The Most Common Spanish Terms of Endearment

Did you know that Spanish has some of the most charming and diverse terms of endearment in the world? From “mi amor” to “cielito,” these expressions of affection offer a delightful glimpse into the warmth and intimacy of Spanish-speaking cultures. 

Using these terms can instantly make conversations more personal and heartfelt, whether you’re speaking with a loved one or just trying to add a little sweetness to your daily interactions. Let’s explore some of the most popular Spanish terms of endearment and their meanings, and see how you can sprinkle a bit of romance and tenderness into your Spanish vocabulary.

Romantic Terms of Endearment

Amor

Usually used with the possessive pronoun “mi,” meaning “my,” mi amor is probably the most commonly used term between romantic partners.

• Feliz cumpleaños mi amor – Happy Birthday my love
• Amor, quieres ir al cine esta noche? – Love, do you want to go to the movies tonight?

Cariño

This term translates to “darling” or “sweetheart” and is used between lovers, friends, and even parents and children.

• Te quiero mucho, cariño – I love you very much, darling
• Cariño, ¿me ayudas con esto? – Sweetheart, can you help me with this?

Cielo

Literally meaning “sky” or “heaven,” this term is used to express deep affection.

• Eres mi cielo – You are my heaven
• Buenos días, cielo – Good morning, darling

Corazón

Meaning “heart,” this term of endearment is often used romantically.

• Te amo, mi corazón – I love you, my heart
• Corazón, ¿dónde estás? – Heart, where are you?

Tesoro

Translating to “treasure,” this term expresses how precious someone is to you.

• Eres mi tesoro – You are my treasure
• Tesoro, ¿quieres un café? – Treasure, do you want a coffee?

Mi vida

This term means “my life” and is used to show someone they are your everything.

• Buenos días, mi vida – Good morning, my life
• Mi vida, te extraño mucho – My life, I miss you a lot

Mi rey/Reina

Meaning “my king” or “my queen,” these terms are used to make your partner feel royal.

• Eres mi rey – You are my king
• Buenas noches, mi reina – Good night, my queen

Mi príncipe/Princesa

These terms mean “my prince” or “my princess” and are often used romantically or affectionately with children.

• Hola, mi príncipe – Hello, my prince
• Duerme bien, mi princesa – Sleep well, my princess

Mi sol

Translating to “my sun,” this term signifies someone who brightens your life.

• Eres mi sol – You are my sun
• Buen día, mi sol – Good day, my sun

Mi corazón de melón

Literally translating to “my melon heart,” this playful term is used affectionately.

• • Buenos días, mi corazón de melón – Good morning, my melon heart
  • Te extraño, mi corazón de melón – I miss you, my melon heart

Mi amorcito

A diminutive of “amor,” this term translates to “my little love.”

• Eres mi amorcito – You are my little love
• Amorcito, ¿quieres cenar conmigo? – Little love, do you want to have dinner with me?

Mi bebé

Meaning “my baby,” this term is used lovingly with partners or young children.

• Te extraño, mi bebé – I miss you, my baby
• Buenas noches, mi bebé – Good night, my baby

Mi cielo

Similar to “cielo,” this term means “my heaven” and is used to express deep affection.

• Eres mi cielo – You are my heaven
• Buenas noches, mi cielo – Good night, my heaven

Querido/Querida

Meaning “dear,” these terms can be used in both romantic and platonic contexts.

• Te extraño mucho, querido – I miss you a lot, dear
• Querida, ¿cómo estás? – Dear, how are you?

Mi pedacito de cielo

Translating to “my little piece of heaven,” this term is used to show immense affection.

• Eres mi pedacito de cielo – You are my little piece of heaven
• Buenas noches, mi pedacito de cielo – Good night, my little piece of heaven

Mi amor eterno

Meaning “my eternal love,” this term is used to express timeless affection.

• Eres mi amor eterno – You are my eternal love
• Te amo, mi amor eterno – I love you, my eternal love

Mi bello/a

Meaning “my beautiful,” this term is used to compliment and show affection.

• Eres mi bella – You are my beautiful
• Buenos días, mi bello – Good morning, my beautiful

Corazón

This word is another self-explanatory example. Someone you love is someone who is in your heart, so this is another great pet name for your partner.

• ¿Qué tal el trabajo, corazón? – How was work sweetheart?
• Ay, mi corazón, te manchaste la camiseta. – Oh no sweetheart, you stained your shirt.

Affectionate Terms in Spanish for Friends and Family

Tío/Tía

These words literally mean “uncle” and “aunt,” but they are often used similarly to “dude” or “bro” in English. Native speakers from nearly every Spanish-speaking country use these terms frequently when talking to their friends. It’s a friendly way to show closeness. 

However, adolescents and young adults sometimes use it as a filler word when speaking to almost anyone. In formal contexts, this is usually inappropriate, and some older people might find it disrespectful.

Additionally, it can be used to refer to a person you don’t know, especially when recounting a story.

• Tía, no te vas a creer lo que me dijo ese tío – Girl (friend), you’re not gonna believe what that dude said to me.
• Enhorabuena, tío, ¡me alegro mucho! – Congrats, dude, I’m really happy for you!

Chiquito/Chiquita

Meaning “little one,” these terms are used affectionately for loved ones or children.

• Ven aquí, chiquito – Come here, little one
• Chiquita, ¿quieres un helado? – Little one, do you want an ice cream?

Guapo/Guapa

Meaning “handsome” or “beautiful,” these terms are often used to compliment someone.

• Hola, guapo – Hello, handsome
• Eres muy guapa – You are very beautiful

Bonito/Bonita

Meaning “pretty,” these terms can be used affectionately for partners, friends, or children.

• Te ves muy bonito hoy – You look very pretty today
• Buenas noches, bonita – Good night, pretty

Mi querido amigo/Amiga

Meaning “my dear friend,” these terms are used to show affection and closeness.

• Eres mi querido amigo – You are my dear friend
• Hola, mi querida amiga – Hello, my dear friend

Compadre/Comadre

Meaning “godfather” or “godmother,” these terms are used affectionately among close friends or family members.

• Hola, compadre – Hello, godfather
• ¿Cómo estás, comadre? – How are you, godmother?

Hermanito/Hermanita

Meaning “little brother” or “little sister,” these terms are used affectionately among siblings.

• Ven aquí, hermanito – Come here, little brother
• Te quiero, hermanita – I love you, little sister

Abuelito/Abuelita

Meaning “grandpa” or “grandma,” these terms are used affectionately for grandparents.

• Te quiero mucho, abuelito – I love you very much, grandpa
• Buenos días, abuelita – Good morning, grandma

Hermano/Hermana

This is another term that’s easy to remember. You can call a close friend “brother” or “sister” to show how close you are. This is more typical in some Latin American countries, especially the use of “hermano.” In fact, using “hermano” between male friends or to show friendliness to a stranger is a bit more common than “hermana.”

• ¿Qué tal, hermano? Cuánto tiempo. – What’s up, brother? Long time no see.
• Hermano, ¿esta noche salimos o qué? – Brother, are we going out tonight or what?

Mami/Papi

In most parts of the Spanish-speaking world, it’s perfectly normal for children to refer to their parents as mami (mommy) or papi (daddy) affectionately. While it might sound strange to English speakers, in Spanish it’s quite common for children to use these nicknames for their parents even when they’re adults.

These words have become popularized in music and are also sometimes used to address a partner or lover. It’s especially common in some places to use papi for an older male partner, with all the same connotations as in English.

Although this second usage is up to personal preference, it’s definitely more common to hear it used in the first context.

• Pásame la sal, mami. – Can you pass the salt, mommy?
• Tengo un agujero en la camiseta, ¿me la coses, papi? – My shirt has a hole in it, will you sew it for me, daddy?

Pechocho/Pechocha

A playful and affectionate term meaning “cutie.”

• Eres tan pechocho – You are so cute
• Hola, pechocha – Hello, cutie

Precioso/Preciosa

Meaning “precious,” these terms are used affectionately for loved ones.

• Eres precioso – You are precious
• Buenas noches, preciosa – Good night, precious

Amiguito/Amiguita

Meaning “little friend,” these terms are used affectionately among young friends or children.

• Hola, amiguito – Hello, little friend
• ¿Cómo estás, amiguita? – How are you, little friend?

Nene/Nena

Meaning “baby boy” or “baby girl,” these terms are used lovingly for young children.

• Ven aquí, nene – Come here, baby boy
• Duerme bien, nena – Sleep well, baby girl

Piquito

Meaning “little kiss,” this term is used affectionately, especially for young children.

• Dame un piquito – Give me a little kiss
• Buenos días, piquito – Good morning, little kiss

Chiquitín/Chiquitina

Meaning “little one,” these terms are used endearingly for very young children.

• Te quiero, chiquitín – I love you, little one
• Hola, chiquitina – Hello, little one

Travieso/Traviesa

Meaning “mischievous,” these terms are used playfully for children.

• Eres muy travieso – You are very mischievous
• Qué traviesa eres – How mischievous you are

Bebé

A general term for “baby,” used lovingly for children or even romantic partners.

• Eres mi bebé – You are my baby
• Buenas noches, bebé – Good night, baby

Mijo/Mija

One of the most common ways to address your children in Spanish-speaking countries is with mijo (my son) and mija (my daughter). These terms come from the contraction of “mi hijo” and “mi hija.”

They are typically very endearing terms, used in pleasant situations and very common in Latin American culture. You’ll often hear older family members addressing younger ones, or even those unrelated, as mijo or mija as a way to express affection.

In central and northern Spain, you can hear “hijo” or “hija” used in exactly the same way.

• Mija, guarda las cosas. – My daughter, put away your things
• ¿Qué haces, mijo? – What are you doing, my son?

Chicos / Chicas

This is one of the most common ways to refer to a group of friends or to get their attention. It’s very similar to saying “guys” in English to refer to everyone at once. This term is fairly neutral, so you can use it with casual friends or acquaintances as well.

When talking to a group of friends of different genders, it’s common in the Spanish-speaking world to default to the grammatically male chicos for mixed groups and to use chicas only for a group of females.

• Vengan chicas, vamos a otra discoteca. – Alright girls, let’s go to another club.
• Ey chicos, chicas, ¿qué pelí (película) vemos? – Guys (girls), which movie should we watch?

Guapo / Guapa

This means “handsome” or “beautiful” and it’s a great way to refer to your friend with a compliment. It’s perfectly normal in almost all of the Spanish-speaking world.

This is often heard among close friends and it’s more frequently directed towards a friend of the same gender. It’s a nice way to flatter them, especially when greeting them.

Romantic partners also say it to address each other, so it’s another handy word to know.

Use what you learned! 

Now you can go impress all your Spanish-speaking loved ones. But of course, this list isn’t comprehensive – every region is different and individuals have their own preferences.

When it comes to Spanish terms of endearment, use whichever vocabulary words you’re comfortable with and ask others to tell you their favorite. There’s a whole world to explore!

And as always, go ahead and sign up for a free private class or a 7-day free trial of our group classes so you can practice what you learned.