Spanish Slang For Friend (55 Examples!)

Spanish slang is rich and varied, not least for the simple fact that the language is spoken in so many corners of the world.

In pretty much any language, one of the most important pieces of slang is how we address our friends.

In Spanish, there is no shortage of terms used for friend in their slang, whether you’re in Spain, Latin America, Central America—everywhere has their own terms.

Let’s look into as many of these terms as we can.

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Causa

Starting off in Peru, first we have causa.

This one is strange because, literally translated, the word just means “lawsuit”.

How exactly this term came to mean friend is unclear, though it may be borrowed from the English for cousin.

In any case, it is widely used in Peru to mean friend.

Hermano

This one you may well be familiar with.

Again, the literal translation is “brother”, but just as this is the case in English, the word for brother can also be used to mean friend.

Similarly, you could say Hermana in the sense of “sister.”

This word originally derives from Latin, but the slang term is simply a broadening of the literal Spanish meaning.

Chamo

This one is used mostly in Venezuela.

On the one hand, the term can refer to children or young people, but it can also just be a term for buddy or friend.

It’s similar to the English slang “dude”.

The word itself seems, strangely, to derive from the French word chameau, which means camel. How this word came to mean friend is a bit of a mystery.

Che

This one is mostly heard in Argentina.

In fact, it’s one of the most Argentinian slang terms you can use.

It’s mostly reserved for use with your closest friends, though it can sometimes also be used for colleagues.

It even means an Argentinian in other Spanish speaking countries.

It’s not clear where it comes from, though it seems to be related to ce, a Spanish exclamation like “hey!”

Cuaderno

Cuaderno is a slang term from Mexico, used to refer to friends.

Again, the literal translation throws some mystery on the term, as it just means “notebook”.

But in Mexico, it’s widely used to mean a group of friends.

Again, how it took on this meaning is, unfortunately, lost to time.

Cuadro

Over in Colombia, you may hear Spanish speakers refer to their friends as cuadros.

Once again, this one is very strange because the literal translation is just “table”.

Cuate

Cuate is very broadly used across many different Spanish speaking nations, from Mexico, Paraguay, Puerto Rico and El Salvador to Honduras and Bolivia.

This one just translates, literally, to something akin to “buddy” in English.

It’s thought to have originally been borrowed from a Nahaun language.

Pana

Another one that is very widely used, you might hear this one in Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Nicaragua, among other places.

The literal meaning of this word translates to “corduroy”, but it has the sense of someone’s very close friends.

It’s thought to derive from an indigenous word for family.

Ñaño

In Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and to a lesser extent Argentina, speakers might refer to each other as ñaño.

If you remember your high school Spanish, you might know that this one means year, literally.

But in those countries, it means a friend, particularly someone you’ve been friends with for many years.

Mano

This one is used in virtually all parts of Latin America.

A diminutive form of this term, that you might use for a young friend, is manito.

They both mean hand, or little hand, literally.

When it comes to slang, though, it’s simply a shortening of hermano.

So, again, it’s like calling someone your brother.

Mae

This one is quite specific to Costa Rica, and isn’t much used elsewhere.

It’s similar to another word, guey, which we will look at shortly.

Mae is rather impersonal, not one that is necessarily used for close friends.

It’s unclear where it comes from, but it is similar to the sense of “dude” in English.

Tronco

This one is exclusive to Spain itself, more or less. Again, literally, tronco means a tree trunk.

It’s used particularly by young people, and again means a very close friend.

In some cases, it might even be a romantic friend.

It’s thought that it has the sense that, like a tree trunk, this is a friendship solid and with strong foundations.

Tío

Tío is also more or less exclusive to Spain, in this meaning.

The literal meaning of the word tío simply is “uncle”.

In Spain, though, it is mostly used to refer to people’s friends.

It can also be heard in Mexico, but usually just means uncle there.

Socio

Our next entry is heard primarily in Peru and Colombia, though sometimes you’ll also hear it in Cuba and Ecuador.

In most Spanish speaking countries, this word refers more to a kind of business partner rather than a friend.

However, in a few countries, it’s come to mean a close friend, too.

Yunta

This one is used across central and South America, mainly heard in Argentina, Cuba, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, Peru, and Bolivia.

It literally means a yoke, but it can also mean a team.

The importance of the slang term, though, is in the idea that this is a trusted friend.

Someone you can rely on—like a team!

Viejo

Pretty specific to Costa Rica and small parts of Argentina, next we have Viejo.

Again, literally, this word means old, and is a common way of referring to your father.

However, most Spanish speakers will also understand the sense of a friend.

It’s thought that it came to mean “friend” in the sense of an “old friend”.

Valedor

A valedor is a person who is somehow worthy, in the sense that they are trustworthy, worthy of praise and honor, or any number of other things.

In Colombia and Venezuela, it means a very worthy and close friend.

It comes originally from a term meaning “protector”, but took on this slang meaning.

Vale

Just to add to that last entry, you can also say someone is a vale.

This means they are a close friend and protector of yours, also.

Pez

No, not the mints!

This is a piece of Colombian Spanish slang which means buddy, more in a very unfamiliar sense.

It might be how you address someone if you don’t know their name but you want to be friendly.

It’s one of many terms beginning with P which seem to derive from a common origin.

Pibe

Sometimes used in Argentina but primarily a term heard in Uruguay, next we have pibe.

Again, some standard Spanish dialects use this word to refer to young children.

However, in Uruguay, it simply means a close friend.

Primo

Mostly a Mexican term, but also heard in Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica, primo literally means “cousin” in Spanish.

So, as you can expect, the slang meaning refers to your very close friends, those you view as being like family.

The term itself derives from Latin.

Pata

Heard a great deal in central South America, in places like Peru, Bolivia, and Chile, but also to a lesser extent in Cuba, next we have pata.

Again, literally, the translation doesn’t really help us understand the term—pata means a leg or paw.

It’s possibly it has the sense of seeing someone as though they are like your leg. It’s more likely just a mingling of indigenous terms with Spanish, though, to form an essentially new word.

Alero

This one is mostly a Central American term, being heard in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.

Strangely, the literal meaning of this word in Spanish is roof eaves.

But in Central American Spanish, this is a term that means a reasonably close and food friend.

Amigazo

Heard throughout Latin America, amigazo means a close friend. It’s worth noting, though, that in Chile, this can actually have the opposite meaning of unpleasant company—so be careful!

It’s derived from the word for friend, amigo, with some indigenous roots, too.

Cabrón

Now, if there was any word on this list you want to be careful with, it’s this one.

The literal translation of this term is not one I’ll share here, but to stay safe, you’re best avoiding this one entirely!

Nonetheless, in Mexico, Spain, Chile, Costa Rica and many other places, this word can be used to refer to your friend.

It would only really be used in very familiar settings.

It’s thought to derive from the insult of referring to someone as a goat.

Bro

It’s easy to forget that, just as we do from other languages, many other languages borrow English terms for their slang.

All across the Spanish speaking world, you will hear people refer to their friends as “bro”.

This has precisely the same sense as it does in English—your brother, though it can be used in unfamiliar settings, too.

Boludo

An Argentinian term next, we have boludo.

Again, this one can have a variety of meanings, so it’s worth being careful.

The literal translation has the sense of idiot or jerk, but in Argentina, it’s a valid way to get your friends attention.

In any case, though, it should only be used with close friends.

It derives from the word which meant foot soldiers going to battle, as in “cannon fodder”.

Acere

This one is a Cuban term. Interestingly, we can see the roots of this one in the Efik language, of African origin.

It can be used by men to talk to or get the attention of other men, but more commonly it has the sense of a friend or pal.

Carnal

This one is rather visceral in its meaning.

It is quite commonly used to refer to family members, deriving from the word for meat, carne.

It often means brother, but it has also been expanded to mean close friends, too.

The word ultimately comes from the Latin, carnalis, which means “of the flesh”.

Camarada

Used both in Spain and across Latin America, this one might sound familiar to English speaking ears.

Virtually whatever Spanish speaking country you’re in, this will be understood to mean your friends and close associates.

It comes, as you might have guessed, from the word comrade—originally meaning brothers in arms at war.

Cachanchán

The Dominican Republic has just a richly varied lexicon of slang terms for friend as any other Spanish speaking nation.

In literal Spanish translation, this word actually means insubordinate. In the Dominican Republic, though, it means someone’s close or good friend.

When or how it changed meanings is not clear.

Chero

El Salvador and Honduras often share slang terms, and this one is an example of that.

Chero is used in both these countries to mean a close friend.

It actually derives from French, in which cher is a way to address someone as dear or beloved.

Fren

If you’ve spent any time on the internet, this one might sound like a cringey meme to you.

But in fact, in Panama, this is a slang term used for friend. It can be used for any kind of friend, no matter how old or new.

As you might guess, it does simply come from the English for friend, shortened.

Cúmbila

Another term exclusive to Cuba, next we have cúmbila.

This one, too, derives from African languages spread across the region in the last few centuries.

The root word, camba, means friend, and so is generally reserved for use among reasonably close friends

Panadería

Spanish speaking countries all have panaderías—bakeries! In Venezuela, though, it refers to a place where friends can meet up.

As far back as the 1950s, the term came to have a still broader meaning, including simply friends and friendship groups.

It probably derives from teens and kids of the period meeting up in places like bakeries.

Parcero

This one is mostly heard in Colombia and Ecuador.

Again, the literal translation is simply “landlord”, which ultimately derived from the Portuguese word for partner, parceiro.

Sometimes, it is used more to refer to anyone who is from the same country as you.

However, it does also mean friends.

Parce

Another form of the previous term is parce.

This again just means a friend, someone you don’t know particularly well.

Compadre

Even in English we use the term compadre to refer to our friends, in a joking way.

This one is very common in Mexico and throughout Latin America. In its literal, standard meaning, compadre denotes the relationship between a father and the godfather of his children.

But for Mexicans and many Latin Americans, it refers to your best friends.

This is another one with its roots in military language, similar to comrade.

Compañero

Heard in Mexico, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Argentina, and some other areas of Central America, this one is a standard Spanish term that will be understood by any Spanish speaker.

It more literally translates to partner, but in the right places it can simply refer to friends, too.

You can shorten this to compa or compi.

Gancho

In Chile next, we have gancho, which literally translates to “hook”.

It has the sense of a rather close friend, someone you are quite closely connected to.

Perhaps someone you cannot be separated from.

While the origin of it as slang for friend is far from clear, it’s thought that the sense is as being attached by a “hook”.

Bonco

Back in Cuba, on the one hand you might hear someone refer to a man they find attractive as bonco.

However, it can also simply mean a close friend.

You’ll certainly want to be careful with how you use this one, lest you give the wrong impression!

It’s not clear where this term comes from, though it may, strangely, be a borrowing of the term “bongo”.

Buey

Another one you’ll want to be careful with, buey literally translates to “ox” in Spanish.

The wrong person might think you’re calling them stupid! But in Mexico and Nicaragua, buey is an endearing way of referring to your friends.

It probably derives from farming slang, since an ox is one of a farmer’s main “friends”.

Cabro

Cabro is used pretty much exclusively in Costa Rica, and is probably derived from the earlier mentioned cabrón. It has the same sense, one you should be careful with, a very close friend if you’re familiar enough.

Otherwise, this term could easily be taken in the wrong way!

Chómpiras

This one is used in Mexico, referring to a close friend or just someone that you know very well.

It’s likely to not be understood outside Mexico because, as far as we can tell, it comes from an old sketch comedy show called Chespirito.

In this, there featured a pickpocket named chómpiras.

The slang term is likely a reference to this show, though we can’t be sure.

Collera

In Peru, to refer to your close friends or a group of close friends, you would say collera.

This is another rather mysterious one, as the literal translation of the term is simply collar. It may be the sense of “pairs”, as in pairs of people in a group.

Unfortunately, we just aren’t sure.

Gauche

In Venezuela, another one you might hear for friend is gauche.

In most common use, gauche is like the Spanish version of “wow”. It’s simply an exclamation.

How it came to mean friend is, unfortunately, not clear.

It may be borrowed from the English sense of awkward teenagers, which then young Venezuelans took on to have their own meaning.

But it’s not clear.

Gomía

In Argentina, this is a really interesting one, because it is formed by a rearranging of the composite syllables of amigo.

It’s not used anywhere else in this way, so you probably wouldn’t be understood outside of Argentina.

Nonetheless, this is a strong term of endearment there.

Llave

This next one is heard primarily in the Dominican Republic, but also in Venezuela and the northern region of the Dominican Republic.

It can also be llaveria or llavero.

It usually means a close friend, something you’d use in familiar settings.

Strangely, the literal meaning of the term is wrench.

It’s possible this took on the endearing meaning of a “tool” being a friend—sort of giving your friend a playful hard time.

Pana fuerte

In Puerto Rico, one regional slang term for friend you might hear is pana fuerte.

This one has rather a literal meaning, but nonetheless isn’t much used outside this small island. It comes from the same as the earlier mentioned pana, except with the added fuerte, literally meaning strong.

So, it’s a very good friend.

Won

This one is used mostly in Peru, though it can be heard elsewhere.

Again, you’ll want to be careful with this one, as it derives from the word huevon.

This means a stupid or silly person.

Though it has come to mean just a close friend in Peru, it still has this playful sense of teasing your friend by calling them stupid.

Panita

Another one from Puerto Rico but which is also heard in parts of Ecuador, next we have panita.

It’s a diminutive form of pana, so it’s like saying “your little friend”. It derives from the same root.

Panaful

Another one on that theme, the Dominican Republic’s version of pana is panaful.

The literal sense is a very great friend, someone who is filled with friendliness.

When this word originated is unclear, but it’s plainly from the same root.

El Mío

In Venezuela, a common way to refer to a very close friend is el mío.

This one is widely used in the Spanish speaking world to mean a romantic partner, as the literal translation is “mine”.

However, in Venezuela, it has a broader application, and can be used for very close friends.

Gallada

In Peru and Colombia, another way to refer to your friends in slang is gallada.

Strangely, the literal translation of this term is “corn”. How it came to mean friend is unclear, though it may even stretch back to native indigenous cultures to whom maize, or corn, was very important.

Consorte

Finally, we have a Cuban and Puerto Rican term, consorte.

Again, you may recognize the English term consort, which has a very exclusively romantic meaning. It is used in fancy settings, like the royal family, to indicate a husband or wife.

But in these places, in Spanish, it just means a close friend.

What’s clear, then, is that every version of Spanish across the word has dozens of their own slang terms for friend.

From the southern tip of Chile to the furthest reaches of Mexico, as well as in every region of Spain and any other Spanish-speaking nation, you are never short of words that mean friend.