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Almost 20 years ago we posted about -azo / -aza on SpanishNY. This is the updated version. In Spanish, this ending can mean bigger/awesome, or it can mean a hit/blow with something. There isn’t a perfect one-word match in English, so the best way is to learn it by examples.
“Bigger / awesome” uses
| Spanish | Core idea | English | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| golazo | awesome, standout | an amazing goal | soccer context |
| solazo | very strong sun | blazing sun | “strong sunshine” |
| friazo | extreme cold | it’s freezing | like “hace un friazo” |
| carrazo | great car | an awesome car | common in Mexico |
| amigazo / amigaza | great friend | terrific friend | affectionate |
| cuerpazo | great body | amazing physique | compliment |
| librazo | big/important book | a hefty / great book | size or impact |
| tipazo / tipaza | great person | really cool person | Latin America |
The word buenazo is important. It can have several shades of meaning depending on the situation. It often describes someone very kind and good-hearted, like saying “mi abuelo es un buenazo” (“my grandfather is a really good guy”). It can also be used to highlight great skill in a specific area: “es un buenazo para las matemáticas” (“he is really good at math”) or “mi primo es un buenazo jugando al fútbol” (“my cousin is really good at playing soccer”). In all these cases, the idea is to make the quality of “bueno” even stronger.
“Hit / blow” uses (always -azo, masculine)
| Spanish | Core idea | English | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| golpazo | big blow | a hard hit | generic “smack” |
| batazo | bat hit | a hit with a bat | baseball |
| balazo | bullet shot | a gunshot | also the sound |
| cañonazo | cannon shot | a cannon blast | also the sound |
| portazo | slammed door | a door slam | also the sound |
| cinturonazo | belt hit | a whipping with a belt | |
| zapatazo | shoe hit | a smack with a shoe | |
| latigazo | whip lash | a lash with a whip | |
| manazo / manotazo | hand smack | a slap / smack | also “hit on the hand” |
| rodillazo | knee hit | a knee to someone | |
| codazo | elbow jab | an elbow jab | soccer, crowds |
| cabezazo | head hit | a header / head-butt | soccer too |
| trancazo | big hit / smash | a hard knock | also “huge success” |
| cucharazo | spoon hit | a clang with a spoon | also the sound |
Other everyday uses
| Spanish | Core idea | English | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| telefonazo | quick call | a quick phone call (ping) | literally “phone + -azo” |
| regaderazo | quick shower (MX) | a quick shower | Mexico; we rarely say ducharse |
These endings don’t attach to everything. You wouldn’t say piezazo for a kick; you say patada or puntapié. And you wouldn’t normally say playaza for “awesome beach” or ciudadaza for “awesome city.” Learn the common ones, and the rest will start to feel natural. These notes are also from the original piece. spanishNY.com
If you’re new to this, the trick is to decide fast: does it mean “awesome / bigger,” or does it mean “a hit”? For codazo, an “awesome elbow” makes no sense, so it must be a hit with the elbow, oh! but since codo in slang means stingy, codazo could mean a very stingy person!
This is the original post version 1.0 https://spanishny.com/golazo-azo-azo/
