Updated November 5, 2025
Have you ever found yourself lost in a conversation full of Chilean idioms and words? Don't worry! Here's a complete alphabetical Chilean dictionary with the most commonly used Chilean phrases and idioms and how they are used. Discover the meaning behind these clever Chilean expressions, phrases, and words, and get ready to speak like a true Chilean.
A
Achacarse: To become sad, discouraged.
"No te achaquís por eso, mañana será otro día".
Achuntar: To get it right, to aim, to hit the point.
"Nunca le achunto, siempre me equivoco".
A lapa: To ride on the shoulders of another person. In the north, "a tota". In the south, "a chique" or "al acha".
"Lo llevo al lapa porque se cansó de caminar".
A pata: To go walking.
"Fuimos a pata de la playa al centro".
To the lot: Messy, no rules.
"They did everything to the lot".
Al tiro: Immediately.
"I'm going to look for the keys at once".
Al toque: To do something immediately.
"He arrived at the right time when I called him".
Andar pato: Not having money.
"I can't go out, I'm walking duck this month".
Accompany: To accompany a friend, physically or psychologically.
"Thank you for always accompanying me, brother".
Apestarse: To get angry, upset, bored.
"Se apestó porque no lo invitaron".
Aperrar: To be brave, to insist despite the difficulties.
"Hay que aperrar hasta que mejoren las cosas".
Apitutado: Someone who has good contacts and achieves goals through them.
"He got into the job because he is apitutado".
Tight: To be selfish, stingy, greedy.
"He doesn't want to pay the bill, he's super tight".
Arrugar: To back out, to regret, to give up.
"He was going to go on the trip, but he wrinkled at the last minute".
Atao: Problem.
"Se armó el medio atao en la fila del banco".
Avispado: Bold, agile, intelligent.
"He is super smart, he always manages".
B
Bacán: Good, incredible, excellent, spectacular.
"Your idea is great, I loved it".
Barsa: Cool, shameless.
"It was super barsa because he took everything and didn't ask".
Buena leche: A good, honest, transparent person with good intentions.
"You can tell she is a good milk and she does it from her heart".
Buena onda: A nice, pleasant person with a good attitude.
"Your brother looks super cool".
Buche: Stomach.
"I ate so much that my stomach got full".
C
Cabra/o: Child.
"Los cabros están jugando a la pelota".
Cabritas: Popcorn.
"I bought cabritas to watch the movie".
Cachar: To look at, see something, understand, grasp.
"Cachaste quien va a hacer un show el sábado?".
Cachureos: Miscellaneous things that are kept, but have little use.
"My grandmother has a closet full of cachureos."
Cahuín: A lie, a mess, an invention that deceives and confuses.
"No le creas, es puro cahuín" (Don't believe him, he is pure cahuín).
Calato: Naked.
"Salió calato del baño corriendo".
Caleta: Bastante, en gran cantidad.
"Había caleta de gente en la playa".
Carrete: Party.
"Tonight there is a carrete at my friend's house".
Colarse: To enter without permission.
"The guy cut in line at the bank".
Condoro: Error, mistake, mistake, slip.
"Se mandó un condoro y lo pillaron".
Copete: Alcoholic beverage.
"Para el asado yo llevo el copete".
Cuático/Cuática: Very intense or complicated.
"You got cuático with the report".
Curao: Under the influence of alcohol.
"Ayer llegó curao y se quedó dormido en el sillón" (Yesterday he came home drunk and fell asleep on the couch).
CH
Badge: Alias, false name.
"My badge at school I can't say it".
Chicotear los caracoles: to hurry or do something quickly.
"Chicotea los caracoles que vamos atrasados".
Choro: Emboldened. It is also choro, something that is funny.
"He is the most choro of the group".
Chorearse: to get angry, to get into a rage.
"Se choreó de esperar y se fué".
D
Dar pelota: To pay attention to someone.
"I have written to him a thousand times and he doesn't give me any attention".
Juicing: Wasting time, not being productive; speaking gibberish.
"Don't go juicing on the birthday."
Denso: A serious, almost moody person who tends to take things very rigidly and not lightly.
"No te pongai denso si era una talla".
Doblado: Very drunk, drugged, unconscious.
"Quedó doblado después del carrete".
E
Echar la foca: To challenge, rebuke someone.
"No me eches la foca si fue sin querer".
Embarrarla: To ruin something or a situation.
"La embarré la borrando el archivo sin guardar".
Engrupir: To seduce, flirt. Also lie, deceive.
"They could not engrupir us because we knew the outcome."
Enrolled: Very involved, very sensitive, very reflexive. Entangled.
"He is so entangled that he thinks everything a thousand times before deciding".
Stretch the leg: To die.
"They say the actor stretched his leg last night".
F
Fiambre: qualifier for stinking, rotten.
"Bota eso está fiambre hace días".
Filo: never mind.
"Filo, it's not worth it".
Fome: Boring, unfunny.x
"El carrete estuvo tan fome que me fui temprano".
Fonda: place or party where the Fiestas Patrias are celebrated.
"Nos juntamos en la fonda del parque a bailar cueca".
Fresco: Bold.
"No seai fresco si ni te invitaron".
G
Gallo/a: Used to designate a young person.
"Ese gallo es super simpático".
Gancho: Friend, neighbor (used in the field).
"Mi gancho me consiguió esa pega".
Ganso (a): Silly, naive.
"La gansa creyó todo lo que le dijeron".
Gauchada: Favor.
"Hazme la gauchada y acompañame".
Gil: Silly, stupid.
"El gil se cayó solo".
Guagua: Baby.
"Mi prima tuvo su guagua ayer".
Guanaco: Police vehicle that throws water to stop riots.
"El guanaco tiró agua en plena marcha".
Guata: Belly, belly.
"I ate so much that my belly is full".
Guater: Toilet, WC.
"Limpia el guater que hoy vienen visitas".
H
Hachazo: Morning sickness produced by the excess of alcohol from the previous day.
"Desperté con el medio hachazo después del carrete".
Hacer perro muerto: To leave a restaurant, locale or business without paying the bill.
"Hicieron perro muerto y no pagaron la cuenta".
Hallulla: Type of bread.
"Compré hallullas calentitas para la once".
Huaso: Chilean peasant.
"El huaso llegó a caballo al pueblo".
Huevón: Used to describe someone as dumb or stupid; however, it can also mean friend. It has multiple derivations.
"Oye huevón, llegaste justo a tiempo".
I
Inflate (someone): To pay attention, to take into account.
"Ni me infló me cuando pasé por su lado".
Inflated: Something that has been given more value than it really deserves.
"El tipo anda todo inflado porque salió en la tarde".
Irse al chancho: To overdo, to exceed, to exceed, to abuse.
"Se fueron al chancho con los precios".
J
Jarana: Party, Fun.
"La jarana duró hasta las seis de la mañana".
Jote: Insistent when approaching a person romantically.
"El jote no paraba de coquetearle toda la noche".
Julepe: Fear.
"Me dio julepe entrar sola a esa casa".
K
Kilterrier/Kiltro: Dog without a specific breed, product of a not very fine mixture. Qualifier for street dog.
"We adopted a beautiful kiltro from the street".
L
The firm: The truth, the real.
"Tell me the firm, do you like it or not?".
The hard one: The truth.
"The hard one, I didn't think it would turn out so well."
Lanza: Delinquent, thief, mafioso.
"El lanza le robó el celular en la micro".
Lata: Boredom, lack of motivation.
"Que lata levantarse temprano".
Latero: Boring.
"That guy is a terrible latero because he won't stop talking".
La raja: A very good situation or thing.
"El viaje estuvo la raja".
Lesear: To annoy, entertain, fool around.
"Estabamos leseando no más, no te enojes".
Leseras: Nonsense, banalities.
"No hables leseras si no sabes".
Liz Taylor: Ready.
"We are Liz Taylor".
LJ: We left.
"Ya cabros, LJ, we left".
Lolo(a): Young boy/girl.
"Cuando era lolo carreteaba todos los días".
Longi: Crazy, hippie.
"Ese longi se fue a vivir al sur".
Luca: Thousand peso bill.
"That shirt cost me three lucas at the fair".
M
Machucado: Beaten, mistreated.
"El plátano está machucado, pero sirve".
Maccabee: Man who lets himself be bossed or dominated by his partner.
"He is super Maccabee but I see him happy".
Mano de guagua: Greedy, selfish, mean.
"No se raja nunca, es terrible mano de guagua".
Pig brand: Product of dubious quality or of unknown brand.
"I bought a pig brand charger and it lasted one day".
Micro: Public transport bus.
"I took the wrong bus and went somewhere else".
Mina: Woman, girl, girl. Besides the generic, it is used to refer to attractive girls.
"Esa mina es simpática y buena onda".
Mino: Man, boy, young man. In addition to the generic, it is used to refer to attractive boys.
"El mino nuevo del curso es re guapo".
N
Jan: A lot, quite a lot, a great deal.
"I have ene things to do today".
Nanai: Honey, cuddle.
"Come on, I'll make you nanai until you fall asleep".
Ni ahí: I don't care.
"Ni ahí con ir a esa reunión".
Ni un brillo: Something or someone without grace, without attractiveness.
"The film has not a shine".
O
Warning: Attention!
"Warning, that street is closed".
Wave: Vibration, negative or positive energy.
"I like the vibe of the place, it's relaxed".
Once: Tea time in the afternoon.
"Vamos a tomar once donde mi abuela".
P
Pal Gato (to be): Feeling bad, sick.
"Amanecí pal gato después del carrete".
Pagar el piso: Expression used when a person who is working for the first time invites his colleagues and/or family members to a meal or a round of drinks with his first salary.
"Le tocó pagar el piso con la familia".
Parachutist: Qualifier for someone who attends a place or party to which he/she has not been invited.
"El paracaidista llegó sin invitación al carrete".
Pasarlo chancho: To have a good time, to entertain oneself.
"Lo pasamos chancho en la playa".
Black legs: Lover.
"They say he has black legs in the office".
Kicking: Term used to end a couple's relationship.
"He kicked her after three years together".
Patiperro: Who travels a lot.
"He is half patiperro, he is never in one place".
Patudo: Fresh, shameless.
"Que patudo, pidió comida sin pagar".
Pavear: To be distracted.
"I missed the bus because I was paveando".
Work: Work.
"I got a new job, I start on Monday".
Peludo: Difficult, complicated. Someone hairy, someone old, mature.
"The test was hairy, I almost didn't finish".
Combing the doll: person who has lost his mind, is insane or mentally disturbed.
"That guy is combing the doll already".
Picada: Low-profile place to buy quality products (food, objects, gifts).
"I knew a great picada to go for lunch".
Pichintún: Minimum portion of something.
"Échale un pichintún de sal no más".
Piola: Inadvertent. Quiet.
"Me quedo piola, no quiero llamar la atención" (I stay cool, I don't want to attract attention).
Pololeo: Loving relationship, of a couple when they are not married.
"They have been dating for two years".
Previa: Meeting of friends before a party.
"Hicimos una previa antes de ir al carrete".
Q
Queque: Used to designate people's buttocks or buttocks.
"Se pegó en todo el queque cuando se cayó".
Quina: Five hundred peso coin.
"I found a quina in the street".
Quiubo: Greeting that alludes to what happened, or ¿Qué ha sucedido?
"Quiubo! ¿Cómo estai?".
R
Rajado: Very fast, very generous, very good for the party.
"El viejo es rajado, siempre invita".
Rasca: Of poor quality, ordinary, vulgar.
"Ese local es medio rasca, pero barato".
Tasty: enjoyable, entertaining.
"The dessert was tasty".
S
Sacar la cresta: To hit someone, give them a beating, a blow.
"Se sacó la cresta andando en bici".
Sacar los choros del canasta: To get fed up, lose patience.
"Me sacó los choros del canasta con tantas preguntas".
Sacar pica: To provoke jealousy or envy in someone.
"He uploaded the photo to get pica no más".
Sapo: Snitch, someone curious, enjoys gossip.
"No seai sapo, dejen que hablen tranquilos" (Don't be a toad, let them talk quietly).
Dry (someone): Who is talented, who is successful in an area.
"El nuevo es seco pal diseño".
Socio: Amigo, compadre.
"All right, socio?".
T
Taco: Slow traffic, traffic jam.
"Hay medio taco en la autopista".
Size: A joke, a joke. In the north: ice cream popsicle.
"It was just a size, it's not to make you mad."
Tata: Grandfather.
"My tata taught me to paint".
Tirar a la chuña: To throw something into the air and let everyone pick up what they can.
"Tiraron los dulces a la chuña en el cumpleaños".
Playing the violin: Being the third person accompanying a couple.
"I went with them and ended up playing the violin all night".
Tollo: Lie, exaggeration.
"No inventes tollos, di la verdad".
Tuto (hacer): To sleep. To have tuto, to be sleepy.
"Tengo tuto, me voy a acostarse".
U
Ultimate: The worst, bad, lousy.
"That service is the ultimate, don't even hire it".
V
Vaca (to make one): Collection of money among several. In the south, "hacer una cucha".
"Let's make a cow to buy the cake".
Vacilar: To enjoy or have a good time.
"El fin de semana vacilar toda la noche".
Green Old Man: Older man who tends to flirt with women much younger than him.
"Don't come back so late, there's a lot of green old men".
Virarse: To leave, to withdraw from a place.
"Me viré temprano del carrete".
Y
Yapa: Something you get for free, extra, as a gift.
"La señora me dio una yapa de tomates".
Yapo: Yes or Hurry up.
"Yapo, we are late".
Yunta: Best friend, companion, compadre.
"Ella es mi yunta desde el colegio".
Z
Zombi (to walk like): Asleep, sleepy, half unconscious.
"Ando como zombi, dormí tres horas no más".
