There’s an itty bitty, teenie weeny part of your Spanish vocabulary that’s probably missing: Baby talk.
Sure, maybe you’ve watched Spanish-language kids’ videos. Even so, chances are, you aren’t yet fluent in Spanish baby talk—but you should be!
Baby talk won’t only help you communicate with babies. You can also use some baby talk in romantic situations or when joking around, being cutesy and talking to pets.
Read on to learn 17 common Spanish baby talk words!
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The Common Elements of Baby Talk in Spanish
Before we take a look at baby talk words in Spanish, it’s important to cover the basics.
In Spanish baby talk, the “s” sound in words is often replaced with a “ch” sound. This is actually a key characteristic that Spanish baby talk is known for. Why this is common is unclear. When letters are replaced in baby talk, it’s usually to simplify the pronunciation. However, “ch” is thought to be a more complex sound than “s,” so it’s not exactly obvious how this replacement started. Perhaps it just sounds cuter that way!
Additionally, baby talk often uses the diminutive (– ito
, – ita
). You’ve probably heard the diminutive before. In Spanish, it’s often used to indicate affection or small size. Similarly, the diminutive is used in baby talk to soften words. It’s sort of like how in English we sometimes add “y” or “ie” to a word—for instance, “mom” becomes “mommy” and “sweet” becomes “sweetie.”
17 Wee Li’l Words for Spanish Baby Talk
Descriptors
1. Nino
Type nino into any online Spanish-English dictionary and you’ll get the same response: “Did you mean niño?” No, I didn’t. Stop leaping to conclusions.
It’s understandable, though. Niño
(child) is more widely known. But in baby talk, nino has an equally useful meaning—it means “nice.”
2. Fío
Fío means “cold” in baby talk. The word seems a bit familiar, no?
That’s because the baby talk word fío comes from the standard word frío
which means “cold.” As is common in baby talk across languages, a letter (in this case, “r”) was simply dropped from the original word.
Remember that, in baby talk, this word is used as an adjective or noun. Otherwise, fío
can also be the first person present tense of the verb fiar
which means “to sell on credit” or “to trust.”
3. Ssss
While it’s really a sound more than a word, in Spanish baby talk ssss means “hot.”
4. Tiquitito
/ Chiquitito
Tiquitito and chiquitito can both mean small. They’re sort of the Spanish equivalent of English-language baby talk like “teeny tiny,” “itty bitty” and “teensy weensy.”
Tiquitito is used as an adjective.
Chiquitito/ Chiquitita
, however, can also occasionally be used as a noun or to address someone affectionately, as ABBA fans will know from the classic “Chiquitita.”
It comes from chico
, which can mean “small” or “small child.” The usual diminutive of chico is chiquito
—so chiquitito is really the diminutive of a diminutive.
5. Fuchi
Fuchi means “dirty” or “yuck” in baby talk, but it’s also widely used in common speech.
In common colloquial speech, it can be a bit vulgar and informal. It can refer to a bad smell or a bad mood. It can also just be an exclamation to express disgust or disapproval.
6. Cabó
Cabó is used in baby talk to mean “all gone.” It ties to the common Spanish verb acabar
(or acabó
in the third person preterit) which can mean “to end.”
People
7. Nene
/ Nena
Nene is baby talk for “baby.” Note that nene is the masculine and nena is the feminine.
Nene/Nena is also used as a term of endearment, much like you might call a loved one “darling.”
8. Tata
In Latin America and the United States, tata is used in baby talk to mean “dad.”
In Spain, on the other hand, tata can mean “nanny” or “maid.”
Obviously, there’s a wide variety of baby talk terms for parents. Mamá
and mami
are common for “mom,” while papá
and papi
are also common words for “dad.” Many of these words can also be used as terms of endearment.
As you can see, baby talk differs across the Spanish-speaking world, and context plays an important part in understanding what these terms mean. Immersing yourself in native Spanish cartoons is one of the best ways to understand how these baby talk terms are used by native Spanish speakers.
There are plenty of Spanish cartoons available online, or you could try using FluentU. On this language learning platform, you can access an array of cartoons and videos for children under the “Kids” category. All of the videos feature interactive subtitles, so you can click on the words to find their meaning and see them used in more contexts.
Things
9. Papa
Papa can literally mean “pope.” In Latin America, it also means “potato.” The similar word papá
is yet another term for “dad.”
So what does it mean in baby talk, you ask? In baby talk, papa means “food.” Be careful with your accents and usage! Papa is flexible in meaning, so pay attention to context.
10. Coco
The most common meaning of coco is “coconut.”
However, baby talk has a few other meanings for it. Spanish baby talk often uses it for “owie” (a wound or injury), but it’s also sometimes used to mean “boogeyman.”
If that’s not enough for you, slang meanings for coco can include “noggin,” “genius,” “ugly” and countless other things. It’s times like these when it’s important to remember the role context plays in word meaning.
11. Becho
This is an instance where an “s” was replaced with a “ch,” which is common in Spanish baby talk.
Becho is baby talk for “kiss.” It comes from the more well-known word beso
(kiss).
12. Uches
Uches is Spanish baby talk for “candies.”
13. Patitas
Patitas is an interesting word. One common literal meaning is “female ducklings.”
In baby talk, though, it has an entirely different meaning. It’s used to refer to “feet.” Yup. Feet look like tiny ducks to me, too.
The duckling thing is more fun, but patitas is more likely derived from pata
which is used to refer to an animal’s foot.
14. Upa
Upa is baby talk for “piggyback.”
15. Onetá
Onetá is baby talk for peek-a-boo.
It’s like a contraction of ¿dónde está?
(Where is it?)
16. Michi
/ Bicho
/ Miaumiáu
Michi, bicho and miaumiáu are all used as baby talk to refer to “cat.”
Michi is actually the Quechua word for “cat,” but Spanish speakers find the word so cute that it’s become widely adopted in both baby talk and informal Spanish!
Bicho, on the other hand, has a number of meanings including “bug,” “pest” and “beast.” Be careful using bicho in Puerto Rico since it can also be used to refer to part of the male anatomy.
In addition to being baby talk for cat, the miau in miaumiáu is Spanish for “meow.”
Usage note: Much like in the English language, some Spanish baby talk for “cat” has sexual connotations, so pay attention to context.
17. Guauguáu
/ Guaguá
/ Babáu
Guauguáu, guaguá and babáu are all baby talk for “dog.” These terms are also all used to describe the sound a dog makes, like “bow wow” or “woof” in English.
Why Learn Baby Talk in Spanish?
Learning Spanish baby talk will allow you to understand Spanish baby talk. Maybe that statement seems a bit obvious, but it’s still true. If you speak Spanish, it’s easy to assume you’ll automatically understand Spanish-language baby talk, but that won’t always be the case. Since baby talk often sounds like an entirely different language, Spanish baby talk could be unclear even to well-seasoned Spanish speakers.
Additionally, learning it will provide you with your own cutesy vocabulary. You might want to work some of these words into conversations when you speak Spanish, depending on the situation.
Baby talk is intriguing, too. Did you know that there are common themes in baby talk across languages? For the language nerd in all of us, you might even want to check out Charles A. Ferguson’s “Baby Talk in Six Languages” for more on baby talk across borders.
Finally, Spanish baby talk offers unique insight into the language. It’s intriguing and enlightening to see how native speakers change words when speaking with babies. How is it similar to and different from English and other languages?
With this Spanish baby talk vocabulary, you’ll be ready to impress even the most discerning infant.
Now, get out there and start befriending those babies!
Download:
This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you
can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)
