Costa Rican Slang: 68 Everyday Expressions Locals Use

Costa Rican slang is what turns textbook Spanish into the Spanish you’ll actually hear: “pura vida” for everything from hello to thanks, “mae” in nearly every sentence, and “tuanis” or “qué chiva” when something’s cool. Learn a dozen of these and you’ll understand far more of what’s said around you.

This guide groups 68 common Costa Rican expressions by when you’ll use them, from greetings and money to nights out, with a short list of words to handle carefully. Most are casual; save them for friends, guides and bartenders rather than bank tellers.

Costa Rican slang	At a glance
Learn first	Pura vida, mae, tuanis, qué chiva, diay, con mucho gusto
Money	Teja = ₡100, rojo = ₡1,000, tucán = ₡5,000
Polite reply to “gracias”	“Con mucho gusto”
At someone’s door	Call out “¡Upe!”
Careful with	Despiche, dolor de huevos, pendejo

The essentials

Costa Rican Slang Every Visitor Should Know

Learn these first. You’ll hear them within an hour of landing.

Expression	Meaning
Pura vida	“Pure life.” Hello, goodbye, thanks, you’re welcome and “all good,” all in one. See what pura vida really means.
Mae	“Dude” or “buddy.” Ticos of all ages drop it into nearly every sentence with friends.
Tuanis	Cool, great. “Todo tuanis” means everything’s fine.
¡Qué chiva!	“How cool!” Used by all ages.
Diay	An all-purpose filler: “well,” “so,” “what can you do,” or surprise, depending on tone.
¡Upe!	What you call out at someone’s gate or door instead of knocking, like “anybody home?”
Con mucho gusto	“With pleasure.” The standard Costa Rican reply to “gracias,” instead of “de nada.”
Por dicha	“Luckily” or “thank goodness.”
Tico / Tica	A Costa Rican man or woman; also anything Costa Rican, as in “comida tica.” See why Costa Ricans are called Ticos.
Tiquicia	An affectionate nickname for Costa Rica itself.

Everyday words

Everyday Costa Rican Expressions

Words that come up in normal conversation, at work, at home and on the road.

Expression	Meaning
Brete	Work or a job. “Voy para el brete” means “I’m off to work.”
Chunche	A thing, thingamajig, whatsit.
Chante	House or home.
Bomba	Gas station.
Chema	T-shirt.
Guachimán	A watchman, often the informal guard who watches parked cars for tips. See our guide to guachimanes and parking.
Al chile	“Seriously?” or “for real.” Often paired with mae: “¿Al chile, mae?”
Suave / Llevarla suave	“Easy” or “take it easy”; also “hang on a second.”
¡Déle!	“Go for it!” or “let’s do it.”
¡Soque!	“Hurry up!”
¡Jale!	“Let’s go” or “get going.” The verb jalar can also mean to date someone.
Ojo / Pele el ojo	“Watch out” or “keep your eyes open.”
Ponerse las pilas	“Put your batteries in”: get your act together.
Chinear	To pamper or spoil someone, especially a baby or partner.
Buena nota / Mala nota	A good or bad person or feeling; “buena nota” can also mean “thanks, nice.”
A cachete	Great, going well.

People

Slang for People

Costa Ricans describe people with a lot of affectionate (and less affectionate) nicknames.

Expression	Meaning
Güila	A kid. Among young people, it can also mean a girl or young woman.
Roco / Roca	An old man or woman, often affectionate.
Macho / Macha	A light-skinned or fair-haired person, not a tough guy.
Gato / Gata	Someone with green or blue eyes.
Polo	A country bumpkin or someone with tacky taste.
Hijo de papi	A spoiled rich kid.
Paracaidista	“Parachutist”: a party crasher.
Mosca muerta	“Dead fly”: someone who acts innocent but isn’t.
Viejo verde	A dirty old man.
Pinta	A shady or suspicious-looking person.
Codo	Stingy, cheap.
Platero	Someone obsessed with money.

Money

Costa Rican Money Slang

Handy when you’re paying in colones. Read our guide to which currency to bring.

Expression	Meaning
Harina / Plata	Money in general (“flour” and “silver”).
Teja	₡100. “Cinco tejas” is ₡500.
Rojo	₡1,000, from the red ₡1,000 bill.
Tucán	₡5,000, a long-standing nickname for the bill.
Limpio	Broke, out of money.

Going out

Food, Drinks and Going Out

For sodas, bars and the morning after.

Expression	Meaning
Jamar	To eat. “Vamos a jamar” means “let’s eat.”
Soda	A small, inexpensive local restaurant. Read our guide to Costa Rican sodas.
Pulpería	A neighborhood corner store.
Birra / Rubia	Beer.
Pachanga	A party.
Mejenga	A casual pickup soccer game.
Zarpe	The last drink of the night.
Goma	A hangover. “Estoy de goma” means “I’m hungover.”
Tanda	A drinking binge; also a movie showing.

When things go wrong

Expressions for When Things Go Wrong

Costa Ricans have plenty of ways to say something went sideways.

Expression	Meaning
Qué torta	“What a mess” or “what a blunder.” Jalarse una torta can also mean an unplanned pregnancy.
Salado	Unlucky (“salty”).
Frito	Out of luck, in trouble (“fried”).
Mala pata	Bad luck.
Meter la pata	To mess up or put your foot in it.
Estar detrás del palo	To be clueless (“behind the stick”).
Hablar paja / Pura paja	To talk nonsense / total nonsense.
Espeso	“Thick”: a tough, tense or dangerous situation.
Furris	Tacky or shoddy.
Estar de luna	To be in a bad mood.
Jupón	Stubborn, hardheaded (from jupa, “head”).
Pata caliente	Someone who can’t stay home, always out and about.

Use with care

Costa Rican Slang to Use With Care

You’ll hear these, but think twice before using them yourself.

Expression	Meaning
Despiche	A big mess. Common, but it comes from a vulgar word, so skip it in polite company.
Dolor de huevos	“A pain in the ass.” Vulgar.
Pendejo	Fool or coward. Can be a real insult.
Mota	Marijuana.

In practice

How Costa Ricans Actually Talk

• “Pura vida, mae” works as a greeting, a goodbye or a thank-you between friends.
• “¿Todo bien?” “Todo tuanis.” is a typical exchange: “All good?” “All great.”
• “Diay, mae, ¿qué hacemos?” means roughly “So, dude, what do we do?”
• “¡Qué chiva la playa!” is “The beach is awesome!”
• “Me jalé una torta” is “I really messed up.”

Want to go further? See our guide to the best ways to learn Spanish in Costa Rica, and read up on “Tico time” and tipping before you go. Our San José guide is a good place to start practicing.

Good to know

Costa Rican Slang FAQ