The Falando Atlas of Brazilian Portuguese
pipa, papagaio, pandorga, pandoga, arraia or raia — pipa (nationwide); papagaio (the North); pandorga (Rio Grande do Sul, the South); pandoga (the Central-West, the South); arraia (the Central-West, Goiás); raia (the Central-West, Goiás).
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Regional patterns, not hard borders. A word may be used outside the highlighted area, and multiple words can coexist in the same region. Falando highlights the strongest and most useful patterns from its sources.
Pipa is the safest nationwide default. Papagaio is prominent in the North; pandorga and pandoga belong to southern and Centre-Western areas; arraia and raia concentrate especially in Goiás.
Curica is shown as its own entry because it more specifically names a small kite made without spars.
| Word | Meaning | Where it is most associated | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| pipa | kite | Understood everywhere in Brazil. | neutral |
| papagaio | kite | the North — Strongly associated | neutral |
| pandorga | kite | Rio Grande do Sul — Strongly associated; the South — Strongly associated | neutral |
| pandoga | kite | the Central-West — More common here; the South — Also used here | neutral |
| arraia | kite | the Central-West — More common here; Goiás — Strongly associated | neutral |
| raia | kite | the Central-West — More common here; Goiás — Strongly associated | neutral |
kite
The most broadly distributed everyday Brazilian word for a paper kite and the safest default nationwide.
A criança soltou pipa na praia.The child flew a kite on the beach.
Understood everywhere in Brazil.
kite
A well-established regional name for a paper kite, especially prominent in northern Brazil. Papagaio also means “parrot”, so context matters.
Em algumas cidades, papagaio também significa pipa.In some cities, papagaio also means kite.
kite
A characteristic southern name for a paper kite, especially associated with Rio Grande do Sul and the southern border area.
No sul, pandorga pode significar pipa.In the south, pandorga can mean kite.
kite
A regional variant of pandorga recorded in the Centre-West and southern kite-name area. It names an ordinary paper kite.
A pesquisa registrou pandoga como nome de pipa.The survey recorded pandoga as a name for a kite.
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.
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 pesquisa registrou raia como nome de pipa.The survey recorded raia as a name for a kite.
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