it would be “Me caga la palabra verga”, I hate the word verga, or to say someone is horrible, “Pablo es cagante”.

27) Carnal, Cuate, Compa and Cabrón

If you were looking for the Mexican slang word for bro any of these will do. Compa comes from compadre, the name you would call the godfather of your kids, so someone very close. Your carnal is your brother, that friend that is family. So if someone says, “He is my carnal” they are giving you a special place in their life. Cuate on the other hand can just mean friend.

Cabrón is tricky as it can both mean brother and friend, or it can be an insult. Context is everything. My husband can come up to his friends and say “¿Qué pedo cabrón, cómo estás?”, ‘what’s up bro? How are you?’. Or if someone is messing with me, he can yell “¿Qué te pasa cabrón?”, or ‘what’s wrong with you asshole?’

28) Chamarra

This word replaces the Spanish word chaqueta, which means jacket or coat. In Mexico, chaqueta means masturbating, mostly men’s masturbation in a sort of derogatory term. So when in Mexico, use chamarra instead.

29) Chamba

This is the Mexican word for work. The people that work in offices are called godines, and when you take lunch to the office or have an office birthday party you refer to it as godín.

30) Paro

So this can mean a strike blocking roads or a favor. For example “Hazme el paro” so asking your friend to do you this favor or “No salgas, hay un paro” telling your friend to stay home as there is a strike.

31) Mocha

Or mocho refers to someone who is so religious they miss out on things or judge others. The people from the city of Puebla are normally very mochos.

32) Chale

If you don’t want to do something, or something is not going well you can exclaim “Chale”. Chilango, or people from Mexico City, slang can be the deformed chiale!

Chale, I’m having a hard time defining what chale means.

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