Peruvian Slang: Common Words and Phrases (with Examples)

Quick answer: Peruvian slang (called jerga peruana) is full of words you won’t hear anywhere else. Some of the most common are causa and pata (friend), chamba (job), jato (house), bacán (cool), chela (beer), al toque (right away) and ya pe (OK, come on).

If you’re traveling to Lima, talking with Peruvian friends or learning Spanish with a tutor from Peru, these 40+ Peruvian slang words and phrases will help you understand everyday conversation. Each one has a meaning and an example sentence.

Peruvian slang for people and friends

Slang	Meaning	Example
Causa	Friend, buddy	¿Qué tal, causa? – What’s up, buddy?
Pata	Friend, pal	Es mi pata del colegio. – He’s my pal from school.
Mancha	Group of friends	Voy con toda la mancha. – I’m going with the whole crew.
Jerma	Girlfriend (from hermana said backwards)	Vino con su jerma. – He came with his girlfriend.
Chibolo / chibola	Kid, young person	Ese chibolo juega bien. – That kid plays well.
Pituco / pituca	Posh, snobby	Es un barrio pituco. – It’s a posh neighborhood.
Misio	Broke, no money	Estoy misio hasta fin de mes. – I’m broke until the end of the month.

Everyday Peruvian slang words

Slang	Meaning	Example
Chamba	Job, work	Tengo mucha chamba. – I have a lot of work.
Jato	House, home	Vamos a mi jato. – Let’s go to my place.
Jama / jamear	Food / to eat	¿Vamos a jamear? – Shall we go eat?
Chela	Beer	¿Unas chelas? – A few beers?
Luca	One sol (money)	¿Me prestas diez lucas? – Can you lend me ten soles?
Tono	Party	Hay tono el sábado. – There’s a party on Saturday.
Yapa	A little extra for free	¿Me da la yapa? – Can I get a little extra?
Bamba	Fake, knock-off	Esas zapatillas son bamba. – Those sneakers are fake.
Combi	Minibus (public transport)	Tomé la combi. – I took the minibus.

Peruvian slang for “cool,” “great” and feelings

• Bacán – cool, awesome. ¡Qué bacán tu casa!
• Chévere – great (used all over Latin America)
• Paja – cool, good. Está paja. – It’s cool.
• Roche – embarrassment. ¡Qué roche! – How embarrassing!
• Palta – an awkward or embarrassing moment (literally “avocado”). Qué palta.
• Asado – angry. Está asado conmigo. – He’s mad at me.
• Lenteja – slow (a person). No seas lenteja. – Don’t be so slow.

Common Peruvian phrases and expressions

• Al toque – right away, quickly. Vengo al toque. – I’ll be right there.
• Ya pe / Ya pues – OK / come on (very Peruvian). Ya pe, vamos.
• ¿Habla? – Hey, what’s up?
• ¿Manyas? – Do you get it?
• Florear – to sweet-talk, to embellish
• Estar en algo – to be kind of dating someone
• Hacerse el loco – to pretend not to notice

Peruvian sayings

• “Más peruano que la papa.” – As Peruvian as the potato (very Peruvian).

Learn more about Peruvian Spanish

Peruvian Spanish is known for being clear and relatively slow, which makes it great for learners. Start with our guide to 95 common Peruvian words and phrases, then compare with Ecuadorian slang, Venezuelan slang and Colombian slang.