Portuguese · Joy & Hype
Que massa!
keh MAH-sah · /ke ˈma.sa/
How cool! / Awesome!
1/5 Grandma-safe
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"What dough / what a mass"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
Wholesome enthusiasm — "how cool!" for good news, a fun plan, a nice gift. Strong in the Northeast but understood everywhere. Zero vulgarity, high warmth; the safe way to sound excited and local at once.
Heard in the wild
Conseguiu o emprego? Que massa, parabéns!
You got the job? Awesome, congrats!
Where it lands
Brazil (universal); Northeast favorite.
Quick answers
- What does "Que massa!" mean?
- In Portuguese, "Que massa!" means "How cool! / Awesome!". Literally it's "What dough / what a mass". Wholesome enthusiasm — "how cool!" for good news, a fun plan, a nice gift. Strong in the Northeast but understood everywhere. Zero vulgarity, high warmth; the safe way to sound excited and local at once.
- Is "Que massa!" 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 "Que massa!"?
- Say it "keh MAH-sah" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ke ˈma.sa.
Related in Portuguese
Do caralho doo kah-RAH-lyoo Fucking awesome — OR, with 'casa do', the middle of nowhere Da hora dah OH-rah Cool / awesome / sweet Sinistro see-NEES-troo Sick! / Insane! (both awesome and scary) Que foda! keh FOH-dah Badass! / Awesome! — OR 'that's rough' (context flips it) Irado ee-RAH-doo Awesome / rad / killer Arrasou! ah-hah-ZOH You nailed it! / You killed it! / Slay!
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.
- Italian Figo! Cool! / Awesome! / Sick!
- 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.
- Russian Класс! Awesome! / Great! / Cool!
Reviewed by native speakers. Rate it differently? Tell us what we got wrong.