In short – ‘choncho’ is Mexican slang for ‘chubby’ or ‘bulky’. It’s basically just an abbreviation of ‘rechoncho’, which is a more “official” (i.e., listed by the RAE!) way of saying ‘chubby’ / ‘podgy’.
Let’s find out more!
Uses / Meanings of ‘choncho’ in Mexican Spanish
- As a euphemism for ‘fat’
- To describe an object of large dimensions
- To describe a big or complex problem / task
As a euphemism for ‘fat’
Perhaps the most common use of ‘choncho’ is to refer to someone who the speaker perceives to be overweight or chubby.
Although it’s a word that’s used to comment on someone else’s body, it’s not considered offensive per se. Still, it’s always best to tread carefully as you obviously wouldn’t want to offend anyone!
The word itself sounds rather funny, and it gets even funnier if you start playing around with its diminutive, ‘chonchito’!
Alex – Préstame una playera, wey…la que traía puesta se me ensució.
Toño – No te van a aquedar, estás mucho más choncho que yo.
Alex – Lend me a t-shirt, dude … the one I was wearing got dirty.
Toño – They’re not going to fit, you’re way chubbier than me.
Pablo ya está bien chonchito; se ve que lo alimentan bien.
Pablo’s gotten quite chubby; it looks like he’s very well fed.
Qué onda, Juan, ya bájale a los tacos…ya te pusiste muy choncho.
Come on, Juan, you should lay off the tacos … you’re getting super chubby.
To describe an object of large dimensions
‘Choncho’ can also be used to describe large or bulky objects.
Se ve que Paulina tiene mucho dinero; tiene una casa muy choncha.
It looks like Paulina has a lot of money; she has an enormous house.
Ayúdame a deshacerme de este closet; está bien choncho y ya estorba mucho en la recámara.
Help me get rid of this closet; it’s too big and cumbersome for my bedroom.
Las pizzas del Perro Negro no tienen mucho sabor, pero están muy chonchas. Yo creo que con una nos alcanza para comer todos.
The pizzas from “El Perro Negro” aren’t that tasty, but they’re really big. I think one will be enough for all of us.
To describe a big or complex problem / task
When a Mexican has a big problem, he/she may describe it as a ‘pedo choncho’ or a ‘bronca choncha’.
‘Pedo’ and ‘bronca’ are colloquial ways of saying ‘problem’ and they’re both SUPER COMMON in Mexican slang.
Joaquín, no voy a llegar a tu fiesta. Me surgió un pedo choncho en mi casa y tengo que ir a resolverlo.
Joaquín, I’m not gonna make it to your party. I’ve got a big problem at home, and I have to go sort it out.
Necesito que me prestes dinero; traigo una bronca bien choncha que necesito resolver lo antes posible.
I need to borrow some money; I’m in a bit of trouble and I need to get it sorted ASAP.
Similarly, ‘choncho’ can also describe a complex / difficult task –
Tenemos que hacer una investigación choncha para la clase de historia.
We need to do a lot of research for history class.
‘Choncho’ pronunciation
‘Choncho’ is fairly simple to pronounce.
The first syllable sounds like ‘chohn’ and the second like ‘choh’.
/ chohn-choh /
Similar expressions to ‘choncho’
Gordito
‘Gordito’ is the diminutive form of ‘gordo’, or ‘fat’ in Spanish.
Diminutives are super common in Mexico and often there’s no real difference in meaning! In this case, ‘gordito’ is used to “soften the blow”, kinda like when someone plumps for the word ‘chubby’ over ‘fat’ in English.
I think I’d be kinda annoyed if someone was overtly commenting on my body type, irrespective of the choice of word, but anyway!
¿Te vas a comer otro tamal? Ya estás bien gordito.
Are you gonna eat another tamale? You’re already super chubby.
El novio de Raquel está bien gordito.
Raquel’s boyfriend is very chubby.
Si sigues así de gordita no te va a quedar el vestido.
If you don’t lose weight, your dress isn’t gonna fit.
Final thoughts
Mexican slang is very creative and, although it’s never pleasant to talk about people’s weight, the word ‘choncho’ is a *little* nicer than the harsher sounding ‘gordo’.
As for its other uses, well, they’re completely inoffensive, so feel free to use it willy-nilly!
Wanna learn more Mexican slang?
Head on over to our article on ‘al chile’, it’s sure to get you fired up (quite literally!) and ready for more!
¡Hasta pronto!
