In short– ‘Fuchi’ is a word we use to express mild disgust or disapproval. It’s somewhat mild in tone, so is probably best avoided if you really find something disgusting (maggots in the trash can, etc.!).
It’s a fun word, though, and will make your Spanish sound very natural. It has that ‘ch’ sound we so often find in Mexican slang, so it’s sure to give your vocabulary a certain Mexican flare!
If you want to know how to express disgust in a more serious way, check out our article on ‘¡Qué asco!’ (trust me, it’s a good´un!).
Uses / Meanings of ‘fuchi’ in Spanish
‘Fuchi’ can be used in the following ways –
- to express mild disgust
- to express mild disapproval
- as a noun in expressions like ‘cara de fuchi’ and ‘hacer el fuchi’
To express mild disgust
Being mild in tone, we use ‘fuchi’ in contexts where ‘qué asco’ or ‘guácala’* might sound too harsh.
A good example would be when speaking to friends whose likes / tastes we don´t want to dismiss in too brutal a way!
Ana pulls out a container from the fridge
Ana – ¿Quieres un taco de moronga?
Laura – No. Fuchi. Pero gracias.
Ana – Would you like a blood sausage taco?
Laura – No. Gross. But thank you.
Raúl – ¿Quieres mayonesa para el huevo?
Hugo – No. Fuchi. ¿Tú le pones mayonesa al huevo?
Raúl – Would you like some mayonnaise on your eggs?
Hugo – No. Gross. Do you put mayonnaise on eggs?
*Erika’s note – give our article on all the different ways to say ‘gross‘ in Spanish a quick once over to find out more about ‘guácala’ and friends
To express mild disapproval
We also use ‘fuchi’ to express mild disapproval of people’s habits / ideas.
Ana – Vamos a cenar. Afuera del metro hay unos tacos buenísimos.
Laura – ¿En la calle? No, fuchi.
Ana – Let’s go get dinner. There’s an excellent taco stand outside the metro.
Laura – On the street? No, that’s gross.
Raúl – ¡Vamos a ver la nueva película de Eugenio Derbez!
Hugo – No, fuchi. Hay otras cosas que ver.
Raúl – Let’s go watch Eugenio Derbez’ new film!
Hugo – No. Yuck! There are other films we can watch.
Cara de fuchi
We say someone has a ‘cara de fuchi’, a ‘fuchi face’, when their facial expression is one of disapproval or disgust.
We usually say this of someone we consider uppity or snobbish.
Ana – ¿Qué tal te fue en tu examen en la escuela de gastronomía?
Laura – No sé. Según yo preparé bien el pastel, pero el chef me hizo cara de fuchi.
Ana – How did your exam go at the cooking academy?
Laura – I don’t know. I thought I’d done a good job with the cake, but the chef made a fuchi face.
Raúl – ¿Invitamos a Bruno a la fiesta? Es amigo de Andrea, al fin y al cabo.
Hugo – No, siempre tiene cara de fuchi. Parece que tiene un pedo atorado.
Raúl – Shall we invite Bruno to the party? He’s Andrea’s friend after all.
Hugo – No, he always has a fuchi face. He looks like he permanently has a fart stuck inside.
Hacer el fuchi
To ‘do the fuchi’ to someone is to reject them and keep them away from a social circle or a somewhat exclusive space.
Again, people who ‘do the fuchi’ are those we consider uppity or snobbish.
Laura – ¿Vamos a bailar a Ketchup?
Ana – No, no voy a volver ahí. El otro día me hicieron el fuchi y me dijeron que no podía pasar porque según estaba borracha.
Laura – ¿Y estabas?
Ana – ¡No! ¡Estaba tipsy!
Laura – Shall we go dance at Ketchup?
Ana – No, I’m not going back there. Last time they did the fuchi to me and said I couldn´t go in because according to them I was drunk!
Laura – Were you?
Ana – No! I was tipsy!
Raúl – ¿Cómo te fue en la fiesta? ¿Conociste a los amigos de Sebastián?
Hugo – Estuvo bien. Pero los amigos de Sebastián me cayeron súper mal. Como que me hicieron el fuchi, entonces en realidad ni hablé con ellos.
Raúl – How was the party? Did you meet Sebastian’s friends?
Hugo. – It was good. But I really didn’t like Sebastian’s friends. Like, they did the fuchi to me, so I didn’t even really talk to them.
Fuchi apestoso
If you really want to make a point, you can add ‘apestoso’ (‘stinky’) to strengthen the ‘fuchi’.
It also sounds really funny.
Ana – ¿Sabías que a Nadia le gusta Paulo Cohelo?
Laura – ¡Ay, no! ¡Fuchi apestoso!
Ana – Did you know Nadia likes Paulo Cohelo?
Laura – Oh, no! That’s stinky gross!
Raúl – ¿Quieres una torta ahogada en bolsita?
Hugo – No, por favor. Fuchi apestoso.
Raúl – Would you like to eat a sandwich drowned in spicy sauce from a plastic bag?
Hugo – No, please. That’s stinky gross.
Pronunciation of ‘fuchi’
‘Fuchi’ is quite easy to pronounce.
Just say ‘foo’ like in Foo Fighters and ‘chi’ like in tai chi.
/ foo chi /
Final thoughts
‘Fuchi’ is peculiar due to it being a mild word with a negative meaning. It sounds a little silly, but that’s where its charm lies … that’s what makes it a funny word. As such, you have to use it somewhat ironically!
I think it’s a wonderful acquisition to any learner’s vocabulary!
