In short – ‘Chingona’ is an extremely popular Mexican word, kinda similar to ‘badass’ in English. It comes from the verb ‘chingar’ which is the Mexican Spanish equivalent of ‘to screw’ or ‘to f***’.
So, essentially a ‘chingona’ is someone who performs the action of ‘chingar’.
But is this a good or a bad thing?
Well, surprisingly, being a ‘chingona’ is normally a good thing (although you may occasionally hear it being used derisively!).
Stick around and find out EXACTLY what it means to be ‘chingona’!
Uses / Meanings of ‘chingona’
‘Chingona’ can be used in the following ways –
- To describe a successful and talented woman
- As a synonym of ‘badass’
- As a synonym of ‘awesome’
- As a sarcastic way to describe someone who wants to take advantage of a person or situation
To describe a successful and talented woman
‘Chingona’ has become synonymous with being VERY good at something, or just being a successful woman in general.
Think of a ‘chingona’ as the ultimate ‘boss girl’, ‘boss babe’, ‘sheEO’ and the likes (minus their negative associations in later years).
Alba – Mi tía es una chingona.
Iñaki – Ah, ¿neta? ¿Por qué?
Alba – La admiro mucho por luchar por los derechos de las mujeres y empoderar a chicas que han sufrido abusos.
Alba – My aunt is the coolest.
Iñaki – Oh, really? Why?
Alba – I admire her a lot for fighting for women’s rights and empowering girls who’ve suffered abuse.
Luz – A veces, siento que no hago suficiente …
Miranda – ¡Eres una chingona, wey! Ya créetela.
Luz – Sometimes I feel like I’m not doing enough …
Miranda – You’re a rockstar, girl! You better believe it.
Luisa es una chingona para viajar; no le teme a la aventura.
Luisa is a badass traveller; she’s not afraid of adventure.
As a synonym of ‘badass’
Similarly, ‘chingona’ can also be used as a synonym of ‘badass’.
In this sense, just as with the English word ‘badass’, it can be used both as a noun and as an adjective.
As a noun
Raquel se creía toda una chingona. Pensó que podía sola contra el mundo.
Raquel thought she was a badass. She thought she could take on the world all on her own.
As an adjective
Gus – Tengo muchas ganas de aprender a boxear, pero no sé por dónde empezar.
Alicia – En mi gym dan unas clases de box muy chingonas. Si gustas, vamos la próxima semana.
Gus – I really want to learn how to box, but I don’t know where to start.
Alicia – There are some really badass boxing classes at my gym. If you like, you can join me next week.
As a synonym of ‘awesome’
You can also use ‘chingona’ as a synonym of ‘awesome’, ‘fantastic’, ‘cool’ and the likes.
Diana – ¿Cómo estuvo la fiesta?
Armando – ¡Chingona, wey! Qué lástima que no pudiste ir.
Diana – How was the party?
Armando – It was awesome, dude! Too bad you couldn’t come.
¿Has escuchado el trabajo de Diego? Compone unas rolas súper chingonas.
Have you heard Diego’s work? He composes some super cool songs.
¡Viajar por el mundo es de las cosas más chingonas que puedes hacer cuando eres joven!
Traveling the world is one of the most amazing things you can do when you’re young!
As a sarcastic way to describe someone who wants to take advantage of a person or situation
On the opposite side of the spectrum, you’ll also hear ‘chingona’ being used ironically, especially when someone wants to expose another person’s opportunistic or abusive behaviour.
Fabiana – ¿Por qué cortaste con Linda?
Julián – Porque la muy chingona creyó que podía verme la cara de idiota mientras andaba con uno de mis amigos.
Fabiana – Qué poca*.
Fabiana – Why did you break up with Linda?
Julian – Because the b**ch thought she could lie to my face while going out with one of my friends.
Fabiana – That’s so f***ed up.
*Erika’s note – ‘qué poca’ is an extremely popular Mexican slang phrase used to express outrage. You can also say, ‘qué poca madre’.
‘Chingona‘ pronunciation
Let’s break this word down into three syllables:
- ‘Chin’ sounds like ‘cheen’
- ‘Go’ is said like ‘goh’
- And finally, ‘na’ sounds like ‘nah’
/ cheen goh nah /
Is ‘chingona’ a bad word?
Although you’re most likely to hear friends (and even family) using the word ‘chingona’ affectionately or when engaging in good-natured banter, it´s definitely considered a cuss word.
My recommendation is that you leave it out of the workplace and other formal situations.
Common phrases / expressions with ‘chingona’
La más chingona
This phrase literally means ‘the most awesome’ or ‘the most badass’, and it’s reserved for the ultimate ‘boss lady’, THE ‘top girl’ … you get the gist!
Tatiana era la más chingona de la escuela. Decían que era una genio.
Tatiana was the top student in school. They said she was a genius.
Pinche chingona
Don’t let the word ‘pinche’ (it translates to ‘f****ng’ in English) trick you into thinking that this phrase is always an insult!
Even though you may sometimes hear it used sarcastically, more often than not it’s used to express admiration.
¡Pinche chingona, Karla! ¡Ya ví que ganaste medalla de oro en Tae Kwan Do!
You f****ng queen, Karla! I heard you won a gold medal in Tae Kwan Do!
Chingón
This is the male version of ‘chingona’.
It shares all the connotations of ‘chingona’ PLUS a couple of negative ones, such as ‘annoying’ or a ‘pain in the ass’.
¡Tu coche nuevo está chingón!
You’re new car is f****ing awesome!
Final thoughts
And there you have it, all there is to know about this super popular Mexican word! Remember to tread lightly with this one and to make sure that you’re amongst close friends when you try it out!
If you still feel a bit hesitant, you can always choose from one of the MANY Mexican euphemisms that we’ve compiled for you instead!
¡Hasta pronto!