Italian · Joy & Hype
Che figata!
kay fee-GAH-tah · /ke fiˈɡa.ta/
How awesome! / So cool!
2/5 Bar-safe
coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances
Literally
"What a figa-thing"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
Peak enthusiasm for a great thing — a plan, a gadget, a trip. Noun form of "figo," so the same rude-root-nobody-notices deal. "Che figata!" is the sound of a delighted twenty- or thirty-something. Slightly slangy, skews northern and youthful.
Heard in the wild
Ci danno il weekend libero? Che figata!
They're giving us the weekend off? Awesome!
Where it lands
Universal; skews northern/youth
Quick answers
- What does "Che figata!" mean?
- In Italian, "Che figata!" means "How awesome! / So cool!". Literally it's "What a figa-thing". Peak enthusiasm for a great thing — a plan, a gadget, a trip. Noun form of "figo," so the same rude-root-nobody-notices deal. "Che figata!" is the sound of a delighted twenty- or thirty-something. Slightly slangy, skews northern and youthful.
- Is "Che figata!" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 2/5 (Bar-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances.
- How do you pronounce "Che figata!"?
- Say it "kay fee-GAH-tah" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ke fiˈɡa.ta.
Related in Italian
Figo! FEE-go Cool! / Awesome! / Sick! Grande! GRAHN-day Nice one! / You legend! / Way to go! Da paura! dah pah-OO-rah Awesome! / Insanely good! Una bomba! OO-nah BOM-bah A blast / amazing / dynamite Spacchi! SPAHK-kee You rock! / You're killing it! Che goduria! kay go-DOO-ryah Sheer bliss! / So satisfying!
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "That's awesome".
- French Ça déchire ! That rocks! / That's awesome!
- German Geil! Awesome! / Sick! / Hell yes!
- Greek ρε μαλάκα Hey man / dude / bro — the affectionate-insult greeting between friends.
- Japanese やばい Insane / crazy / no way — good OR bad, from context
- Korean 존나 Fucking / hella — the vulgar intensifier that goes in front of everything.
- Polish zajebisty Fucking awesome / badass — the great slang-POSITIVE of the jebać family.
- Portuguese Do caralho Fucking awesome — OR, with 'casa do', the middle of nowhere
- Russian Класс! Awesome! / Great! / Cool!
Reviewed by native speakers. Rate it differently? Tell us what we got wrong.