Portuguese · Insults & Name-Calling
Chato
SHAH-too · /ˈʃa.tu/
Annoying / boring / a pain
1/5 Grandma-safe
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"Flat (slang: pubic louse)"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
The workhorse of low-grade complaint — a boring movie, a clingy person, a tedious errand are all "chato." "Que chato!" also means "what a bummer / that's annoying" about a situation. Utterly clean and constant; you'll use it daily. Its literal origin (a crab louse) is long forgotten in normal use.
Heard in the wild
A reunião foi super chata, durou três horas.
The meeting was super boring, it dragged on three hours.
Where it lands
Brazil (universal).
Quick answers
- What does "Chato" mean?
- In Portuguese, "Chato" means "Annoying / boring / a pain". Literally it's "Flat (slang: pubic louse)". The workhorse of low-grade complaint — a boring movie, a clingy person, a tedious errand are all "chato." "Que chato!" also means "what a bummer / that's annoying" about a situation. Utterly clean and constant; you'll use it daily. Its literal origin (a crab louse) is long forgotten in normal use.
- Is "Chato" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 1/5 (Grandma-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. mild, playful; fine on daytime TV.
- How do you pronounce "Chato"?
- Say it "SHAH-too" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ˈʃa.tu.
Related in Portuguese
Droga! DROH-gah Darn! / Damn it! Bosta! BOSS-tah Crap! / (a) piece of garbage Que sacanagem! sah-kah-NAH-zhang That's so unfair! / What a low blow! Pra caralho prah kah-RAH-lyoo As hell / a shitload / extremely Porra nenhuma! POH-hah neh-NYOO-mah Bullshit! / Like hell! / Not a damn thing Otário oh-TAH-ree-oo Sucker / gullible fool / mug
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "Tough luck".
- French C'est nul ! That sucks / That's lame
- German Mist! Crap! / Rats! — the family-friendly 'damn'
- Greek σιγά Big deal / whatever / calm down / as if — dismissive minimizing.
- Italian Merda! Shit! / Damn it!
- Japanese 勘弁して Give me a break / spare me / oh, come on
- Korean 아이고 Oh dear / oof / good grief — the sound of Korea sitting down after a long day.
- Polish szlag Damn it — 'szlag by to trafił' = may a stroke strike it.
- Russian Капец! That's it, it's over / Damn / Whoa
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