Mexican Spanish proudly boasts a huge variety of swear words, many of which can really sting like the devil!
But if you spend any time in Mexico, you’ll soon find out that there’s an even more impressive number of euphemisms for each and every naughty word and curse.
It’s important to mention that a lot of these euphemisms have little – if anything – to do with the original phrases in a literal or even symbolic way. Most of them just share similar phonetics.
This is basically how Mexicans talk to their grandmas … they tend to use less “crude” language instead of referring to testicles, or bluntly telling someone to f*** off …
Scratching your head yet? Let´s get into this MEGA list of 50 (yes, 50!!) Mexican euphemisms!
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Here are some of the most popular Mexican euphemisms –
- ‘Vete a la China’ (or ‘go to China’ in English) is a euphemism for ‘vete a la chingada’ (or ‘go f*** yourself’)
- ‘Me lleva la tostada’ (or ‘I’m being carried away by a toasted tortilla’) is a euphemism for ‘me lleva la chingada’ (or ‘f*** me’)
- ‘No manches’ (or ‘don’t stain it’) is a euphemism for ‘no mames’ (or ‘no f***ing way’)
- ‘Ya valió queso’ (or ‘it’s worth cheese’) is a euphemism for ‘ya valió madres’ (or ‘it’s f*****’)
Right, let’s dive into the “principal” Mexican swear words and their respective euphemisms!
Chingado / Chingada – F***ed
This hugely popular cuss word is akin to being ‘screwed’ or ‘f***ed’ in English.
Euphemisms:
1 ‘Chihuahua’ = The Mexican state of Chihuahua (it’s unclear what its inhabitants think about this)
2 ‘Fregado’ / ‘Fregada’ = ‘Scrub’ (as in ‘I gave the toilet a good scrub’)
Vete a la chingada – Go f*** yourself
Oftentimes, ‘la chingada’ is an imaginary place where people send anyone who winds them up the wrong way.
However, here are some playful alternatives:
3 ‘Vete a la China’ / ‘Vete a China’ = ‘Go to China’
4 ‘Vete a la tiznada’ = ‘Go to the sooty’ (yeah, ‘tiznada’, is literally just an adjective meaning ‘sooty’!)
5 ‘Vete a la goma’ = ‘Go to the rubber’ (ok, so ‘goma’ doesn’t really share any phonetics with ‘chingada’, but it’s still super fun – and harmless – to say!)
Me lleva la chingada – F*** me
If you’re being ‘carried away by the f***ed’ (which is the literal translation of this phrase), you’re probably in deep trouble.
Wanna sound less rude?
Well, you can use the following phrases instead:
6 ‘Me lleva a la tostada’ = ‘I’m being carried away by a toasted tortilla’ (let’s be honest, it’s a very funny mental image!)
7 ‘Me lleva la chicharra’ = ‘I’m being carried away by a cicada’ (for those who don´t know, a “cicada” is a type of insect!)
8 ‘Me lleva la que me trajo’ = ‘I’m being carried away by the one who brought me into the world’ (i.e., your mom. This one’s a little bit less subtle, so tread lightly).
9 ‘Me lleva la fregada’ = ‘I’m being carried away by the scrub’ (this might sound weird, but ‘fregar’ is actually one of the most common euphemisms for the vulgar ‘chingar’ and its many derivatives)
Chinga a tu madre – F*** you
This is the ultimate Mexican insult.
Are there children around?
Well, the following phrase shares the same first letters as ‘chinga a tu madre’ and in Mexico that´s all you need to be understood:
10 ‘Checas tu mail’ = ‘Go check your email’
Chingón / Chingona – Badass
If YOU´RE the one doing the screwing, then you become a ‘chingón’ (or a ‘chingona’ if you´re female!), a word we can best liken to ‘badass’ in English.
An innocuous synonym would be:
11 ‘Fregón’ / ‘Fregona’ = ‘Scrub brush’ (I told you ‘fregar’ was a popular euphemism for all things ‘chingar’!)
No mames – No f***ing way
‘No mames’ literally means ‘don’t suck it’ and it´s such a common expression in Mexico that it´s often used to respond to … well, almost anything!
Here are the more “workplace appropriate” versions:
12 ‘No manches’ = ‘Don’t stain it’
13 ‘No macayú’ (yeah, it´s not your imagination, “macayú” isn´t actually a real word!)
14 ‘No ma’ (just say the first two syllables and leave the rest to the imagination)
Ya valió madres – It’s f***ed
If someone says ‘ya valió madres’ (literally, ‘it’s worth mothers’), what they’re really trying to say is that a situation is hopeless and beyond repair.
At church or in the library?
Well, you can try the following instead:
15 ‘Ya valió queso’ = ‘It’s worth cheese’
16 ‘Ya valió gorro’ = ‘It’s worth a hat’
Erika’s note – A LOT of Mexican swear words and expressions use the word ‘madre’ or ‘mother’.
And guess what …
We´ve actually compiled a list of ALL the phases using ‘madre’ in Mexican slang. It´s definitely worth checking out!
Ya valió verga – It’s f***ed
This one´s a synonym of ‘ya valió madres’, but since it means ‘it’s worth dick’, it’s considered even more inappropriate.
Exchange it for the harmless (and fun):
17 ‘Ya bailó Berta’ = ‘Bertha already danced’
Me vale madres – I don’t give a sh**
This one literally means, ‘I don´t give a sh**’.
If you couldn’t care less about something, but you´d prefer to sound silly instead of rude, just say:
18 ‘Me vale cacahuates’ = ‘It’s worth peanuts to me’
¡Mierda! – Sh**!
If you’re wondering how to actually say ‘sh**’ in Spanish, the word you’re looking for is ‘mierda’, or its popular euphemism:
19 ‘Miércoles’ = ‘Wednesday’ (intonation is key here if you wanna differentiate it from the day of the week)
Ni madres – No f***ing way
If there’s no chance in hell of something happening, you may hear people say ‘ni madres’ (or ‘no mothers’).
20 ‘Ni maíz’ – ‘No corn’
21 ‘Ni maíz palomero’ – ‘No popcorn’
¡A huevo! – Awesome!
In Mexican slang a ‘huevo’ is a euphemism for a ‘testicle’, and although the interjection ‘a huevo’ just means ‘awesome!’ or ‘of course!’, it’s still considered pretty vulgar.
You might also hear –
22 ‘Abuelita soy tu nieto’ = ‘Grandma, I’m your grandson’
23 ‘A producto de gallina’ = ‘to the hen’s product’
24 ‘Agüilbur’ (yep, yet another made up word … but this one´s very popular in some parts of Mexico City!)
Mamón – Snob
‘Mamón’ literally means someone who’s ‘still nursing’ (i.e., still being breast fed), but it’s also a naughty word used to describe a conceited or arrogant person.
Since it’s not a very nice thing to say, people often use the following instead:
25 ‘Payaso’ = ‘Clown’
26 ‘Sangrón’ = ‘Bleeder’ (which, coincidently, is also rather archaic British slang for an annoying person)
Está cabrón – It’s f***ing hard
If an endeavor is just too difficult or a situation looks bleak, we can say ‘está cabrón’.
Or its alternative:
27 ‘Está cañón’ = ‘It’s canon’
Erika´s note – we´ve actually devoted an entire article to ‘está cañón’, be sure to check it out if you wanna know more!
Está de la verga – It’s f***ed up
Maybe you´re in an absolutely horrific situation …
Well, you could whip out ‘está de la verga’ or the FAR more polite:
28 ‘Está de la verdura’ – ‘It’s of the vegetable’ (think of the eggplant emoji and you’ll never forget this one)
Pendejo – Idiot
In Mexico, a ‘pendejo’ is a really stupid person.
To keep it kid-friendly, you can say the following instead:
29 ‘Pensante’ = ‘Thinker’ (yep, the actual opposite of a ‘pendejo’)
Qué pedo – What the f*** / What’s up
This one literally translates as ‘what fart’ and, although it’s often used as an innocuous – and VERY popular – greeting in Mexico, it’s regarded as highly inappropriate in any kind of formal situation.
30 ‘Qué pex’ (‘pex’ is another made-up word; it´s even used by children!)
Erika’s note – yep, you guessed it! We´ve written an entire article on ‘qué pex’ too!
Hijo de su chingada madre – Son of a b****
This is the equivalent of ‘son of a b****’ in Mexican slang.
A word of caution: this is a real insult, so if you actually say this to someone you’re definitely looking for trouble.
There are a few “milder” alternatives, though it’s still likely that the person on the receiving end ain´t gonna be too thrilled:
31 ‘Hijo de tal por cual’ = ‘Son of a so-and-so’
32 ‘Hijo de tu qué barbaridad’ = ‘Son of your, oh, the barbarity’ (as you might have guessed, this one’s mostly used when someone decides against saying a full-blown ‘chingada’ mid-sentence)
Hijo de su pinche madre – Son of a b****
In Mexican slang, ‘pinche’ is something ‘lousy’ or just a ‘f***ing thing’.
Either way, it´s always bad language!
33 ‘Hijo de tu Pink Floyd’ = ‘Son of your Pink Floyd’ (if you’re a fan of Pink Floyd, this might even be a complement!)
Pa’ su madre – Holy sh**
This phrase literally means ‘for your mother’ and it’s a popular Mexican interjection similar to the English ‘holy sh**’.
34 ‘Pa’ su mecha’ = ‘For your wick’ (you can think of ‘pa´ su mecha’ as the Mexican equivalent of ‘holy cow’)
Fun fact: ‘pa’ su mecha’ has actually become far more popular than ‘pa’ su madre’! Be sure to check out our article on all things ‘pa’ su mecha’ if you wanna learn more.
Deja de chingar la madre – F*** off
If you’ve ever heard someone say ‘deja de chingar la madre’, they´re REALLY fed up and they’re telling you to back the hell up.
However, don’t be surprised if you hear kids (or adults in the presence of children) saying:
35 ‘Deja de enchinchar’ = ‘Stop bugging me’ (a ‘chinche’ is actually a ‘bedbug’)
36 ‘Dejar de chiflar’ = ‘Stop whistling’ (‘chiflar’ (‘to whistle’) sounds *kinda* like ‘chingar’)
37 ‘Dejar de fregar’ = ‘Stop scrubbing’
Ah, cómo chingas – You’re f***ing annoying
Although we can liken this phrase to the previous one (i.e., ‘deja de chingar la madre’), ‘ah, cómo chingas’ is normally said with a defeated tone.
These are the kid-friendly variations:
38 ‘Ah, cómo chillas’ = ‘Oh, how you cry’
39 ‘Ah, cómo chiflas’ = ‘Oh, how you whistle’
Partirse la madre – To f*** yourself up / To hurt yourself badly
‘To break your mother’ (which is literally what this phrase means) is Mexican slang for hurting yourself badly.
Of course, if you ‘partes la madre’ of somebody else, that means you really hurt them (especially when referring to a fist fight).
40 ‘Partirse su mandarina en gajos’ = ‘split your tangerine into slices’ (it doesn’t hurt less … It’s just a nicer way to put it!)
Darse en la madre – To f*** yourself up / To hurt yourself badly
If you´ve badly hurt yourself, you can also say ´Me di en la madre’ …
41 ‘Darse en la torre’ = ‘To give yourself in the tower’ (‘¡En la torre!’ – ‘In the tower!’ – is another common Mexican interjection, the likes of ‘holy moly!’)
Madrazo – A hard blow / A hard hit
Derived from the word ‘madre’ (or ‘mother’ in English), a ‘madrazo’ is a pretty hard ‘blow’, ‘hit’ or ‘punch’.
Toño se cayó de la bici y se dio un madrazo contra la banqueta.
Toño fell off his bike and hit the sidewalk pretty hard.
42 ‘Ranazo’ = A hard blow, but derived from the word ‘frog’ (not only is this word fun to say in Spanish, the mental image of a frog replacing the person is super fun / silly)
Hasta la madre – F***ing fed up
If you’re ‘hasta la madre’, it means you’re ‘too tired’, ‘too drunk’ or just ‘pissed off’, the last one being the most common of all.
If a place is said to be ‘hasta su madre’, then it’s ‘too crowded’.
43 ‘Hasta el demonio’ = ‘Up to the devil’
44 ‘Hasta atrás’ = ‘All the way back’ (this is only a euphemism of ‘hasta la madre’ when used to mean ‘too drunk’)
Ah, chingao – Holy c***
‘¡Ah, chingao!’, ‘¡ah, chingados’, or ‘¡ah, chingá!’ are all popular Mexican interjections akin to ‘holy c***!’.
If you want alternatives more similar to ‘holy moly’, you can say:
45 ‘¡Achis!’ = A phonetic derivation of ‘ah, chingao’ (it sounds like ‘ah’ – ‘chees’)
46 ‘¡Achis los mariachis!’ = ‘Achis’ + ‘los mariachis’ (if you’re wondering what the heck mariachis have to do with this expression, well, ‘mariachis’ actually just rhymes with ‘achis’! A great example of how whimsical Mexican slang is)
47 ‘¡Ah, chispas!’ = ‘Oh, sparks!’
Ah, qué la canija / Ah, qué canijo – Oh sh**
In most of the Spanish-speaking world, ‘canijo’ describes someone ‘weak’ or ‘sickly’ … but not in Mexico.
Here it’s slang for ‘cunning’ or ‘ill-intentioned’. ‘Ah, qué la canija’ is an interjection, the likes of ‘oh, sh**’, but curiously less popular than its gentler alternative:
48 ‘Ah, qué la canción’ = ‘oh, what a song’
Carajo – F***
This one´s actually a euphemism for ‘penis’, but we can liken it to the English word ‘f***’.
It’s mostly used as an interjection when you just wanna cry out a heartfelt ‘damn’.
It’s appropriate-for-work versions are also quite popular in Mexican slang:
49 ‘Caray’ = A phonetic derivation of ‘carajo’
50 ‘Caramba’ = Another phonetic derivation (remember Bart Simpson’s catch phrase ‘ay, caramba’? Well, that´s where it comes from!)
Erika´s note – we´ve actually written a whole article on ‘caray’, be sure to check it out!
Final thoughts
And that’s it, folks! I hope this extensive list comes in handy the next time you hear one of these expressions (which are sure to baffle anyone who tries to translate them literally!).
It’s also useful to know cuss word alternatives in situations in which you want to tone it down a bit, while still sounding like a true native!
Wanna know more about Mexican Spanish? Why don´t you check out our article on all the different ways to say ‘damn’ next!
¡Hasta pronto!