Spanish Slang For Brother (Revealed!)

In Spanish slang, “brother” is carnal. This is mostly used to refer to your actual, biological brothers, although it can also be used in the closest of friendships. Hermano can also be a slang term in this sense, as it is used in a non-standard way. But the most common slang is carnal.

So, when talking about someone’s siblings, the most likely way you refer to them using slang is carnal, otherwise you will likely use some slang form of hermano.

Let’s look into these terms and more to find out about Spanish slang for brother.

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What is Spanish slang for brother?

The most common form of Spanish slang for brother is carnal.

This is most commonly used to refer to someone’s biological brother, but it can also mean someone who is so close they are like your brother.

In either case, the implied meaning is one of a blood connection.

If not a literal blood connection, then simply a friendship that runs so deep that the connection may as well be one of blood.

Whether you are in Spain, Mexico, or just about any Spanish-speaking nation across the world, the word carnal will be understood to mean a brother.

That said, it is most commonly used in Mexico.

Here, it can be used, either way, to mean your actual brother or a very close friend.

Another term you might hear is cuate.

This one has rather a specific meaning. It means a fraternal twin, so, in other words, a twin brother.

But not an identical twin.

So, really, this one can also mean brother in certain contexts.

Finally, the last one is mano.

This one is again very common in Mexico but is used widely throughout Spanish-speaking countries as well.

This one really mostly means a biological brother to the exclusion of all else.

However, as with most languages, these two terms can very often become blurred in and of themselves.

They can often, inherently, mean both a biological sibling and a close friend.

What about an older brother?

What do Spanish call their older brother?

In Spanish, hermano mayor means older brother.

This is really the only specific, broadly used Spanish term to refer to one’s older siblings.

Conversely, older brothers might refer to their younger brothers or sisters as manito or manita.

This is the diminutive term for sibling and is more of a slang term than the simple hermano.

In terms of an equivalent slang term for an older brother, though, there really isn’t one that is broadly used.

Let’s look at the origins of these terms, now.

Why do the Spanish say carnal?

If you’re at all familiar with Spanish, you may know that carne is the word for meat in the language.

You may, at first, be surprised to learn that this is the origin of the term carnal, meaning brother.

The sense is that meat involves a lot of blood, and this is how brothers are connected.

They are blood-related, and their ties are in the blood.

Thus, the relationship between the two is carnal.

This is not to be confused with the term as it is used in English to mean physical desire.

This term comes from Latin. “He’s my carnal,” you might say in Spanish, for example.

This slang is primarily used in Mexico, though you’re likely to be understood in most Spanish-speaking countries if you use it.

It can also mean a close friend, again, in the same way that virtually any word for “brother” can.

But it is mostly used to indicate a literal blood-related relationship between two people.

Again, meat is a very evocative image!

Why do the Spanish say cuate?

Cuate is, itself, a standard Spanish term just meaning fraternal twin.

However, again, that term has since taken on a slang meaning of its own.

It is used to refer to any of your brothers, even if they were not your twin or even a twin at all.

It’s worth remembering that fraternal twins are only as alike as any two siblings would be.

They were simply born at the same time.

In Mexican slang, the word cuate can also mean a buddy or a friend. More broadly, though, across the Spanish speaking world, the term just means a brother or fraternal twin.

Why do the Spanish say mano?

So, as I mentioned, the standard Spanish word for brother is hermano.

As is standard practice in any language, simply shortening key standard words like this is a ripe source for slang.

Thus, mano is born, as is manito that we mentioned earlier.

The Spanish simply get this by shortening their word for brother.

Again, this one is used throughout most Spanish-speaking countries.

As with manito, it can often be used to mean a younger brother, but it generally just means any brother.

And, like with most other terms for brother, it can also be taken to mean a close friend in many cases.

The fact that Spanish is talked so widely in so many parts of the world goes to show why it has such an extensive range of slang terms.

That said, when it comes to something simple like one’s brother, the most basic terms are usually the best.

Keep it short, simple, and effective!

But that’s not to say that there aren’t still a variety of options for Spanish-speaking people across the world.

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