Where it is said
- the Northeast· strongly associated
- Minas Gerais· more common here
- the Central-West· more common here
How it is used
A false friend with real consequences: in Portugal 'rapariga' is simply 'girl', but in the Northeast, Minas Gerais and Goiás it means a prostitute or a kept woman and is a serious insult. Learners should avoid it in Brazil and say 'moça' or 'menina'.
Examples
No Nordeste do Brasil rapariga tem um peso forte.
In Northeast Brazil rapariga has a heavy meaning.
Cuidado com a palavra rapariga nessa região.
Be careful with the word in this region.
Em Portugal, rapariga significa simplesmente menina.
In Portugal, rapariga simply means girl.
Practise “rapariga” in context
Hear it, use it in a sentence and get corrected — Falando’s Real Talk and Idioms Trainer are built for words like this. Free for 7 days.