As with most other countries, Peru has its own slang. The overwhelming majority of Peruvian slang words have Spanish origins, however, a few do have native origins.
This gives Peruvian slang some of the coolest and strangest slang words of any language on Earth!
Spanish is one of the most spoken languages in the world, currently spoken by around 450 million people. Peruvian Spanish on the other hand, makes up roughly 26 million of these speakers.
15. Mañoso – Slime bag
At some point in time, you’ve probably met a guy who is a bit handsy with people. For some unknown reason he feels the need to touch you and hug you and whatever, even when you don’t really want him to.
In English slang, we have many words for this, with many having various degrees of vulgarity. Nevertheless, in Peruvian slang, they have one word to describe this type of person: Mañoso.
Literally speaking, mañoso means something along the lines of “tricky” or “slick”. And that is partly reflected in its slang meaning- “Slime bag” or more accurately “Someone who’s a bit too handsy”.
Example:
“Te gusta maneul?”
“¡No! Es mañoso!”
14. ¡Pitri mitri! – Awesome!
Out of all of the Peruvian slang words I’ve ever come across, ¡pitri mitri! is by far my favorite. This is because it makes literally no sense whatsoever and is just completely, 100% awesome! (No pun intended!)
Literally speaking ¡pitri mitri! has no menaing whatsoever, no in Spanish, not in any of Peru’s native languages. Simply put, it is a cute rhyming way of saying “Awesome” or “Amazing!”
If you spend any significant time in Peru, especially during their summer months, likely see many t-shirts, towels and other items with the phrase on it. In many ways, it acts as the country’s second motto!
Example:
“¡Nosotros vamos a Disneyland!
“¡Pitri mitri!”
13. Asu – WOW!
Asu is just a shortened down version of the phrase a su madre. Literally, this makes no sense whatsoever, translating as something like “to your mother”. However, it’s mostly used to show a sense of surprise or shock.
In many ways, it is similar to the phrase “Wow!” that we have in English.
A word of warning before you go experimenting with other phrases involving the word madre. Just don’t, it’s not worth it. If it goes wrong, you’ll sound like you’re insulting their mother, and that will likely annoy everyone.
Due in part to influences form American media, many Peruvian teenagers have begun to use asu both in its traditional use, as well as in a rather sarcastic way.
Example:
“¡Nosotros estamos comprometidos!”
“¡Asu!”
12. Bacán – Cool
I’m sure we’ve all been there. We walk past someone and think “Wow, they’re good looking” (or something like that anyway!) If you’ve said that about a Peruvian woman, you could say that she’s bacán instead!
Literally speaking, bacán has no meaning whatsoever. With that being said, its use in Peruvian slang is quite simple: beautiful, hot, attractive etc. If someone calls you that, it is seen as a huge compliment!
Weirdly, bacán actually shares a lot in common with the Colombian slang term bacano. Both terms have exactly the same meanings, uses and origins. As such, many Peruvians will also use bacano, and vice-versa.
Example:
“Lucia es muy bacán“
11. Chela – Beer
Peru, as with much of the rest of South America are known for producing (and consuming!) copious amounts of beer. As such, it stands to reason that at least a few alcohol-related terms would’ve entered Peru’s slang.
One of the most famous examples of this is chela. Chela is famous in much of South America for meaning “Beer”. Most commonly, this beer is one that is in a glass bottle, however, beer in a cup is also referred to as a chela.
Due to the widespread nature of the term, many Peruvians will also use it to describe any type of beverage. In many ways it is similar to the Aussie term “brew” which has the same meaning, albeit for coffee instead of beer!
Example:
“Dos chelas por favor”
10. Jugador(a) – Womanizer
Throughout our lives, we’ve probably all met that one guy who is a bit of a womanizer. By the same token, we have probably all met that one girl who sleeps with just about anyone.
In English, we have several different words to describe them, many of which are quite vulgar. In Peru, they’d just call them either a jugador or a jugadora.
Literally, jugador(a) translates as “player”, for example a football player is a jugador(a) de fútbol. Depending on where you live, you may be familiar with player’s use in English slang, which partly helped to inspire jugador(a)!
In English slang, we use “player” to mean someone who sleeps around a lot. In Peru (and much of Latin American Spanish as well!) the same is also true with jugador (used to describe men) and jugadora (used to describe women!)
Example:
“Me gusta Lucia pero ella es jugadora”
9. Pata – Dude
Sometimes, you have an amigo who is just so good, that you physically can’t find any other word to describe the bond you have. In English, we have several, with “Bro” and “Dude” being the most common.
In Peru, they have the slang term pata, literally meaning “Paw” or “Foot” in Standard Spanish. However, it is more commonly used to greet a close male friend of your, much in the same way that the aforementioned “Dude” and “Bro” are used.
Rather confusingly, pata actually comes form the Latin word “pater” meaning “Father”. Initially, this was used to refer to priests (your “brother” in the eyes of God), but over time, has become used to refer to a close friend.
Example:
“Hola pata! ¿Qué pasa?”
8. Tono – Party
In recent years, following behind close neighbor Colombia, Peru’s partying scene has become one of the best in South America. In terms of their slang, quite a bit of party-related words have entered it, including tono.
Just by looking at the word tono, you can probably guess that its literal meaning has something to do with the English word “tone”, which is the closest English translation.
On the surface of it, Peruvians use tono as a slang term for a “Party”. However, once you delve deeper into it, a tono is also any form of social gathering where you get to have fun!
Example:
“¿Vas al tono el sábado?”
7. Piña – Bad luck
As with many other European-inspired cultures, Peruvians are a very superstitious people. Peru has its own set of taboos that should not be broken regardless of whether you’re a tourist or not.
With this, they believe in good and bad luck. In Peruvian slang, they refer to bad luck as piña. Literally, this means “Pineapple”, but in reality has nothing to do with pineapples (or any other kind of fruit!)
It may just be my own experiences of this, but you’ll often hear grandmas and moms warning their young children about these things, more often than you’ll hear men do it. This is especially so in public.
Example:
“No toques la puerta al entrar, es piña”
6. Costillo / Costilla – Boyfriend / Girlfriend
Literally, a costillo is a rib, as in the pieces of bone that protect your heart and lungs (as well as a type of food!) However, in Peruvian slang, it is actually used to mean “boyfriend” (or costilla to mean “Girlfriend”).
The term actually has a rather intriguing origin. When the Spanish came to Peru, they saw Quechua couples hug each other tightly, which to them, reminded them of how a rib of a cow or pig looked.
Over time, a hug has become symbolic of a couple, and thus, a costillo or a costilla must be your boyfriend or girlfriend. Some Peruvian couples will still refer to their spouse as a costillo / costilla, even afte ryears of marriage, although, this is rare.
Example:
“Tu y Diego se ven bien juntos”
“Sí el es mi costillo”
5. Flaco / Flaca – Boyfriend / Girlfriend
However, in Peruvian slang, you aren’t just limited to costillo / costilla to refer to the person you’re dating. In Peru, there are actually two ways, with flaco / flaca being the other way of saying that!
When you learned Spanish, you were probably taught that flaco (or flaca in the feminine form) meant “skinny”. However, as mentioned before, the Peruvians also use it to refer to your boyfriend / girlfriend.
For the most part, flaco and costillo can be used interchangeably. However, depending on where you go in Peru, you’ll hear one more than the other.
Example:
“Tu y Diego se ven bien juntos”
“Sí el es mi flaco”
4. Pendejo / Pendeja – Sly person
Pendejo / pendeja is perhaps one of the most famous Spanish-language slang phrases. Not only is it used in Peruvian slang, but more famously Mexican. To a certain extent it is also used in European Spanish as well.
Regardless, pendejo / pendeja is one of the Spanish language’s many ways to call someone stupid. However, in Peruvian slang, it’s much more than that.
In this context pendejo / pendeja is a curse word, that has no real, direct translation into English. However, it is used to mean something like “a very sly person” or a “swindler”.
Generally speaking, a pendejo / pendeja is someone who you wouldn’t want going anywhere near your elderly relatives. This is because they’re the sort of person who’ll try to swindle them out of money, if not just stealing straight out their purse!
Example:
“Odio Nadia porque es pendeja”
3. Mamacita – (Good looking) Woman
Recent top-of-the-chart songs have used the slang term mamacita quite a lot, meaning that you’re likely familiar with it.
Literally speaking, mamacita means “Little mama”. However, in Peru (and much of the rest of South America) mamacita also refers to a good looking or beautiful woman.
With that being said, you should probably not say this to a woman you don’t know particularly well. This is because it can also be used in the same way as “babe” or “honey” in English, which may make some women rather uneasy.
On another note, I would highly recommend that you don’t experiment with other mother-related phrases in Peru. Many Peruvians will take it that you are insulting their mother, and will get rather offended and confrontational.
Example:
“Hola mamacita, eres muy bacán”
2. Tombo – Policeman
When you were learning Spanish, you were probably taught that policia was the Spanish word for police. And yes, that is the same in Peru, at least officially anyway.
However, the same as how Americans have “cops” or how the Brits have “rozzer”, the Peruvians have tombo. Tombo, is a widely used term for police, both in a positive and a negative way.
Interestingly, the term has its origins in Portuguese, rather than Spanish. In Portuguese, tombo means “fall” and goes back to an era where the rich could pay for a fall guy. The police would buy this and “fall” into the trap.
From thereon, Peruvian police have been referred to as tombos.
Example:
“¿Te volviste a despertar en medio de la noche?”
“Sí, lo era los tombos”
1. Por las puras – Waste of time
When you were learning Spanish, your Spanish likely taught you that “Waste of time” was pérdida de tiempo. And whilst that it is used in Peru, the overwhelming majority of Peruvians will use por las puras instead.
Literally speaking por las puras translates as something akin to “For the fresh” or “For the pure”. Neither of which make sense in either Spanish or English. Despite this nonsensical literal meaning, its use is widespread in Peru.
In Peruvian slang, it is most commonly used to describe something as having been a waste of time. It is akin to the English slang term “Never getting that [insert amount of time] back again”.
Example:
“¿Cómo estuvo el concierto?”
“Era por las puras”
Which are your favorite Peruvian slang words? Tell me in the comments!