guanaco, chapín, catracho (2025)

cero said:

And what are Nicaraguans? I know the other three I posted. My question is what are Nicaraguans. I've seen Cho Cho and Nica. Which is correct? Calling a Nicaraguan a Nica is like calling a Guatemalan a Guate but Guatemalans are Chapines.

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Since you haven't been answered yet...

The correct one is "Nica". And no, it is not the same thing as calling a Guatemalan a "Guate" which is short for our country's name, as is "Nica" for Nicaragua, sure, but it's the only case where it means both.

I would call people from El Salvador "Cheros" rather than "Guanacos", but it's just another one.

And if anyone was wondering, a Costarican is a "Tico".

Regards.

My visits and stays in Nicaragua span 1986 --> 1997.
I was based in the Fourth Region ( la cuarta region) en el departamento de Masaya.

I heard "Nica" often, but definitely heard and read the term, "Pinolero". Now, I wonder is "Pinolero" more common among elders, folks from one region, one of the literary crowds...?

Tambien he escuchado "nica" como adjetivo:

ej: gente nica o el equipo nica....

Saludos a todos,

Nmi ( EmilyD)

That's right. However, at least in Guatemala, "chapín" has been adopted as a synonym for "Guatemalan", and is used proudly by many of my fellow countrymen, even in the media: e.g. "Orgulloso de ser Chapín", "El crunch Chapín" (this is the slogan of a snack), "100% Chapín" (a whole campaign including T-shirts was based on this phrase).

Few people realize that the word "chapín" actually means (or implies) "he who grovels", since it's the name of a certain type of sandal.

Anyway, I guess that for us, it simply has a different meaning, that's all.

Saludos chapines.

cero said:

These are the nicknames for a few CA countries but what is the nickname for a Nicaraguan? ¿Qué es el sobrenombre de nicaragüenses?

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knows the nickname of the Hispanic countries. Conoce los apodos o sobrenombre de todos los paises hispanos en: cadenalhispano.com​

Oeufchenillepapillon said:

i'm from Nicaragua. Nobody call us "chocho". We're "nicas", just nicas. Sometimes (but not oficially like nica) we are "Pinoleros" because of the drink "pinol"
"Chocho" is an nicaraguan expression of amazement

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ps. We never call Nicaragua "nica", like "Guate". Nica is just the people from Nicaragua

chbclub said:

knows the nickname of the Hispanic countries. Conoce los apodos o sobrenombre de todos los paises hispanos en: cadenalhispano.com​

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Yes, I just checked that webpage (cadenalhispano.com) and its an insult to Spanish America. The grammar is pathetic and they have no idea what an accent or an ñ is.

I am Costa Rican and travel to all countries of the Region very often.
The right way is:

Panamá: Pana
Costa Rica: Tico
Nicaragua: Nica and sometines at sports events Pinoleros. Cho cho is not right.
El Salvador: Guanacos
Honduras: Catrachos
Guatemala: Chapines

Someone said that all these nicknames were pejorative or friendly depending on the use. I know that some Salvadorans aren't too fond of 'guanaco' because it comes from some Spanish racism in the colonial period, referring to the natives of what is today El Salvador by the name of the llama-like animal of South America, the guanaco.

But catracho/catracha, on the other hand, I have only heard in positive terms. The story I always heard is that it comes from a mispronunciation of Xatruch, a Honduran commander in Morazan's Central American revolutionary army that liberated the isthmus from Spain. Xatruch's soldiers were referred to as 'Catrachos' by soldiers from other regions who couldn't handle the Mayan/Nahuatl 'X'.

I think 'chocho' might be a term used by other Central Americans to refer to Nicaraguans, or maybe just Salvadorans? I remember at the bball court I played at in San Salvador that the only Nicaraguan guy who played with us had the nickname Chocho, and they said it's because that's what Nicaraguans are called, because they always say 'chocho'. Kinda like how 'Che' got his name I guess.