cutucar
/ku.tuˈka(ʁ)/
To poke in Portuguese is cutucar.
The verb cutucar means to jab with an object such as a finger or a stick. While it can mean to jab with a stick, it is very commonly used to describe the act of poking someone with a finger to get their attention.
Meaning: to jab with an object such as a finger or a stick (verb)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The present participle (gerund) of cutucar is cutucando. The first-person singular preterite (past tense) is cutuquei, and the third-person singular preterite (past tense) is cutucou.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables, with the stress on the 3rd syllable: /ku.tuˈka(ʁ)/.
Did you know?
- The word cutucar actually traces its roots back to the Tupi-Guarani language family, specifically the word kutuk, which meant 'to pierce'.
- If you are 'cutucando a ferida' (poking the wound), you are using a common idiom that means someone is bringing up a painful or sensitive subject that was better left forgotten.
- In some Brazilian regions, cutucar can be used to describe the act of picking a scab or a small piece of skin on a finger.
Examples in context
- Eu preferiria que você não me cutucasse quando estou concentrado.I'd rather you didn't poke me when I'm focused.
- Eu adoro quando você me cutuca assim, me faz rir!I love it when you poke me like that, it makes me laugh!
- Não tente me cutucar com esse lápis.Don't try to poke me with that pencil.
- A criança começou a cutucar o brinquedo.The child started to poke the toy.
- Ele usou um graveto para cutucar o fogo.He used a stick to poke the fire.
Example conversation
At a cafe, Rodrigo is teasing Mariana with a spoon.
- MarianaRodrigo, pare de me cutucar com a colher!Rodrigo, stop poking me with the spoon!
- RodrigoDesculpe, Mariana, eu não fiz por mal.Sorry, Mariana, I didn't do it on purpose.
- MarianaVocê é muito brincalhão hoje.You are very playful today.
- RodrigoÉ que você parece tão séria.It's just that you seem so serious.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “poke” translations and entries cutucar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cutucar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
