Words
Panamanian slang, food and paperwork: what people say here and what it means.
164 words
Food
ají chombo
The Panamanian habanero: small, wrinkled and very hot. It is used to prepare the well known picante combo.
almojábano
A long fritter of corn dough with cheese, folded into an S shape. A classic part of Panamanian breakfast…
arroz con guandú
Rice cooked with pigeon peas and coconut milk. A centerpiece of the Panamanian Christmas table and of family…
bollo
Corn dough wrapped in corn or bijao leaf and boiled. Varieties include white, sweet young-corn, and "preñao"…
carimañola
Boiled and mashed cassava dough stuffed with seasoned ground meat, shaped like a torpedo and deep-fried. A…
ceviche
Fish cured in lime with onion, chili and culantro. The most common Panamanian version uses corvina. It…
chicha
A fresh fruit drink made with water and sugar. In Panama the word does not imply fermentation, unlike in…
chicha fuerte
Fermented corn drink — the one that does contain alcohol. Not to be confused with ordinary chicha, which in…
chicheme
A thick drink of hulled corn, milk, cinnamon and vanilla. It could be served cold or hot depending on the…
corvina
The most popular fish of the Panamanian table: white, firm, few bones. If a menu just says "catch of the…
culantro
A long, serrated-leaf herb with a far more intense flavor than cilantro. It is the signature aroma of…
duro
Homemade ice or ice pop frozen in a small plastic cup or bag, sold by neighbors. Typical flavors: coconut…
empanada panameña
Corn dough filled with stewed beef, chicken or cheese, folded into a half-moon and fried. The Panamanian…
guacho
A soupy rice cooked in its own stew until thick. The seafood version is for celebrations; pork tail with…
guandú
A round-seeded legume brought from Africa through the slave trade, harvested at the end of the year. Rice…
guarapo
Sugarcane juice pressed fresh at the mill, served over ice with lime (optional). Left to ferment, it stops…
guineo
The fruit known as banana. In Panama it is guineo, never "banana" or "plátano" (plantain).
hojaldre
Deep-fried wheat dough, fluffy inside and golden outside. A mandatory companion to Panamanian breakfast…
huevito de leche
A small firm sweet of milk cooked down with sugar, with the shape of an egg, wrapped in colorful papers…
nance
A small yellow fruit with a strong smell, eaten raw with salt, drunk as chicha, or boiled into a sweet. It…
ñame
A white-fleshed, firm-textured tuber, the backbone of sancocho and many stews. Ñampí is a smaller, softer…
otoe
An earthy-tasting tuber used in soups and stews, similar to malanga or taro.
patacón
A slice of green plantain, fried, smashed flat and fried again. A universal side dish at lunch and dinner.
pesada de nance
A thick sweet of nance cooked with corn and raw cane sugar, served in a small cup. A fair and fonda dessert…
pipa
A green coconut you drink straight from, opened with a machete. Sold from roadside carts.
pixbae
The orange fruit of the peach palm, boiled in salted water and sometimes eaten with mayonnaise. Sold by the…
plantintá
A sweet baked turnover filled with red colored sweet plantain, typical of Afro-Antillean baking in Colón and…
raspadura
A block of evaporated, unrefined cane juice. It sweetens coffee, chicheme and interior sweets, and is sold…
raspao
Shaved ice, scraped by hand from a block, served in a cup with colored syrups and condensed milk on top…
rondón
A coconut-milk stew of fish or meat with root vegetables and plantain, cooked until everything falls apart…
ropa vieja
Shredded beef stewed with tomato, onion and sweet pepper. A classic home-cooked Panamanian dish.
sancocho
Panama's national soup: free-range hen, yam, culantro and oregano. Culantro (not cilantro) is what sets it…
sao
Pig's feet cured in lime with onion, cucumber and hot pepper, served cold. An Afro-Antillean dish from Bocas…
seco
Sugarcane liquor, Panama's national spirit. The best-known brand, Seco Herrerano, is produced in Herrera…
seco con leche
A Panamanian drink of seco with evaporated milk and plenty of ice. It sounds odd outside the country and is…
sopa borracha
Sponge cake soaked in liquor syrup, topped with raisins and prunes. A wedding, christening and year-end…
tamal panameño
Corn dough stewed with achiote, filled with chicken or pork, wrapped in bijao leaf and tied. A mandatory…
tasajo
Beef salted and sun-dried, kept without refrigeration and soaked before cooking. Country food from before…
tortilla (panameña)
A thick disc of ground corn, fried or grilled — very different from the Mexican tortilla: thick, dense, and…
Culture
banda de guerra
A school marching band of percussion and brass that performs in the national holiday parades. Rivalry…
calle arriba / calle abajo
The two rival Carnival troupes of Las Tablas, each with its own queen, band and territory. The rivalry is…
camisilla
The Panamanian men's shirt with vertical pleats and buttons, worn outside the trousers. It is the formal…
chácara
A bag hand-woven from plant fiber by Ngäbe women, an elastic mesh strong enough to carry a harvest. It is…
churuca
A scraper percussion instrument made from a grooved gourd or metal tube, played with a stick. A defining…
culecos
The morning ritual of Panamanian Carnival: water trucks spray the dancing crowd. It is the element that most…
cutarra
A rustic leather sandal, the traditional footwear of the Panamanian countryside and part of the montuno…
décima
A sung ten-line stanza, improvised or composed, accompanied by the mejorana guitar. In a cantadera two…
diablico sucio
A folkloric character in a devil mask and red-and-black striped costume, who dances at patron-saint…
diablo rojo
The traditional Panama City bus: retired American school buses hand-painted with elaborate murals, lights…
dulegaya
The language of the Guna people, called dulegaya by its speakers. It remains alive in Guna Yala, is taught…
empollerada
A woman in full pollera, with tembleques, gold jewelry and dressed hair. Getting into one takes hours and is…
fonda
A no-frills eatery serving tradicional home-style food with a cheap daily set menu.
hablar al revés
The syllable-flipping game that produced some of the most Panamanian words there are: mopri from primo…
mejorana
A small five-string guitar native to the Panamanian countryside, and by extension the musical genre played…
mes de la patria
November, the month with Panama's densest concentration of national holidays: separation from Colombia, Flag…
montuno
Panama's traditional men's outfit: an openwork white shirt, dark trousers, a sombrero pintao and leather…
murga
The brass and percussion band that accompanies the tuna at Carnival, playing nonstop while the street sings…
nagua
The long loose dress worn by Ngäbe women, in strong colors with bands of sewn triangles at the chest and…
ngäbere
The language of the Ngäbe people, the most widely spoken Indigenous language in Panama. It is used in the…
pollera
Panama's national women's dress, hand-embroidered and worn with gold jewelry and tembleques in the hair. A…
reina del Carnaval
The young woman chosen to preside over Carnival, crowned in a formal ceremony and paraded on a float for…
saloma
A sung cry with an open throat and a high break, let out by farmhands at work and by singers in the middle…
sombrero pintao
A traditional hand-woven hat made with plant fibers dyed black to form its characteristic rings. Its…
tamborito
Panama's national music and dance form, performed with drums, handclaps and call-and-response singing…
tembleque
The beaded wire hair ornament worn with the pollera, which trembles as the wearer moves — hence the name. I…
típico
Panama's popular folk-dance genre, built on accordion, drum, churuca scraper and voice, derived from cumbia…
tuna
A Carnival troupe with its brass band, its queen and its followers, which parades and sings. In Las Tablas…
History
Slang
¡ayala vida!
An exclamation of surprise, pity or annoyance depending on tone. One of the most recognizable phrases of…
¡chuleta!
An interjection of surprise, astonishment, annoyance or admiration, depending on tone. A mild euphemism that…
¡chuzo!
An interjection of surprise or frustration, a notch stronger than "chuleta" but still acceptable in public.
¡diablo!
An interjection of surprise or emphasis. "¡Diache!" is its softened, family-friendly version.
¡nombe!
An emphatic no, contracted from "no, hombre". Also expresses disbelief at something surprising.
¡Qué xopá!
The quintessential Panamanian greeting. Roughly "what's up?" or "how's it going?". It is the single word…
¡vergación!
A strong exclamation of shock, anger or admiration. It is of common use, but not used in front of elders, at…
abarrotería
A neighborhood grocery, bigger than a corner store and smaller than a supermarket. In Panama this is the…
ahuevao
Foolish, slow, or caught off guard. Among friends it is teasing, but said to a stranger it is an insult.
arrabalero
Of the arrabal, the working-class neighborhoods of the historic urban core. Can be pejorative ("coarse") or…
arrecho
Sexually excited. WATCH OUT: in Venezuela and parts of Central America the same word can mean "awesome" or…
bien cuidao
The informal minder who watches cars parked on the street. You pay on leaving, even though nobody asked for…
bochinche
Gossip, commotion, a scene. A "bochinchoso" is the one spreading it.
botella
Someone on a government payroll who draws a salary without working, placed there as a political favor. It is…
buco
A lot, plenty, a large amount. Used for both countable and uncountable things. Feminine would be buca.
buhonero
A street vendor working sidewalks and corners, especially on Avenida Central and in Calidonia.
capitalino
From Panama City, the capital. In the mouth of an interiorano it can imply haste, coldness, or disconnection…
chantin
House, home, one's place. In current usage it carries no connotation of poverty.
chao pescao
A playful rhyming goodbye. (It literally means bye fish. It is similar to "see you later aligator). Said…
chenchén
Cash, with the implication that it is needed now. The word imitates the jingle of coins.
chévere
Cool, nice, great. Shared with much of the Spanish-speaking Caribbean, but in constant use in Panama.
chichi
Baby, very small child.
chiva
A small route bus, often informal, covering trips official transport does not. The "chiva parrandera" is the…
cholo
A person of indigenous or rural-interior features. Some use it affectionately as a regional label (el cholo…
chupata
A get-together whose main point is drinking. Not a party with music and dancing, just sitting around with…
cuara
A twenty-five cent coin. It survives because U.S. coins circulate in Panama alongside Panamanian ones, and…
cuero
It works as a confirmation or affirmation of something. Similar to "dale".
culillo
Fear, fright. "Tener culillo" is to be scared; "qué culillo" is what you say about something that gives you…
dale
An expression of agreement, farewell or encouragement, depending on context. It closes conversations and…
el chino
The corner store, where you buy on credit, some of them until late, and by the unit. The name comes from the…
estar limpio
To be completely broke.
fren
Friend, buddy. Used both to address someone and to refer to a third person.
fufú
Bad energy, witchcraft, a hex.
gial
Girl, young woman. Common in urban speech and in the lyrics of Panamanian Spanish-language reggae.
goma
A hangover. "Estar engomao" is waking up the morning after; the customary cure is sancocho.
guachimán
Watchman, security guard, building or parking-lot attendant.
guapo
Angry, upset. "Estar guapo con alguien" means being mad at them, not finding them handsome — the false…
guaro
Liquor in general, especially cheap or rum. By extension, any drink.
guillao
Stuck-up, putting on airs. The difference from "roncar": the one who brags shows off what he has, the…
interiorano
Someone from the "interior" — the provinces outside the metropolitan corridor. Descriptive or mildly…
juega vivo
To take advantage of others or of the rules for personal gain. It also names the whole cultural phenomenon…
jumo
A drinking binge. "Agarrar un jumo" is to get drunk; the jumo is the episode, not the person.
lamparoso
A show-off, someone who brags. "Prender la lámpara" is to start showing off.
laopé
Kid, young guy. It is "pelao" with the syllables flipped — one of the clearest examples of Panamanian…
maleante
A gang member or criminal. In Panama the word is narrower than "wrongdoer": it points to someone tied to a…
man
Guy, person. Used with an article ("el man", "la man") for someone whose name is beside the point.
mopri
A term of address for a close friend, with no actual family relation. It is "primo" (cousin) with the…
ñorro
Guy, dude, individual. Can be neutral or mildly pejorative depending on tone.
ofi
OK, all right, got it, agreed. Extremely common in text messages.
palo
One balboa, i.e. one dollar. "Diez palos" is ten dollars.
pana
Friend, buddy, it coexists in Panama with "fren" and "mopri".
parquear
To hang out with friends in a place, with no particular plan. Distinct from the "park a car" sense, which…
pelao / pelá
Kid, young person, boy or girl. Also used for one's children: "mis pelaos" means my kids. It can also be…
pelar el diente
To flash a smile to please, flirt, or charm someone with an angle in mind.
pinta
A beer. Asking for "una pinta" in Panama means asking for a beer, regardless of its size and volume.
piquera
A fixed taxi stand, usually outside a mall, hospital or terminal, with its own queue and its own fares. It…
pritty
Good, nice, well-done, pleasant. Not limited to looks, something can turn out "pritty" if it simply went well.
quincena
Payday. In Panama wages are typically paid on the 15th and 30th of each month, and those dates shape much of…
racataca
Someone seen as vulgar, tacky or low-class, usually judged by class markers. It is a classist slur and its…
real
Money in general. "Conseguir los reales" means to come up with the cash. It can also be said "riales"
roncar
To brag or show off. "La ronca" is the boast itself.
salado
Unlucky, on a bad streak. It is recommended to take a trip to the beach to "quitarse la sal" (get rid of the…
tongo
A cop. Used among friends and on the street; never said to an officer's face.
tranque
A traffic jam. In Panama City it is a permanent topic of conversation and a socially accepted excuse for…
tumbar
To scam, rob, or stand someone up. "Un tumbe" is the scam itself, usually related to drug trafficking.
un poco de
A lot, loads. It means the opposite of the logical meaning. "Había un poco de gente" means the place was…
una fría
A beer. Asking for "una fría" means asking for an ice-cold one, which in Panama is the only acceptable way…
vacilón
Fun, a party, a good time. "Vacilar" means to have a good time, and also to tease someone.
vaina
Thing, matter, situation. A universal filler noun that can replace almost anything. "¡Qué vaina!" expresses…
yeyé
An upper-class person, or someone who acts like one: snobbish, affected, given to mixing English into their…
Bureaucracy
abanderamiento
Registering a foreign ship under the Panamanian flag. Panama runs the largest ship registry in the world, a…
aviso de operación
The mandatory business registration filed with the Ministry of Commerce to operate any business in Panama…
balboa
Panama's official currency, pegged one-to-one with the U.S. dollar, which circulates as legal tender.
canasta básica
The official list of basic foods with its monthly cost, published and updated by the government. It is the…
carné de salud
A Ministry of Health document certifying that a person may handle food or serve the public. Required in…
carta de trabajo
An employer letter stating position, salary and length of service. It is the key to almost everything in…
cédula
Panama's national ID document, issued by the Electoral Tribunal. Its number encodes the province of birth in…
comarca
A Panamanian political-administrative division with indigenous autonomy, ranking alongside a province…
corregimiento
Panama's smallest political-administrative unit, below the district. Each corregimiento elects a…
décimo
A mandatory bonus equal to one extra month of salary, paid in three installments a year (April, August and…
descuento directo
A loan repaid by deducting it from wages before they reach the account. The standard credit for public…
el revisado
The mandatory annual vehicle inspection, without which the license plate cannot be renewed. Done at…
fondo de cesantía
A fund employers are required to maintain to back the seniority premium and severance owed to workers. It…
idoneidad
The official license to practice a regulated profession in Panama (lawyer, doctor, engineer, accountant)…
ITBMS
Panama's value-added tax on the transfer of goods and services. The general rate is 7%, with higher rates on…
jubilado
A status achieved by age and other criteria, carrying legally mandated discounts on transport, restaurants…
junta comunal
The local governing body of a corregimiento, chaired by its representative. It handles everyday paperwork…
la notaría
The office where signatures and documents are notarized. In Panama notarization is required by a lot of…
ley seca
A temporary ban on selling alcohol, applied around elections and on certain days of Holy Week. A practical…
paz y salvo
A certificate confirming that a person or company has no outstanding debts with a given entity (tax…
planilla
A company's payroll. "Estar en planilla" means holding formal employment with benefits and social security…
prima de antigüedad
A payment owed to a worker for time served when an open-ended contract ends, whether they quit or are…
récord policivo
A certificate that a person has no criminal record. Required for almost any formal job and requested online…
RUC
The number identifying each taxpayer before the tax authority. For individuals it is usually built from the…
sociedad anónima
Panama's signature corporate vehicle, governed by Law 32 of 1927. It is cheap to incorporate and therefore…
Collections
Lists by theme and by province, built from the entries.