語
A
ñ
字
Second Language
Slang file #018Here to stayCompliments

What does chulo mean?

Say itCHOO-loh/ˈtʃulo/adjective (also a noun)

Where you’ll hear it
  • Mexico
  • Central America
  • Puerto Rico
  • Spain

An informal Spanish adjective (chula for feminine words) that means cute, pretty, nice, or cool, and also good-looking in Mexico and Central America, but often cocky when said about a person in Spain.

Written by the Second Language TeamWritten

Chulo is an informal Spanish word for something cute, pretty, or nice, a bit like "cool" or "lovely." Its feminine form is chula, and the word changes to match the thing you describe: un perro chulo ("a cute dog"), una casa chula ("a nice house"). In Mexico and parts of Central America, it can also mean good-looking. In Spain, it can mean cocky when you say it about a person. So the same word can praise a dress or criticize a show-off. You hear it from friends and families from Mexico, Central America, Puerto Rico, and Spain.

Say it CHOO-loh, and say chula CHOO-lah. The ch sounds like the ch in "church," and the u is always "oo." The o is short and clean, without the "w" sound at the end of the English word "low." It’s everyday, casual Spanish. It’s fine with family, friends, and friendly strangers, but too casual for a formal email. For extra praise, add -ísimo: chulísimo, chulísima.

Word stats

How casual
Everyday Spanish. A stranger might say qué chulo to your baby at the bus stop, but it’s too casual for a formal email.
OK at work
Qué chula tu presentación ("what a nice presentation") is fine with friendly coworkers. Calling your manager chulo is a gamble in Mexico and a criticism in Spain.
Abuela-safe
Abuelas (grandmas) in Mexico say it all the time. Just don’t call a man un chulo, as a noun, in front of her.
Rudeness
Never rude about a thing. About a person in Spain it means cocky, and as a noun it can mean pimp, which is a real insult.
Freshness
Steady: about as many people look it up as last year, and the RAE’s dictionaries have listed it since 1729.

Spotted in the wild

Comments on Valeria’s post · Mexico City
  1. Valeriaestrenando vestido ✨
  2. Marianaqué vestido tan chulo!!
  3. Youestás chulísima 😍
  4. Valeriaayyy gracias

What it means here: Estrenando vestido means "wearing a new dress for the first time." Mariana says "what a pretty dress," you say "you look gorgeous," and Valeria says "thank you."

Family group chat · your partner’s family
  1. Tía Rosamiren a mi nieto 😍
  2. Youqué bebé tan chulo!!
  3. Tía Rosaverdad que sí? igualito a su abuela
  4. Betojaja pobre niño

What it means here: Aunt Rosa says "look at my grandson." You say "what a cute baby," she answers "isn’t he? just like his grandma," and Beto teases "haha, poor kid." Here chulo is a plain, warm "cute."

Group chat · friends in Madrid
  1. Lucíael bar nuevo de la plaza es muy chulo
  2. Yousí? vamos el viernes
  3. Pablovale, pero sin Dani, que el otro día se puso muy chulo con el camarero 🙄

What it means here: Lucía says the new bar on the square is "really nice." You say "really? let’s go Friday," and Pablo says "okay, but without Dani, because the other day he got cocky with the waiter." About the bar, chulo is friendly. About Dani, it’s a criticism.

How to use it

  • ¡Qué + noun + más / tan chulo!¡Qué vestido más chulo! ("What a lovely dress!")
  • qué chulo / qué chula as a quick reaction(about a bag, una bolsa) ¡Ay, qué chula! ¿Dónde la compraste? ("Oh, how pretty! Where did you buy it?")
  • estar chulísimo / chulísima (looking great, in Latin America)Chica, estás chulísima. ("Girl, you look gorgeous.")
  • bien chulo ("really nice," in Mexico)Tu pueblo está bien chulo. ("Your hometown is really nice.")
  • ponerse chulo (getting cocky, in Spain)No te pongas chulo conmigo. ("Don’t get cocky with me.")

Don’t say it like this

  • Sounds off¡Qué chulo tu camisa!

    Say this¡Qué chula tu camisa! ("What a nice shirt!")

    Chulo matches the thing you describe, not you. Camisa ("shirt") is a feminine word, so it takes chula. Use chulos and chulas for more than one.

  • Sounds offTu novio es un chulo.

    Say thisTu novio es muy guapo. ("Your boyfriend is very good-looking.")

    As a noun, un chulo can mean a pimp, or in Spain a show-off. In Mexico, muy chulo works as a compliment, but guapo is the safe choice everywhere.

  • Sounds offEres muy chulo. (said to a new friend in Madrid, as a compliment)

    Say this¡Qué chula tu chaqueta! ("What a cool jacket!")

    In Spain, chulo about a person usually means cocky. Praise the jacket (chaqueta) instead, and the word is friendly.

chulo or not?

Is each of these chulo? Pick an answer to find out.

  1. A friend in Mexico City sees your new sneakers and says "¡qué tenis tan chulos!" Compliment?

  2. In Madrid, a coworker says a man in the meeting "se puso muy chulo." Compliment?

  3. A grandmother in Guadalajara, Mexico, looks at your daughter and says "qué niña tan chula." Compliment?

  4. During an argument, someone calls a man "un chulo." Compliment?

The chulo family

  • guapo / guapaGood-looking; the safe compliment for a person almost everywhere.What to say in Madrid when you mean chulo the Mexican way.
  • chuleríaCockiness or showing off: the attitude of a chulo, in the Spain sense.What your Madrid friends will say Dani is full of.
  • chulapo / chulapaThe traditional working-class Madrid type, known for showy clothes and manner.Chulo, with a dress code.

Where it came from

  1. 1729The Diccionario de Autoridades, the RAE’s first dictionary, defines chulo as a witty person whose jokes are fun to hear but not quite proper [3]. This is the earliest dictionary entry we confirmed, not the word’s first use.
  2. TodayThe current RAE dictionary traces chulo to Italian ciullo, "child," a short form of fanciullo [1]. It lists the pretty, nice, charming sense, plus good-looking for Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Puerto Rico [1].

Is chulo a compliment or an insult?

It depends on two things: what you describe, and where you are. About a thing, chulo is friendly almost everywhere. About a person, it changes from country to country.

How it’s usedExampleWhat it means
About a thing, in most places¡Qué vestido más chulo!"What a lovely dress!" [2]
About a person in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, or Puerto Rico¡Qué niña tan chula!"What a pretty little girl!" The RAE (the Royal Spanish Academy, which sets standard Spanish) lists this good-looking sense for these four places [1].
About a person in SpainSe puso muy chulo."He got cocky." This is a criticism [2].
As a noun about a manun chuloIt can mean a pimp. This is the clearly insulting sense [1].
As a noun in Colombiaun chuloA vulture, the bird [2].

In Mexico, chulo is warm, everyday speech. People say it about babies, places, clothes, and even people they’re thankful for. A patient might call a kind doctor "doctorcito chulo," which means "dear little doctor." In Mexico and Central America it can also mean "well": jugar chulo means "to play well" [2].

In Spain, qué chulo about a thing is a friendly "how cool." About a person, it usually means cocky or showing off. The RAE also uses chulo for a traditional working-class type from Madrid, known for showy clothes and manner [1]. People also call this type chulapo or chulapa.

A safe rule: praise the thing, not the person, until you know how people use the word where you are. To call someone good-looking, use guapo for a man or guapa for a woman. It works almost everywhere.

Sources

  1. chulo, chulaReal Academia Española, Diccionario de la lengua española
  2. English Translation of “CHULO”Collins Spanish-English Dictionary
  3. CHULO (Diccionario de Autoridades, Tomo II, 1729)Real Academia Española, 1729

More slang to decode

Articles