chinos
“chinos” means “Chinese people” in Spanish. It has 3 different meanings depending on context:
Chinese people
Also: Chinese (plural)
📝 In Action
Los chinos celebran el Año Nuevo Lunar con grandes fiestas.
A1The Chinese celebrate the Lunar New Year with big parties.
Esta tienda vende productos chinos tradicionales.
A2This store sells traditional Chinese products.
Hay dos estudiantes chinos nuevos en mi clase.
A1There are two new Chinese students in my class.
curls
Also: curly hair
📝 In Action
Ella tiene el pelo lleno de chinos naturales.
A2She has hair full of natural curls.
Me gusta cómo te quedan esos chinos grandes.
B1I like how those big curls look on you.
chinos
Also: khaki pants
📝 In Action
Compré unos chinos de color azul marino.
B1I bought some navy blue chinos.
Los chinos son más elegantes que los vaqueros.
B1Chinos are dressier than jeans.
Translate to Spanish
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: chinos
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence uses 'chinos' to mean 'curls'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼
The word 'chino' comes directly from the name of the country, China. Its use to mean 'curls' is believed to stem from an old, generalized description of the hair texture of some East Asian populations, which later became a general term for curls regardless of origin.
First recorded: 16th century (for the nationality)
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
¿Por qué 'chinos' significa tanto 'Chinese people' como 'curls'?
These two meanings are related, but the connection is historical. While the primary meaning is the nationality, 'chinos' became a common informal way to describe curly hair, likely due to historical associations with certain hair textures. Think of it as two separate vocabulary words that happen to share the same spelling.