chingón

tʃinˈɡonpositive slang, intensity, character

What does chingón mean? chingón is a Spanish moderate that translates to “badass / fucking awesome” in English.

big fucker

01

"badass / fucking awesome"

A person who is highly competent, successful, and cool; or a thing that is of remarkably high quality.

Describing Guillermo del Toro: 'Ese director es un chingón.'

Mexico

Context

  • Casual conversations with friends
  • Informal settings where profanity is accepted

Avoid

  • Professional or formal settings
  • Job interviews, meetings, or customer-facing situations

Cultural Context

The bright, optimistic side of the otherwise dark Mexican 'chingar' family. Calling someone a 'chingón' is a high compliment—it implies they are self-made, tough, and brilliant at what they do. 'Ponerse chingón' means to get smart and work hard. It's the linguistic equivalent of taking a historically painful word representing violation and reclaiming it as a symbol of Mexican resilience and swagger.

More in Spanish 🇪🇸

View all →
3 / 5character attack, sexual act

pajero

paˈxe.ɾo

wanker / lazy bastard / flake

Someone who masturbates a lot; figuratively, a supremely lazy person or someone who talks a lot but never follows through.

4 / 5scatological, character attack

comemierda

ˌko.meˈmjeɾ.ða

arrogant prick / stuck-up bitch / full of shit

A deeply arrogant, conceited person who thinks they are better than everyone else, or alternatively, a complete fool.

4 / 5exclamation, anatomical

la concha de la lora

la ˈkon.tʃa ðe la ˈlo.ɾa

for fuck's sake / godfuckingdammit

An exclamation of extreme frustration, surprise, or anger. It vividly expresses that a situation has gone completely wrong.

3 / 5sexual, gendered slur

puta

ˈpu.ta

whore / bitch / fucking (as intensifier)

Prostitute or promiscuous woman; used as general expletive or intensifier. When combined with 'madre' becomes extremely severe.

4 / 5sexual, homophobic

puto

ˈpu.to

fucking (intensifier) / male whore / faggot

Male prostitute; homophobic slur; or intensifier similar to 'fucking'.

3 / 5class-based, intensifier

pinche

ˈpin.tʃe

fucking / damn / stupid

Kitchen helper in Spain; in Mexico, a versatile intensifier meaning 'fucking' or 'damn'.

4 / 5verb, sexual

follar

foˈʎaɾ

to fuck / to shag

To have sexual intercourse. It is the absolute standard vulgar verb for sex in Spain.

2 / 5anatomical, character attack

pelotudo

pe.loˈtu.ðo

idiot / moron / dumbass

Stupid person, idiot. Similar to boludo but slightly more insulting in Argentina.