The Falando Atlas of Brazilian Portuguese

Regional vocabulary in Goiás

3 regional vocabulary words and expressions documented for Goiás, including forms associated with Goiano speakers.

Last updated August 21, 2026Maintained by the Falando editorial team8 cited sourcesHow to cite this page

Why regional patterns differ

Goian Portuguese combines interior Central-Western patterns with speech carried along cattle, agricultural and urban migration routes. The retroflex r associated with interior Brazil is well documented in Goiás, while Brasília and the wider Central-West continue to bring speakers from many Brazilian regions into contact.

Regional identity is especially visible in phraseology. UEG lexicographical work records expressions including vazar na braquiara as part of the falar goiano; some of these forms later travel through music and social media, but their local associations remain recoverable in documented Goiás speech.

Sources: Projeto de variação linguística no Centro-Oeste (VALCO) (2012) · Sources; (2022)

Everyday objects

Regional vocabulary in Goiás: Vocabulary and expressions
Word	Meaning	Category	Register
arraia	kite	Everyday objects	neutral
raia	kite	Everyday objects	neutral
vazar na braquiara	to leave, to flee, to disappear	Idioms	slang

arraia

/a.ˈʁaj.ɐ/

kite

A shape-based regional name for a paper kite, concentrated in Goiás and the Centre-West. Arraia also means “stingray”.

No Nordeste, muita gente chama pipa de arraia.In the Northeast, many call a kite arraia.

neutral

the Central-West· more common here — Part of the Centre-West kite-name set.
Goiás· strongly associated — Concentrated in Goiás in ALiB data.

Sources: Priberam — arraia · Meaning; Wikipédia — Pipa (brinquedo) · Meaning, Where it is most associated; Aulete — arraia · Meaning; ALiB — Designações para papagaio de papel e cabra-cega: um estudo geolinguístico (2009) · Meaning, Where it is most associatedRead more →

raia

/ˈʁaj.ɐ/

kite

A shortened regional counterpart of arraia for a paper kite, especially in Goiás and the Centre-West. Raia has other standard meanings, including “ray”.

A raia colorida caiu no telhado do vizinho.The colorful kite landed on the neighbor's roof.

neutral

the Central-West· more common here — Part of the Centre-West kite-name set.
Goiás· strongly associated — Concentrated in Goiás alongside arraia.

Sources: ALiB — Designações para papagaio de papel e cabra-cega: um estudo geolinguístico (2009)

Idioms

vazar na braquiara

/vaˈzaʁ nɐ bɾa.kiˈa.ɾɐ/

to leave, to flee, to disappear

A Goian expression meaning to leave, flee or disappear. It has recently circulated nationally, so the Atlas records Goiás as its regional association rather than claiming exclusive use.

Quando a chuva começou, nós vazamos na braquiara.When the rain started, we got out of there.

slang

Goiás· strongly associated — Goian regional association; recently diffused beyond Goiás.

Sources: UEG — Fraseologismos e expressões do falar goiano · Where it is most associated