Calling Your Overweight Partner A Little Whale in Costa Rica is Not Rude!

In Costa Rica, when a husband calls his overweight wife “mi ballenita” – my little whale – it’s not an insult, it’s a sign of affection…

And when she calls her husband “Gordillo” (Big fatty) she’s being sweet…

Most overweight foreigners would be offended if they were referred to as ‘fatty’ by someone they know but, we must remember that in Costa Rica’s culture when a Tico calls his friend or a family member ‘fatty’ it’s not considered rude at all.

In fact you will hear Ticos calling each other a variety of nicknames that would be considered extremely rude in the US but which are more like affectionate terms of endearment in Costa Rica.

So don’t be surprised if you hear Tico calling each other gordo (fatty), flaco (skinny), moreno (brown), Chino (Chinaman) or negrito (little black man) and please don’t get upset! They are actually being nice…

And when they refer to you as ‘El Gringo’ or ‘La Gringa’ that’s not considered a derogatory term either, it’s simply a fact and, you will also regularly hear the following names:

Ballenita – A little whale (female)

Conejito – Little rabbit (male)

Chinita – Little China girl

Enanita – Little dwarf (female)

Flaquita – Little skinny girl

Gorda – Fatty (female)

Gordo – Fatty (male)

Gordita – Little fatty (female)

Gordito – Little fatty (male)

Gordilla – Big fatty (female)

Gordillo – Big fatty (male)

Mononita – Little monkey (female)

Muñequito – Little doll (male)

Negrita – Little black woman

Negrito – Little black man

Palito – Skinny little stick of a boy

Papita Frita – Little French fry (female)

Pastelito – Little dessert (female)

Pollita – Little chicken (female)

Written by Scott Oliver, author of 1. Costa Rica Real Estate Scams & How To Avoid Them, 2. How To Buy Costa Rica Real Estate Without Losing Your Camisa, and 3. Costa Rica’s Guide To Making Money Offshore.

Although Scott Oliver does not personally sell real estate, he would be happy to Help-U-Search for your perfect property in Costa Rica.

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.