Spanish Slang For Cool (32 Examples!)

Spanish is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world.

With that, comes a virtually endless amount of regional slang.

Some concepts in Spanish have been the subject of so many different slang terms it can be impossible to keep up with them all, especially depending on where you are in the world.

Today, we’re going to look at as many of these slang terms as we can, from Mexico and Chile to Spain itself.

Let’s get started.

Tuanis

Staring off in Central America, we have tuanis.

This is a simple slang term meaning cool, and you might use it to describe objects, a movie, or your friend’s clothes, for example. It is mostly used in Costa Rica, El Salvador, and

Nicaragua to a lesser extent. It is also heard in other Spanish speaking countries, though.

It’s said to originate from a Salvadorean general from the 19^th Century, who used code for messages in which tuanis came to mean good.

Chido

This term is used mostly in Mexico, and is again simply a slang term for something or someone cool.

It’s quite a casual term, meaning something was cool and good rather than necessarily touching any kind of greatness.

It is possibly from the Asturian xidu, meaning beautiful—as indeed are many of the terms on this list. It could also be from the slang chiro, which meant excellent.

Chilero

Following on from that last one, another Spanish slang term for cool used in Guatemala is chilero.

This means something cool.

Again, the origin is most likely the same as the Mexican chido.

This is just how it happens to have developed in Guatemala.

It probably comes from xidu originally.  

Chiva

The natives of Costa Rica also have their own version of xidu.

If something is cool to a Costa Rican, they might say it is chiva.

Again, it can really mean anything that is cool.

It’s simply passed over to Costa Rica and taken on a slightly different construction.

Choy

Finally, in the South American nation of Peru, there is another version of xidu—choy.

Peruvians describing something as cool would say it is choy.

It’s again the same root word formed in a different way.

Guay

In Spain itself, the undefeated slang term of choice for cool is guay.

This is the most commonly used term in Spain, today and for a considerable portion of the last century at least.

Perhaps much further back even than that.

It’s thought to be a variation of gay, originally meaning simply cheerful.

Chevre

This term is most often used in the Spanish speaking island of Puerto Rico, and simply means something is good or cool. It’s thought to be a blending of Spanish and African languages in the Caribbean more broadly.

Again, though, it’s though that this also, originally, was a form of xidu—I told you we’d be seeing this word a lot!

Calidá

Another piece of Guatemalan slang now, next we have calidá.

This means something is cool or indeed very cool or excellent. It’s commonly used among younger generations.

Originally, Calidá was actually a girl’s name which meant “heated”.

This in turn came to mean something was intensely beautiful and eventually settled on cool in Guatemala at least.

Cachilupi

Cachilupi is a favorite term in Chilean Spanish, meaning cool or good. It can also mean excellent or very good.

It’s rarely used outside of Chile but is very popular in Chile.

It’s hard to say where it originated, though, again, its ultimate root is most likely also in xidu.

Admittedly, it has greatly changed since that term.

Cachete

In literal Spanish, cachete means your cheek.

However, in Chile and Costa Rica, it has retained a different meaning in slang. It means something is good or cool.

It’s often used as todo cachete, meaning “how cool”.

It’s unfortunately unclear where this term comes from.

How it should be distributed in two such disparate countries without much intervening use in the in between countries is certainly a linguistic puzzle.

Genial

Genial is one of the most broadly used terms on this list, being in use virtually everywhere with the exception of a couple of counties like Colombia and Ecuador.

In literal Spanish, it has the sense of “great”, but this has naturally taken on the meaning “cool” in slang.

It most likely derives from the Latin, as it does in our own language, though with a different meaning.

It comes from the idea of a festivity or a marriage.

Es un pasada

Back to Spain itself, next, we have the phrase es una pasada.

This is a regional slang term in parts of Spain that simply means something is cool or good.

The term literally means “to pass”, so it’s not really clear how it took on this slang meaning.

It may have been the sense that the cool thing “passes” some test.

Molón

Another slang term specific to Spain, though it is also used in other Spanish-speaking nations.

It simply means cool, or rather has the sense of “neat”. It’s subtly cool in some way or another, or perhaps just cool but not that cool.

Interestingly, this one ultimately may derive from the Spanish word for the molar tooth—but more on that later.

Pura vida

Translated literally, pura vida means “pure life” in English.

In Costa Rican slang, though, this term means something is cool.

It is most commonly used in the sense of “it’s okay”, much like “no worries” or “no problem”.

Or, of course, “it’s cool”.

This term has been in use in Costa Rica for well over half a century at least. Being a literal Spanish term, the origin in time is very hard to pinpoint.

Bacán

This is another one that is heard across Central and South America.

Whether as far north as Cuba or Colombia, or as far south as Peru or Chile, bacán or bacáno means something or someone is good or cool.

It seems to originate from the sense of “boss” or “captain” from Ligurian, which is found in modern-day Italy.

Bárbaro

This one might sound a bit strange, as the literal translation is just what it sounds like.

Bárbaro means barbaric or a barbarian, and you might think that has a negative meaning.

In fact, for something to be bárbaro, it is very cool.

When and how this came to mean cool is, unfortunately, unclear. It is a relatively recent addition, without doubt, but with another case of a literal word or term just taking on another meaning, it is hard to say when this happened.

Buenazo

This one is mostly reserved for things rather than people, so be careful not to call someone buenazo.

That said, this one is used in Peru, Ecuador and large parts of Costa Rica, and is a way of describing something as cool.

This is most likely another corrupted term that was originally Italian, probably originally a conjoining of bueno and ismo.

Descueve

Not much used outside Chile, descueve is certainly a highly regional term.

It means something is cool or indeed very cool, even great or fantastic.

There’s little evidence of the use of the term before the beginning of the 20^th Century, and we have very few written examples.

With that in mind, it’s very difficult to say where and how this term originated.

Gufeao

Back in Puerto Rico, gufeao, also spelled gufiao, is something or someone who is cool.

It is not really heard anywhere but Puerto Rico.

It’s believed to in fact trace its roots back to English, from the word “goofy”.

In that sense, it’s original use was a bit different, but it came to eventually mean cool.  

Molar

In Spain, molar is a verb which means to be cool in slang.

It’s used generally just to indicate you like something, or that it is cool or in fashion.

As I mentioned earlier, this is probably the root of the term molon used in Spanish speaking countries.

They may originate from the noun for tooth, somehow, but again it really isn’t clear.

Copado

Specific to Argentina and most of Uruguay, next we have copado.

It literally means tufted, in Spanish, meaning it has grown in a tuft, such as hair.

But in colloquial Spanish slang, it has come to mean something is cool.

Again, the etymology of this one simply isn’t clear.

It’s most likely a mixing of Spanish with one indigenous language or another from Latin America.

Why “tufted” should take on this meaning just isn’t easy to tell.

Piola

Another term with a strange literal translation given its slang meanin,g we have piola, a common slang term in Chile and Argentina.

The literal meaning in Spanish is rope or string. In slang, it means something is cool, or that someone is very charming or agreeable.

It probably came originally from the sense of a string as a reliable person.

Padre

You’re probably familiar with the literal meaning of this term in Spanish: Father.

However, in Mexican slang, it has come to mean something is cool.

Again, we really have no sure way of saying when this term took on this slang meaning.

It may simply be the notion of the great respect that everyone ought to have for their father.

Poca madre

I would advise you to be very careful using this one yourself, as it can also be insulting.

Again, literally, this term means “little mother”—though it can also mean “motherless”.

In Mexican slang, poca madre is a way of saying something is very cool.

This one certainly has mixed meanings, making its origin a bit foggy.

I would, again, urge caution in using it, as it has a variety of connotations.

Pulento

Perhaps the most regionally specific term so far on this list, next we have pulento.

This is mostly used in parts of Santiago, in Chile.

It is considered to be a term used by poorer residents of the city, though whether this is true is up for debate.

It simply means something is cool.

It seems to be a recent term perhaps popularized by Chilean music in the 1980s.

Topísimo

Another Chilean term, next we have topísimo.

This one is used across Chile, rather than just in a certain city.

It means something is top notch, extremely cool, the coolest that it can be.

Again, this one is probably similar to buenazo. It is a combination of Spanish and Italian roots passed on to Chilean natives.

Suave

This one might surprise you, given it’s definitely a slang term used in English, too.

It literally means smooth in Spanish, and this is where our term comes from, ultimately. It is derived from the Romance languages.

It is used in many Spanish speaking countries to mean cool, in the sense of slick and smooth, like James Bond.

Naguará

Our first Venezuelan term, next we have naguará.

This one is something of an exclamation, rather than a simple word.

It’s rather similar to saying “wow”, or perhaps “caramba” as some Spanish speakers might say.

It was originally a Venezuelan surname, and probably became mixed with Spanish terms to take on this modern meaning.

Buena onda

This slang term definitely has a unique cognate in English slang.

The literal translation of Buena onda is something like “good wave”, which has the similar sense to the English “good vibes”.

A party might have Buena onda, for instance.

Since this is standard Spanish terms used in a slang sense, the origin is perhaps quite recent, but we don’t know for sure.

Zarpado

Another one that is best used carefully, due to multiple meanings, this term is used in Argentina to mean simply “cool”.

The other meaning is that it can refer to someone who has crossed a line and is being rude or obnoxious.

So, as I say, use it with caution!

It has various literal meanings, so it’s not entirely clear where it originates.

It’s possible it originates from the sense of “setting sail” or embarking.

Nítido

Back to Puerto Rico, nítido is another literal term meaning “vivid” in Spanish.

In Puerto Rican slang, though, it means something is cool.

There are many similar ways in which English uses other words to become slang for cool, such as “sweet” for instance.

This appears to be what happened with nítido in Spain.

Pichudo

We have the slang of young adults in Costa Rica—pichudo.

It simply means something or someone is cool, though it is more often than not used for objects.

Again, it’s really not clear how this term originated. It’s possibly a variation of the sense used to mean “relaxing or hanging out with someone”. But we just don’t know for sure.

Spanish slang is unique in every country where the language is spoken, and virtually all Spanish-speaking people have more than a few slang terms for cool in their vocabulary.

This list comprises the most commonly used Spanish slang terms for cool across the world, and though the origins of many of these terms may be mysterious, their meaning could not be clearer.

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• Spanish Slang For Cool
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• Spanish Slang For Gossip
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