14 Yucatecan words and phrases to talk like a local

Living in Mérida gives you the chance to dive into its famous, playful Yucatecan words and phrases — the ones that, once you understand them, you’ll fall in love with.

The Yucatecan heritage is not made only of the ruins built by Maya ancestors, but also of the richness of its language.

The Yucatecan words below are kept in their original form. Yucatecan Spanish mixes Spanish with Yucatec Maya, and the point of these expressions is the sound and the local flavour — so we explain what each one means rather than replacing it with an English word.

Yucatán is a state of unbeatable richness. Its landscapes and the Maya culture reflected in its food and way of life are not the only beauties it offers.

Known for its strong, marked accent, Yucatecans communicate with a harmonious blend of the language inherited from Maya culture and from mestizaje.

Read: Yucatán is a celebration. Customs and traditions.

If you are a tourist or just starting your life in Yucatán, you will often hear Yucatecan words, Maya phrases or even bombas — sung couplets for the ladies.

The language in Yucatán stands apart from the vocabulary of other places very easily.

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After visiting us, you will recognise the Yucatecan accent among thousands — and why not, you may adopt a few Yucatecan words or Maya phrases yourself.

The most popular Yucatecan words

Yucatecan words are used left and right by locals without realising that they are phrases not everyone understands.

For those of us who live on the Yucatán peninsula and travel to other states, it is common to notice names for objects that don’t work the same elsewhere.

Tajador

You will hear this word from Yucatecan children: it means “pencil sharpener”. From the verb tajar — to cut, split or slice — Yucatecans found it easy to use for the tool that sharpens pencils. ¡Mare!

Bulto

Another word heard in schools and markets. A bulto is the backpack or bag you carry things in. Why bulto? Probably because things make a “bulge”.

Majar

“Don’t majar your finger!” a mother shouts at her mischievous child. In Yucatecan vocabulary, majar means to crush, mash or squash.

Anolar

Anolar is a verb of Maya origin that entered the dictionary of the Spanish Royal Academy more than forty years ago. It comes from the Maya nohla, “to suck”, and is used in phrases like “I was anolando my huaya”.

The Maya verb nohla comes from typical Yucatecan fruits like the huaya, which you put in your mouth and eat slowly without swallowing the pit. That is anolar.

If it’s still not clear: a mint sweet, in Yucatec Maya vocabulary, is also anolada.

Yucatecan phrases and expressions

We covered the most common Yucatecan words; now it is the turn of Yucatecan phrases, the result of the perfect blend of Maya and Spanish.

Some Yucatecan phrases can be understood without looking up their meaning, since in Yucatecan culture they all have their own tones and accents when said.

The most endearing and best-known ones are:

¡Uaaay!

In the Maya language, the word wáay is linked to a dark side of Yucatecan tradition.

It means “sorcerer, ghost or apparition”, so it is no surprise that it is used at moments of surprise, fright, awe or sarcasm.

Uay is very common to show that you are amazed: “¡Uay! It’s so hot today”; “¡Uay! there are so many people downtown.”

Hacer ch’uuk

According to the Maya dictionary, ch’uuk means “to loosen something tense”.

You will most often hear this phrase at breakfast or a snack, when Yucatecans say: “I’m going to hacerle ch’uuk to my bread in the coffee” — that is, to dunk it.

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Estar nojoch

When someone says nojoch, they mean something is very big or wide — a meal, a person or a place. Buying a tamal, you might tell the seller: “give me the most nojoch one you have”; or “that kid is really nojoch.”

Hacer lóoch

One of our favourite Yucatecan phrases for cold days, when you put the newspaper under the hammock against the “chill” and the best thing to do is hacerle loch to your partner.

Broadly, lóoch means “to hug around the neck”, but in practice Yucatecans use it for hugging a person. You can hacer lóoch to your boyfriend, your mum, or whoever you like!

El tuch de la semana

Tuuch means “navel”. Here it is rare to hear the plain Spanish word for navel in everyday speech, so the “navel” of the week — el tuuch de la semana — takes on a new meaning in Mérida and all of Yucatán: the standout, memorable moment.

¡Ay, chuuuch!

This expression can show tenderness or a sarcastic remark. Seeing a sweet scene in the street or a film, you might say: “Ay, chuch, look how cute.”

¡Mare!

One of the many Yucatecan expressions that fit countless situations. Mare is used mainly to show surprise or excitement, but basically for any emotion you feel: “¡Mare, I’m so tired!”, “¡Mare, a kilo of limes is expensive!”

Pásame el negociante

In Mérida almost anything can be called a negociante. Don’t think it means a businessperson. It is a word used when you have forgotten the name of the thing you wanted.

One of Yucatecan mums’ and grandmas’ most-used phrases is “Pásame ese negociante” — pass me the remote, my wallet, my shoes, etc. The options are endless!

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Ma

Another Yucatecan word or expression for surprise or something very pleasant; we also use it a lot for sarcasm: “Maaa, your new car is really nice.”

Just be careful: it has to be a ma with a very particular Yucatecan tone. Not just any ma — it’s our ma. It has to come out spontaneously and naturally from the bottom of the tuch: “Maaa, what a tasty torta.”

This word can’t quite be defined, but you feel it when, on a Sunday, a friend invites you over for chicharra with a cold beer and all you can say is: ¡Maaaaa!

Lo busco, lo busco y no lo busco

In Mérida people use this phrase to express worry when they try to find something and can’t. Literally “I look for it, I look for it and I don’t look for it” — a very Yucatecan misuse of formal Spanish, since looking is not the same as finding.

Like these, there are many more words Yucatecans use for everyday situations. Soon you’ll catch yourself saying: “¡Mare, me caigo al mar! I already talk like a Yucatecan!”

By the way: in Yucatán, grandmothers are affectionately called “chichís”, from Maya vocabulary — and they know colloquial speech best. So find a chichí to teach you Yucatecan words.

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