costarricense
/kostariˈθense/
The Spanish word costarricense refers to a person who is from Costa Rica.
In Costa Rican Spanish, you may also encounter local slang such as tuanis to mean cool, maje to mean dude or chucho to refer to a dog.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The terms tico, tica, maje, chucho and tuanis are specific to Costa Rican Spanish.
How do you pronounce it?
/kostariˈθense/
When do people say it?
A very common expression in Costa Rica is Pura vida, which people use as a greeting, as a response to others or to describe something in a positive way.
Did you know?
- Despite being a costarricense, a person from this country lives in a nation that famously has no standing army, a fact that is a central part of their national identity.
- The suffix -ense in costarricense comes from the Latin -ēnsis, which was used to denote a place of origin.
- Despite being a person from Costa Rica, a person might be referred to as a tico even if they were born elsewhere, provided they have adopted the local culture and mannerisms.
Examples in context
- El embajador costarricense viajó a España para fortalecer las relaciones bilaterales.The Costa Rican ambassador traveled to Spain to strengthen bilateral relations.
- Soy tico y me encanta el gallo pintoI'm Costa Rican, and I love gallo pinto
- Ella es costarricense.She is Costa Rican.
- Mi amigo es costarricense.My friend is Costa Rican.
- Él es un costarricense muy amable.He is a very kind Costa Rican.
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier are talking about their new colleague.
- Lucía¿Es costarricense el nuevo compañero?Is the new colleague Costa Rican?
- JavierSí, él es costarricense.Yes, he is Costa Rican.
- LucíaQué bueno, me encanta su país.That's great, I love his country.
- JavierEs un hombre muy trabajador.He is a very hardworking man.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry costarricense, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries costarricense, CC BY-SA 4.0.
