# Spanish words by country, on a map

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Updated 2026-11-05 · HTML version: https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/words-by-country

> A lot of everyday things have a different word in each Spanish-speaking country. A straw is a *popote* in Mexico, a *pitillo* in Colombia and a *pajita* in Spain. Popcorn is *pochoclo* in Argentina, *cabritas* in Chile and *cotufas* in Venezuela. "Cool" is *chido* in Mexico, *chévere* around the Caribbean and *guay* in Spain.

**Interactive (on the web page).** A map of the Spanish-speaking world, labelled with each country's word.

**straw** (understood everywhere: *pajita*). Mexico: *popote*; Guatemala: *pajilla*; El Salvador: *pajilla*; Honduras: *pajilla*; Nicaragua: *pajilla*; Costa Rica: *pajilla*; Panama: *sorbeto*, *carrizo*; Cuba: *absorbente*; Dominican Republic: *sorbeto*, *calimete*; Puerto Rico: *sorbeto*; Venezuela: *pitillo*, *carrizo*; Colombia: *pitillo*, *carrizo*; Ecuador: *sorbete*; Peru: *sorbete*, *cañita*; Bolivia: *bombilla*; Chile: *pajita*, *bombilla*; Argentina: *pajita*, *sorbete*, *bombilla*, *cañita* (in the northwest); Uruguay: *pajita*, *sorbete*, *bombilla*; Paraguay: *pajita*; Spain: *pajita*, *cañita* (in the Canary Islands), *caña* (in the northeast).

**bus** (understood everywhere: *autobús*). Mexico: *camión*, *bus*, *pesero* (in Mexico City, casual); Guatemala: *camioneta*, *bus*; El Salvador: *bus*; Honduras: *bus*; Nicaragua: *bus*; Costa Rica: *bus*; Panama: *chiva*, *bus*; Cuba: *guagua*, *bus*, *rufa*; Dominican Republic: *guagua*, *bus*; Puerto Rico: *guagua*, *bus*; Venezuela: *bus*; Colombia: *colectivo*, *chiva*, *bus*; Ecuador: *bus*; Peru: *ómnibus*, *bus*; Bolivia: *colectivo*, *ómnibus*, *bus*; Chile: *micro*, *bus*; Argentina: *colectivo*, *micro*, *bus*, *bondi*; Uruguay: *ómnibus*, *bus*; Paraguay: *colectivo*, *ómnibus*, *bus*; Spain: *guagua* (in the Canary Islands), *autobús*.

**popcorn** (understood everywhere: *palomitas de maíz*). Mexico: *palomitas*, *esquite* (in the northwest); Guatemala: *poporopo*; El Salvador: *rosetas de maíz*; Honduras: *palomitas*; Nicaragua: *palomitas*; Costa Rica: *palomitas*; Panama: *millo*, *popcorn*; Cuba: *rositas de maíz*; Dominican Republic: *rositas de maíz*, *palomitas*, *cocaleca*; Puerto Rico: *rosetas de maíz*, *popcorn*; Venezuela: *cotufas*, *gallito* (in the northwest); Colombia: *crispetas*, *palomitas*, *maíz pira*, *maíz tote*; Ecuador: *canguil*; Peru: *canchita*, *cancha*; Bolivia: *pipoca*, *pororó* (in the east); Chile: *cabritas*; Argentina: *pochoclo*, *pororó* (in the north and west), *pururú* (in the north and centre); Uruguay: *pororó*, *pop*; Paraguay: *pororó*; Spain: *cotufas* (in the Canary Islands), *rosetas de maíz* (in the south), *palomitas*, *rosca* (in the Canary Islands), *tostón* (in the southeast).

**T-shirt** (understood everywhere: *camiseta*). Mexico: *playera*; Guatemala: *playera*; El Salvador: *camiseta*; Honduras: *camiseta*; Nicaragua: *camiseta*; Costa Rica: *camiseta*, *chema*; Panama: *suéter*; Cuba: *pulóver*; Dominican Republic: *franela*, *camiseta*; Puerto Rico: *T-shirt*; Venezuela: *franela*; Colombia: *franela*, *camiseta*; Ecuador: *camiseta*; Peru: *polo*; Bolivia: *polera*; Chile: *polera*; Argentina: *remera*; Uruguay: *remera*; Paraguay: *remera*; Spain: *camiseta*.

**kite** (understood everywhere: *cometa*). Mexico: *papalote*, *volantín*, *papagayo*; Guatemala: *papalote*, *barrilete*; El Salvador: *piscucha*, *guashuma*; Honduras: *papalote*, *barrilete*, *papelote*; Nicaragua: *papalote*, *barrilete*, *papelote*; Costa Rica: *papalote*, *barrilete*, *papelote*; Panama: *barrilete*; Cuba: *papalote*, *volantín*, *barrilete*, *chiringa*; Dominican Republic: *papalote*, *barrilete*, *chichigua*, *chiringa*; Puerto Rico: *volantín*, *chiringa*; Venezuela: *volantín*, *barrilete*, *papagayo*, *pandorga*, *volador*; Colombia: *barrilete*; Ecuador: *cometa*; Peru: *volantín*, *barrilete*; Bolivia: *volantín*, *papagayo*, *volador*; Chile: *volantín*, *barrilete*; Argentina: *volantín*, *barrilete*, *pandorga*; Uruguay: *barrilete*, *pandorga*; Paraguay: *barrilete*, *pandorga*; Spain: *cometa*, *cachirulo* (in Valencia).

**cool** (understood everywhere: *genial*). Mexico: *chido*, *padre*; Guatemala: *chilero*; El Salvador: *chévere*, *tuanis*, *chivo*; Honduras: *tuanis*; Nicaragua: *tuanis*; Costa Rica: *tuanis*, *chivo*; Panama: *supicucú*; Cuba: *chévere*, *bacán*; Dominican Republic: *chévere*, *bacano*; Puerto Rico: *chévere*; Venezuela: *chévere*; Colombia: *chévere*, *bacán*, *bacano*; Ecuador: *chévere*, *bacán*; Peru: *chévere*, *bacán*, *mostro*; Bolivia: *genial*; Chile: *bacán*, *pulento*, *bacano*; Argentina: *piola*, *copado*; Uruguay: *copado*; Paraguay: *genial*; Spain: *guay*.

## Why the words split

Things that arrived after Spanish did got named locally: from the languages spoken there before (*popote* is from Nahuatl, the Aztecs' language), from older Spanish words put to new uses (*camión*, a truck, became Mexico's bus), and from English (*popcorn* in Panama and Puerto Rico). Slang like *chido* and *bacán* is local by nature. The grammar barely changes from one country to the next.

## Which one should you learn?

- **The word of the place you're going, or of what you watch and read.** Headed to Mexico? *Popote*, *camión*, *playera*, *chido*.
- **Recognise the rest.** Spanish speakers hear each other's words on TV and online all the time. The word understood everywhere, under the map, works in a pinch.
- **Pick them up in context.** A word you met in a story set in Bogotá comes with the place attached. That's how you learn which word is whose.

## Where these come from

Every word and place is from Wiktionary's regional labels, and a country only gets a word its entry lists for it. Some countries have several words; the map shows one, and tapping the country shows them all. Think your country is missing one? Wiktionary is where these come from, and anyone can add it there. There's more on straw, bus, beans and popcorn in [Spanish words that change by country](https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/regional-words).

## Questions

### How do you say straw in Spanish?

It depends where: *popote* in Mexico, *pitillo* in Colombia and Venezuela, *pajilla* in most of Central America, *sorbeto* in Puerto Rico and Panama, and *pajita* in Spain, Argentina and Chile. *Pajita* is understood everywhere.

### How do you say T-shirt in Spanish?

*Camiseta* in Spain and much of Latin America, *playera* in Mexico, *remera* in Argentina and Uruguay, *polera* in Chile, *franela* in Venezuela, and *polo* in Peru.

### How do you say cool in Spanish?

*Chido* or *padre* in Mexico, *chévere* in Venezuela, Colombia and the Caribbean, *bacán* in Chile and Peru, *guay* in Spain, *tuanis* in Central America. *Genial* works anywhere.

### How do you say kite in Spanish?

*Cometa* is the standard word, used in Spain. In Mexico and much of Central America it's a *papalote*, in Chile a *volantín*, and in much of South America a *barrilete*.

## Sources

- Thesaurus: pajita (drinking straw). Wiktionary. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Thesaurus:pajita
- Thesaurus: autobús. Wiktionary. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Thesaurus:autob%C3%BAs
- Thesaurus: palomita (popcorn). Wiktionary. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Thesaurus:palomita
- Thesaurus: camiseta (T-shirt). Wiktionary. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Thesaurus:camiseta
- kite: translations. Wiktionary. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/kite
- cool: translations. Wiktionary. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cool
- Admin 0 – Countries, 1:50m. Natural Earth. https://www.naturalearthdata.com/downloads/50m-cultural-vectors/

## Related

- [One thing, many words: Spanish by country](https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/regional-words.md)
- [Fine here, rude there: Spanish words that change by country](https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/words-that-change-meaning.md)
- [The Spanish hiding in English](https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/hidden-cognates.md)

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