100+ Charismatic Ways to Say ‘Friend’ in Spanish Slang
Did you know there are over 100 different ways to say “friend” in Spanish?
The Spanish language truly is a kaleidoscope of cultures and unique words used in different regions where it’s spoken.
Keep reading to learn a ton of new ways to say “friend” in Spanish, find example sentences and the specific country where the term is used.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
100+ Ways to Say Friend in Spanish
Without further ado, here you have over 100 ways funny, charismatic ways to say amigo or friend in Spanish. Each term includes an example sentence.
Some words are used in more than one country, but I’m including them in the country where it’s more common to hear it.
México
Let’s start with Mexico as I’m from there and I know a little bit more about Mexican slang than that from any other country.
1. Hermano/hermana
Hermano means “brother,” and hermana means “sister.”
¡Nos vemos en la fiesta hermano!
See you at the party brother!
2. Mano/mana
The last four words of hermano/hermana. Same meaning. Commonly used with diminutive (manito/manita).
Hola manito, ¿dónde estabas?
Hi bro, where were you?
3. Compadre/comadre
A compadre or comadre is the godfather or godmother of your own child.
José es mi compadre, él nunca haría algo así.
Jose is my friend, he’d never do something like that.
4. Compa
Another way to refer to your compadre.
Oye compa, ¿a dónde vas?
Hey buddy, where are you going?
5. Carnal
Another way to refer to your brother.
¡Te quiero mucho carnal!
I love you bro!
6. Camarada
Literally translates as comrade.
Carlos es mi camarada.
Carlos is my friend.
7. Amiguis
A tender modification of the word amigo which means “friend” in Spanish.
Ya vienen mis amiguis.
My friends are coming.
8. Cuate
Very Mexican word to refer to a friend.
Voy al cine con mis cuates.
I’m going to the movies with my friends.
9. Cuaderno
Translates as “notebook,” but as it uses the first 3 letters of the term cuate it can be used as another way to say friend.
Pedro y yo somos cuadernos.
Pedro and I are friends.
10. Güey
Perhaps the Mexican slang word most repeated in the world. It means “buddy.”
¿Qué onda güey?
What’s up buddy?
11. Primo
Literally translates as “cousin.”
Vamos a la playa, primo.
Let’s go to the beach buddy.
12. Chómpiras
Only heard on the streets of Mexico City.
¿Dónde están tus chómpiras?
Where are your friends?
13. Costeño
Term used to refer to a friend from a coastal region.
¿Qué tal costeño?
How are you doing buddy?
14. Güero/güera
Term used in Mexico to refer to a blond or light-skinned person.
Oye compa, ¿a dónde vas?
Hey buddy, where are you going?
15. Chavo/ chava
Literally translate as “boy” and “girl.”
¡Ese es mi chavo!
That’s my buddy!
16. Muchacho/muchacha
Literally translate as “boy” and “girl.”
¿Dónde están las muchachas?
Where are the girls?
17. Palomilla
Term used in Mexico to refer to a group of friends.
Voy con la palomilla.
I’m going with my friends.
18. Banda
Term used in Mexico to refer to a group of friends. Literally means “band.”
¡Saludos a la banda!
Greetings to the gang!
20. Bandera
By modification of the word banda, you’ll hear people on the streets saying bandera in the same context. Literally means “flag.”
¿Has visto a la bandera?
Have you seen the gang?
21. Charolastra
Term made famous by Alfonso Cuaron’s film “Y tu mamá también.”
Diego es mi charolastra.
Diego is my best friend.
22. Ese
Term used in Mexico as “buddy” or “dude.” Literally means “that.”
¿Qué onda ese?
What’s up dude?
23. Pandilla
Term used in Mexico to refer to a group of friends.
¿Has visto a la pandilla últimamente?
Have you seen the gang lately?
24. Chamaco/chamaca
Literally translate as “boy” and “girl.”
¡Ese es mi chamaco!
That’s my buddy!
25. Campeón
Literally translate as “champion.”
¿Cómo estás campeón?
What’s up champ?
26. Maestro/maestra
Literally translate as “teacher.”
Vamos al cine maestro, ¿o qué?
Let’s go to the movies dude, or what?
Spain
Spain has its own variety of terms to refer to a friend. Let’s learn some of the most popular ones:
27. Tío/tía
Literally translate as “uncle” and “aunt.”
Oye tío, ¿vamos a la playa?
Hey buddy, should we go to the beach?
28. Tronco
Literally translates as “trunk.”
¿Dónde estabas tronco?
Where were you dude?
29. Tron
First 4 letters of tronco and used in the same context.
¿Cómo estás tron?
How are you dude?
30. Chaval/chavala
Literally translate as “boy” and “girl.”
Hey chaval, vamos al parque, ¿vienes?
Hey dude, we’re going to the park, do you want to come?
31. Íntimo
Used to refer to a very close or “intimate” friend.
Carlos y Jorge son íntimos.
Carlos and Jorge are best friends forever.
32. Compinche
Term used to refer to your “sidekick.”
Pedro es mi compinche.
Pedro is my sidekick.
33. Colega
Literally translates as “colleague.”
¿Qué pasa colega?
What’s up dude?
34. Peña
Term used in Spain to refer to a group of friends.
¿Has visto a la peña últimamente?
Have you seen the gang lately?
35. Tete
Term used in Spain to refer to a baby.
¿Cómo está mi tete?
How is my friend doing?
Argentina
This South American nation has a very distinctive accent and very unique terms to refer to a friend.
36. Ché
Perhaps the Argetinian slang word most repeated in the world. It means “buddy.”
¿Qué tal ché?
What’s up buddy?
37. Boludo/boluda
In Argentina a boludo is a friend.
Boludo, ¿dónde estás?
Buddy, where are you?
38. Pelotudo/pelotuda
In Argentina a pelotudo is a friend.
¿Cómo estás pelotuda?
How are you dude?
39. Gomía
A term formed with the same letters as the word amigo.
Juan es mi gomía.
Juan is my friend.
40. Pibe
A pibe is a small boy.
¿Qué tal pibe?
What’s up dude?
41. Viejo/vieja
Literally translate as “old man” and “old lady.”
¿Vienes con nosotros viejo?
Are you coming with us buddy?
42. Gancho
Literally translates as “hook.”
¿Cómo estás gancho?
How are you dude?
Peru
Besides a delicious cuisine, Peru also has a rich slang vocabulary.
43. Pata
Literally translates as “leg.”
¿Vienes con nosotros pata?
Are you coming with us buddy?
44. Won
Term used in Peru to refer to a friend.
Oye won, ¿dónde estabas?
Hey dude, where were you?
45. Yunta
Literally translates as “yoke.”
¿Qué pasa yunta?
What’s up buddy?
46. Ñaño/ñaña
Word used in Peru to refer to a good friend.
Hola ñaña, ¿cómo estás?
Hi mate, how are you?
47. Gallada
Word used in Peru to refer to a good friend.
Ahí viene mi gallada.
There comes my friend.
48. Collera
Word used in Peru to refer to a good friend.
Carlos es mi collera.
Carlos is my friend.
49. Chochera
Word used in Peru to refer to a good friend.
¿Cómo va todo chochera?
How’s everything going buddy?
50. Choche
First 6 letters of the word chochera. Used in the same context.
¿Qué tal choche?
What’s up dude?
51. Causa
Word used in Peru to refer to a good friend. Literally means “cause.”
Enrique es causa.
Enrique is a good friend.
52. Broster
A modification of “brother.”
¿Cómo estás broster?
How are you buddy?
53. Socio
Word used in Peru to refer to a good friend. Literally means “partner.”
Erick y Jorge son socios.
Erick and Jorge are friends.
Colombia
Let’s now learn some cool Colombian ways to say friend in Spanish.
54. Cuadro
Word used in Colombia to refer to a good friend. Literally means “frame.”
¡Ese es mi cuadro!
That’s my mate!
55. Parcero/parcera
Word used in Colombia to refer to a good friend.
Karla es mi parcera.
Karla is my friend.
56. Parce
First 5 letters of the word parcero. Used in the same context.
¿Qué tal parce?
What’s up dude?
57. Cachaco
In Colombia, people from the coast would call cachaco to people from the rest of the country.
¿Qué pasa cachaco?
What’s up dude?
58. Pez
Word used in Colombia to refer to a good friend. Literally means “fish.”
Hola pez, ¿qué tal tu día?
Hi dude, how’s your day going?
59. Valedor
A valedor is a person that vouches for you.
Miguel es mi valedor.
Miguel is my friend.
60. Vale
Short for valedor.
¿Qué pasa vale?
What’s up dude?
61. Llave
Word used in Colombia to refer to a good friend. Literally means “key.”
¿Cómo está mi llave?
How’s my friend?
62. Llavero
Translates as “key ring” and used as a variation of llave.
Diego es mi llavero.
Diego is my friend.
63. Llavería
One more variation of llave.
Somos llaverías.
We’re friends.
Venezuela
In many cases, Colombia and Venezuela share a lot of their slang words. However, there are clear differences when it comes to the ways they say “friend” in Spanish.
64. Chamo
Word used in Venezuela to refer to kids, but also to good friends.
Voy con mi chamo al cine.
I’m going with my buddy to the movies.
65. Chamito
Diminutive of chamo.
¿Qué tienes chamito?
What is bothering you dude?
66. El Mío
Words used in Venezuela to refer to a good friend. Literally means “the mine.”
¡Este es el mío!
This is my friend!
67. Panadería
Literally means “bakery.”
¿Qué pasa panadería?
What’s up dude?
68. Gauche
Word used in Venezuela to refer to a good friend.
Hola gauche, ¿qué tal tu día?
Hi dude, how’s your day going?
69. Diablo
Literally means “devil.”
¿Cómo va la vida diablo?
How’s life going dude?
Chile
Chile shares many of its slang with Argentina and Peru, but this word you’ll hear it a lot from Chilean people.
70. Weón
May be the most spoken slang word in Chile.
¿Qué pasa weón?
What’s up dude?
Cuba
The Caribbean island is rich in slang words.
71. Asere
One of the most common words spoken in Cuba and it comes from an Afrikan language originally.
Hola asere, ¿cómo te va?
Hi dude, how’s it going?
72. Ecobio
Word used in Cuba to refer to a good friend.
¿Cómo estás ecobio?
How are you dude?
73. Cobio
Variation of ecobio.
Me voy con el cobio a la playa.
I’m going with my friend to the beach.
74. Cúmbila
Another Cuban word of African origin.
¿Cuándo jugamos una partida de dominó cúmbila?
When do we play a domino game buddy?
75. Chico
The Cuban answer to the Mexican güey. Literally means “boy.”
¿Qué pasa chico?
What’s up dude?
76. Bonco
Word used in Cuba to refer to a good friend.
Ahí viene mi bonco.
Here comes my buddy.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico shares many slang words with Cuba, but these three are specific to the US territory.
77. Pana
This term comes from the indigenous word panaca which means “family.”
¿Cómo estás pana?
How are you buddy?
78. Panita
Diminutive of pana.
Carlos es mi panita.
Carlos is my buddy.
79. Pana fuerte
Another variation of pana. Fuerte means “strong.”
Tú eres mi pana fuerte.
You’re my best friend.
Dominican Republic
The third big Spanish-speaking Caribbean island also has its share of terms to say friend in Spanish.
80. Cachanchán
In Cuba it’s used to refer to a subordinate, but in Dominican Republic it simple means “friend.”
¿Qué pasa cachanchán?
What’s up dude?
81. Panaful
Variation of pana.
¡Vámonos pana!
Let’s go buddy!
Central America
Central America is a diverse region with a rich slang tradition. Let’s find out about some of the most common ways Central American people use to say friend in Spanish.
82. Alero/alera
Literally translates as “wing man.”
Pedro es mi alero.
Pedro is my wing man.
83. Amigazo
Translates as “big friend.”
¡Cuánto tiempo amigazo!
It’s been a long time my friend!
84. Compañero
It means “partner” and it’s widely used to refer to friends.
¿Cómo estás compañero?
How are you buddy?
85. Compi
Diminutive of compañero.
Roberto es mi compi.
Roberto is my buddy.
86. Ñero
One more variation of compañero.
¡Cuánto tiempo ñero!
It’s been a long time dude!
87. Fren
A derivation of the English word “friend.”
¿Qué pasa fren?
What’s up dude?
88. Mae
Costa Rican term to refer to a good friend.
Oye mae, vamos a la playa.
Hey buddy, let’s go to the beach.
89. Consorte
Translates as “consort,” but used as “friend.”
Carlos es mi consorte.
Carlos is my friend!
90. Chero
Derivation from the French word cher, which means “dear.”
¿Qué pasa chero?
What’s up dude?
91. Pasiero
Derivation of parcero.
Voy al cine con mi pasiero.
I’m going to the movies with my friend.
92. Brote
Derivation of “brother.”
¡Cuánto tiempo brote!
It’s been a long time dude!
93. Amigote
Translates as “big friend.”
Miguel es mi amigote.
Miguel is my big friend!
94. Amiguito/amiguita
Translates as “little friend.”
¿Cómo estás amiguita?
How are you my friend?
95. Tipo
Literally translates as “dude.”
¿Qué pasa tipo?
What’s up dude?
96. Confidente
Confidente in Spanish is a person you can trust.
Sara es mi confidente.
Sara is my best friend.
97. Patrón
It means “boss.”
¡Cuánto tiempo patrón!
It’s been a long time my friend!
98. Jefe
Literally translates as “boss.”
¿Qué pasa jefe?
What’s up buddy?
99. Chief
Same as in English.
¿Cómo estás chief?
How are you buddy?
100. Ley
It means “law.”
¿Dónde estabas ley?
Where were you dude?
101. Legal
Same as in English. It’s a derivation from ley.
Paco es legal.
Paco is my friend.
102. Mi niño/mi niña
Literally mean “my boy” and “my girl.”
¿Cómo está mi niña?
How is my friend?
Saying ‘Friend’ in Spanish Can Be Really Fun!
I can’t believe I could find over 100 ways to say friend in Spanish, but the Spanish language is a very rich one. Choose the ones that you like the most, start introducing them into your vocabulary and see how other people react when you use them in a conversation.
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