“Sí güey, sí güey, sí güey, sí güey.” The phrase runs laps around in my head as I respond in the affirmative to a friend’s text, asking me to join her this evening for our favorite pilates class. At this point, I simply can’t help myself. It’s José Ramones’ fault.
If you’re lucky enough to be exposed to notable Mexican Instagram comedians like Esteban Said and the aforementioned José, you’ve likely heard the word “güey.” Actually, if you’ve walked down a street, any street, in Mexico, you’ve heard the term repeated to a shocking degree. In fact, one sentence can easily be laden with not one, but up to six güeys. It flies from the mouths of children, businessmen and girlfriends brunching on huevos rancheros at a fancy restaurant in Polanco with such ease, one might concur that the speaker isn’t even aware that he or she is saying it.
Know what I mean, güey?
Which raises the obvious question: what exactly does the word güey mean? Where does it come from? And why can’t Mexicans seem to stop saying it?
What does güey mean?
In short, güey can be not-too-loosely translated to any of the following, and their respective cultural variants:
- Dude
- Mate
- Bro
- Homie
- Pal
While some of these words might seem gender-specific, they’re actually not: go to Miami and you’ll find that the daintiest of viejas is subject to the moniker “bro.” “Güey” is the same: it applies to any gender and any age.
When can I use the word güey?
Whenever, wherever and with anyone with whom you have a friendly relationship. Feel free to stuff as many as you can into a conversation, like one might overkill cookie dough with heaps of chocolate chips. Though realistically, it would be respectful to wait until you’ve established a casual friendship with a boss or an in-law before using it.
Where did the word güey come from?
Here’s where things get interesting. Similar to the word chilango, güey started out as an insult. The noun from which it’s derived “buey” means ox, and like the English expression “dumb as an ox,” calling someone “buey” conveyed a similar sentiment. If you were a slow, foolish or dull person, you’d likely get quite familiar with the term. And since oxen have long been considered submissive and lacking in masculinity, it worked like a charm if, say, your male lover did something unforgivable and you really wanted to shatter his confidence and cut to the depths of his soul.
That was all pre-20th century, though. Studies by Jean Meyer and Luis H. Pérez show that language shifted significantly during the Mexican Revolution. In the struggle for workers’ rights, migration from rural to urban areas — Mexico City in particular — increased dramatically. New and established city dwellers now intermingled in ways they hadn’t before — peasants, workers, military leaders and intellectuals alike found themselves face to face and blending their regional dialects. Indigenous groups were active participants in the movement and introduced their own words and expressions from Nahuatl, Yucatec Maya and Zapotec into the language.
This infusion sparked a shift in speech patterns from which “güey” could not escape. The “b” softened into a “g.” With the change of letter also came a change in meaning, and the expression lost its sharp edge in favor of a more colloquial and friendly one.
Phrases such as “¡Oye, güey!” saddled their way into Mexican vernacular, and güey’s utility as a descriptor for a person whose name was unknown became apparent. “¿De quién hablas? ¿Ese güey de la gorra roja?”: “Who are you talking about? That guy in the red cap?”
The Revolution is credited to giving rise to other informal Mexicanisms like chido (cool) and órale (expressing approval).
How do I use it?
The versatility of güey is akin to that of the vulgar verb chingar: it fits anywhere. To get started, read and memorize the following phrases:
¿Qué onda, güey?: What’s up, dude?
Eres bien chido, güey: You’re awesome, man.
No manches, güey: No way, dude.
Cálmate, güey: Calm down, dude.
¡Güey, tienes que verlo!: Dude, you have to see it!
¿Neta, güey?: Really, dude?
¡Güey, qué padre!: Dude, how cool!
Vamos, güey: Let’s go, man.
Eres un pendejo, güey: You’re an idiot, dude. This can be insulting if you don’t know the person and you’re not laughing as you say it. When using “pendejo,” proceed with caution.
¡Güey, no te creo!: Dude, I don’t believe you!
¿Estás bien, güey?: You good, man? Be careful with how you say this one: if you say it as an affirmation and stress “güey,” you’ll be calling the other person an idiot.
Where can I hear it in pop culture?
Everywhere. Singers incorporate it into song lyrics, like like Sofía Reyes does in her hit single “1, 2, 3,” where she sings sings:
“Güey, no sé qué hacer, tú me tienes loca, loca, loca”: Dude, I don’t know what to do, you’re driving me crazy, crazy, crazy.
Gael García Bernal is also known for sprinkling the term into his TV interviews and film characters — you’ll hear it with fervor in “Y Tu Mamá También” and “Amores Perros.”
What other words can you use instead of güey?
“Carnal,” “compa,” “hermano/a” and “vato” are but a handful of amicable alternatives to our new favorite word.
Bethany Platanella is a travel planner and lifestyle writer based in Mexico City. She lives for the dopamine hit that comes directly after booking a plane ticket, exploring local markets, practicing yoga and munching on fresh tortillas. Sign up to receive her Sunday Love Letters to your inbox, peruse her blog or follow her on Instagram.
Hahaha I don’t know if it’s just because I’m a woman of a certain generation (lol!) but I just can’t bring myself to call anyone güey unless I want to low-key let them know I think they’re an idiot. Usually though, I just use it in recounting an encounter with a dummy to someone else: “Está bien güey” 😀
That’s how I feel about “joven”! Though I do call my girlfriends güey and it’s fun and liberating jajaja
I remember when I first arrived to study in Mexico and my Mexican classmates were saying the word “guey” for what literally felt like every other word. I had no clue what they were saying!
YES! It’s every other word!!
My ten year old friend pronounced the word for me, and when I asked him what it meant, he said it is a bad word, a rude word. It is not used in their family.
A HUEVO, Carnal….Saludos desde Acapulco!
El uso excesivo de güey es la degradación de la cultura. Como el fuck en inglés.
Decirle a alguien “piiinche güey” es muy ofensivo.
Güey para nada me parece un “term of endearment”.
I believe the word you’re referring to is pinche, which indeed translates to the F word.
Yes, the word “pinche” is offensive, but does not translate to the super-offensive F word. Also, when I go to Mexico very rarely I hear the word “guey”. I think only young and uneducated people use it, for the most part.
That’s amazing, here in Mexico City I hear it constantly. And my very educated 50+ friends use it with each other all the time. Which is what prompted the article 🙂
I have to disagree as well with this article. Perhaps in an informal situation businessmen might use the term, and most certainly within a group of friends that are all males or all females, within sports teams etc.
It’s not often used with people who respect each other, and it does reflect lack of culture. People with higher education do not commonly use it. Honestly its a bit cringy when you hear females use it. Basically to use it with someone you have to be on “Guey” terms with the other person. Perhaps it would be better to wait until someone uses it on you first before you use it on them, and even then, if it was used on me I would answer “No me digas guey cabron!” before it got out of hand. Maybe it’s different in other parts of the country.
It’s definitely going to sound a bit stupid and uneducated for a foreigner to go around using Chingar and Guey, unless they have a great command of the language so I really don’t suggest they do so. Unless of course they want to be the clown and the subject of everyone elses laughter.
Thank you. For this reason, I specifically pointed out that you should have an established friendship with whomever you are using it with. In addition, I surveyed a wide range locals with varying “educational backgrounds”, all of whom clearly stated that it is only offensive if you’re using it with that intention.
Gracias, gűey!
Thank you Bethany for another interesting and informative article. I just have one question. Are you postive about the umlaut over the “u”? I have never seen it used in Spanish before, only in Germanic languages.
Güey Is still a rude way to to address somebody. I don’t use that word .
A mi, por ser de una generación mayor, me parece de mal gusto y lamento que algunos jóvenes, incluyendo mujeres, la usen casi en cada frase. Tenemos un maravilloso lenguaje y al parecer nos empeñamos en degradarlo.
Thank you for this article. Since I like to watch Spanish language shows on Netflix – many of them produced in Mexico City – it helps me understand why it is used so much in the dialogue of the characters, especially the younger ones (and male).
I think María Gonzales has the perfect take on it in her reply, as could be said of “dude” in English, or every sentence punctuated with “like.” It seems mostly used among young people, and the younger they are, the more you hear it. Also, when Rolf referred to “piiinche gūey” he meant that the first syllable in “pinche” is stretched out when stating that expression in a certain tone, usually directly offensive or stated in mocking disbelief of how stupid someone could be. I remember this expression well from my old friend Enrique when I hung around with him in Mexico City in the 1960s.
My final comment is to thank Bethany for this very entertaining article which is an example of why I’ve come back to MND, under the Bembeneks. It’s gone from something that was getting pretty stale to a new infusion of energy typified now by articles like this which inspire as many comments as we see here.