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!