chingón
/t͡ʃinˈɡon/
The English word 'badass' can be translated into Spanish using chingón. Wiktionary also lists malote and machote.
Meaning: having an extreme appearance, etc., considered admirable (adj)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| chingón | /t͡ʃinˈɡon/ |
| malote | /maˈlote/ |
| machote | /maˈt͡ʃote/ |
| de la puta | /de la puta/ (from spelling rules) |
The terms are used to describe someone or something as having an extreme appearance, etc., considered admirable. Other forms like chulo, malote or choro can be used as nouns to refer to a person considered impressive.
Which one should you use?
While chingón implies an admirable badass, malote often carries a more negative connotation of being a street thug or a tough guy in a criminal sense. Other terms for an impressive person include chulo and choro.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Chingón is highly informal and can be considered vulgar depending on the context.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, chingón is a very common way to say badass.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word chingón changes to chingona to refer to a woman.
How do you pronounce it?
/tʃinˈɡon/
Did you know?
- The term machote has two origins, one stemming from the Spanish word for 'male' and another borrowed from the Nahuatl word machiotl, meaning 'example' or 'model'.
- In Mexico, the word chingón is an augmentative of the verb chingar, which is one of the most versatile and vulgar verbs in the language.
- The suffix -ote in words like malote and machote is an augmentative that increases the intensity of the base word, much like how adding 'big' to 'bad' might change the feeling.
Examples in context
- ¡Chingón!Badass!This example shows how to use chingón as an exclamation.Tatoeba #13803269 by rul, translation #13803288 by rul
- Ese guitarrista es un chingón.That guitarist is a badass.
- Su nuevo coche se ve muy chingón.His new car looks really badass.
Example conversation
Sofía and Mateo are looking at a photo of a professional skater.
- SofíaMira ese skater, es un chingón.Look at that skater, he is a badass.
- MateoSí, Sofía, tiene un estilo increíble.Yes, Sofia, he has an incredible style.
- Sofía¿Viste su nueva tabla?Did you see his new board?
- MateoSí, se ve muy chingón.Yes, it looks very badass.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “badass” translations and entries chingón, malote, machote, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chingón, de, la, machote, malote, puta, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
