Guess what? Believe it or not, in Puerto Rico they also curse – And they curse a lot!

Leaving aside the sarcasm, this article is meant to show you ten Puerto Rican curse words that are commonly used in the Caribbean nation and Boricua residents all over the US. When you learn some of these Puerto Rican curse words, you’ll be bit more intimate with Puerto Rican culture and you’ll also learn a little bit about the “the underworld” of Puerto Rico.

Here we go, before or after reading the article, check out the audios of each word being used by a Gritty Spanish Voice actor in a real sentence!

Remember, if you want to really take your Spanish to another level, be sure to check out our Gritty Spanish Audio Stories!

1. Bicho

Literal: Bug.

In the rest of Latin America, “bicho” means insect, but in Puerto Rico, “bichos” are said to be “insects.” And what do you think is called “bicho” in vulgar language of Puerto Rico? That’s right, you’ve guessed it, “Penis“.

Examples:

“Oye venia anoche caminando por la cuadra y de repente salió un perro, el muy cabrón me mordió y casi me arranca el bicho.”

“Hey I was walking around the block last night and suddenly a dog came out, that bastard bit me and almost ripped my dick off.”

“Me compré unos pantalones nuevos, pero me equivoque de talla, están tan apretados que me están ahorcando el bicho.”

“I bought some new pants, but I chose the wrong size, they’re so tight that they are strangling my dick”

2. Mamabicho

From the first curse word “bicho” comes this, which is synonymous with someone who sucks penis, the English “dick sucker“. So calling someone “mamabicho” unless it is your trusted friend, could bring problems your way.

Examples:

“El portero de la discoteca es un mamabicho, dejó pasar a los que estaban después de mí y no a mí.”

“The gatekeeper at the club is a dick sucker, he let in the people behind me and not me.”

“El mamabicho de mi jefe no quiere darme el aumento, voy a renunciar.”

“My dick sucker boss doesn’t want to give me a raise, I’m going to quit.”

3. Cabrón

Literal: dumbass, asshole.

In Spanish, “cabrón” is male goat. But for most Latin countries “cabrón” is used to insult someone. For a Latino, a “cabrón” is a man who knows that his wife is cheating on him; he knows it, without defending it in order to keep his woman. Depending on the situation, in Puerto Rico the word “cabrón” can be used in a friendly or offensive way, just as in English you could use “dumbass” to mockingly call a friend.

Examples:

Friendly:

“¡Cabrooón hace cuento tiempo no te veía! Desde la escuela ¿Cómo te ha ido? Me dijeron que te casaste.”

“You asshole long time I ain’t see you! Since school, how have you been? They told me you got married.”

Offensive:

“¡Ven acá maldito cabrón, mamabicho! Me chocaste y te quieres escapar.

Come here asshole, dick sucker! You hit my car and you want to get away.”

4. Lambón > without translation but it is synonymous of “lameculos” = toady, bootlicker.

“Lambón” is possibly exclusive from Puerto Rico since it is not usually heard in other countries. A person who you should not trust, adulatory and treacherous; a bootlicker.

Examples:

“No le cuentes a Luis lo que hicimos, es un lambón y seguro va con el chisme.”

“Don’t tell Luis what we did, he is a ass kisser and he will blow the whistle for sure.”

“No se puede ser más lambón que Juan, se la pasa todo el día detrás de su jefe haciéndole favores para intentar que lo asciendan.”

“You cannot be more toady than Juan, he spends the whole day behind his boss doing him favors to try getting promoted.”

“Ese cabrón, hijo de puta, lambón se robó el dinero que tenía en mi maleta.”

“That asshole, son of a bitch, bootlicker stole the money i had on my suitcase.”

5. Chingar > Literal: To fuck.

“Chingar” is a curse word for several countries like Mexico and Puerto Rico; In other countries it is not seen as a curse word at all. However in Puerto Rico, it means having sex or fornicating. It is also used as an analogy to say that you have been deceived, harmed or defrauded in some way.

Examples:

“Esa Paula sí que está buena, nada más de verla me provoca chingar con ella.”

“That Paula is hot, just by seeing her I want to fuck with her.”

“Ese maldito abogado me va a chingar completamente con el asunto del divorcio.”

“That damn lawyer is going to completely fuck me with the divorce thing.”

6. Chota > without literal translation, is synonymous with being snitch or a Tattle Teller.

A Delator is someone who reveals facts that have been offered in confidence. “Chota” is usually seen with absolute disdain in Puerto Rican society. It comes from the Sanskrit name of a character in Rudyard Kipling’s Gunga Din, whose film version was very popular in Puerto Rico in the early 1940s. Originally the term means “small,” equivalent to “Shorty ” in English.

Examples:

“Julio me delató con la policía, chota cabrón.”

“Julio snitched on me with the police, snitch bastard.”

“Recuerda que esto es entre nosotros, no te vayas de chota y se lo digas a todo el mundo mamabicho.”

“Remember this is between us, don’t play the snitch and tell everyone dick sucker.”

7. Bellaco / Bellaca > Literal: knave, but synonymous with “horny”.

Person experiencing an episode of lust; horny. The episode is an act of “bellaquera”, sometimes euphemistically named “bellacrisis” that is the union of “bellaco” and “crisis”. Something very hard, persistent, strong or difficult.

The word is in theory a bad word Puerto Rico in either of the two contexts.

Examples:

“Cabrón, ayer me fui de putas con Fernando a ver si se me quitaba lo bellaco.”

“Dog, i went whoring with Fernando yesterday to see if I could took the horny away from me.”

“No pensé que este trámite sería tan bellaco, me tiene cansado.”

“I didn’t think this procedure would be so hard, it got me tired.”

8. Sata / Sato > without literal translation.

Person who is promiscuous, someone who constantly proposes to have sex with others or that does it with multiple partners.

Examples:

“Cristina es tremenda sata, ni siquiera esperó 3 días después de terminar conmigo para ya andar chingando con el cabrón Manuel.”

“Cristina is such a whore, she didn’t even waited 3 days after breaking up with me to be fucking already with that asshole Manuel.”

“Hermano, creo que te estás pasando de sato. Ayer te vi con una, hoy con otra, la semana pasada con otra. Tienes que tener cuidado, no vayas a coger una enfermedad.”

“Bro, I think you are being too promiscuous. I saw you yesterday with one, today with another and last week with another woman. You have to be careful, don’t you catch a disease.”

9. Puñeta > Without literal translation, although it resembles “puñetazo” meaning “punch” has nothing to do.

This word is used as an expression of anger or frustration similar to using “” in English to express the same.

Examples:

“Estoy harto de que cojan mis cosas sin pedirme permiso, ¡puñeta!”

“I’m sick of you taking my stuff without my permission, fuck!”

“Puñeta, este maldito carro me tiene la vida amargada, cuando no es una cosa es otra.”

“Fuck, this damn car got my life destroyed, when is not one thing, it’s another.”

Below, at the VERY end of episode 3 of Gritty Spanish Original, in an episode named, “Policía corrupto“(dirty cop), after a cop robbed a guy of his money and drives off, you’ll hear the frustrated and confused fellow say, “Puñeta“(fuck) and the 3rd word we spoke about, “Cabrón“, he even says, “Vete al carajo” which is another curse phrase to tell to tell someone, “go fuck yourself” .

This is one of the MANY reasons why our Gritty Spanish audio stories are so unique and addicting! Listen to that audio clip below.

10. Cojones > Literal: balls, testicles.

This is another curse word shared by several Latin American nations, basically it changes the tone and accent but it means the same thing. It is used to award courage and bravery to a person or, in an ironic tone, to complain about someone else’s unfair action.

Examples:

“Pedro sí que tiene cojones, fue capaz de enfrentarse solo a 5 cabrones la otra noche en el bar y a todos les partió la cara.”

“Pedro, he’s got balls, he was able to face 5 bastards last night alone at the bar and he broke the faces of all of them.”

“Que cojones los tuyos, después de que te ayudé tanto me sales con esta patada en el culo mamabicho traicionero.”

“Such balls you have, after I helped you that much you give me this kick in the ass, dick sucking traitor.”

And we’ve reached the end of this top 10 of Puerto Rican curse words. Using these expressions depends merely on the context, so we recommend that if you find yourself in a situation where you want to say a Puerto Rican curse word, analyze the situation well and consider the context so you don’t get into any trouble where you’ll have a hard time getting out of. If you wanna dig deeper into Puerto Rican culture, be sure to check out Puerto Rican Slang words and expressions in this post.