What does ‘majo’ or ‘maja’ mean in Spain?
In Spain, majo (maja for a woman) means “nice”, “lovely” or “friendly”: it is the everyday way to say that someone is pleasant to be around. It also works for places and things, so un pueblo muy majo is a lovely little town.
Hear it in a real scene
In the Lince app, you hear majo / maja in a scene from José Mota, “Lo siento mucho”:
«Que lo siento mucho, majo.» I'm so sorry, mate.
What majo / maja means
Nice, friendly Informal
The core use describes people: Tu hermano es muy majo means “Your brother is really nice”. Majísimo and majísima make it stronger.
¡Qué majo! — how kind! Informal
As a reaction to a kind gesture, ¡qué majo! or ¡qué maja! means “how sweet!” or “how kind of him/her!”.
Nice, pretty (places and things) Informal
Un piso muy majo, un restaurante majo: here majo means pleasant or nice-looking, without being enthusiastic like guay.
Majo, maja — as a form of address Informal
Said to someone directly, majo can be friendly, but it often carries a slightly impatient or patronising tone, like “mate” or “love” in British English: Mira, majo, aquí no se puede aparcar.
Where and when you will hear it
Majo is heard all over Spain, from speakers of every age. It means nice in character, not good-looking: for looks, people say guapo or guapa.
In Latin America majo is rare; people say simpático or amable, or local words such as buena onda in Mexico and Argentina. The old Madrid majos and majas, the stylish working-class characters painted by Goya, are the same word.
Examples from everyday Spain Spanish
- Tu novio es majísimo, de verdad.Your boyfriend is really lovely, honestly.
- —Me ha dejado su paraguas. —¡Qué maja!“She lent me her umbrella.” “How kind of her!”
- Hemos encontrado un restaurante muy majo cerca de la playa.We’ve found a really nice restaurant near the beach.
- Mira, majo, la cola empieza allí.Look, mate, the queue starts over there.
How to say it
MAH-hoh: the j is the strong throat sound of Spain Spanish, like the ch in Scottish “loch”, never an English j. Maja is MAH-hah, with the stress again on the first syllable.
Frequently asked questions
Does majo mean good-looking?
No. Majo and maja describe someone’s character: nice, friendly or pleasant. For looks, people in Spain say guapo or guapa.
What does “mira, majo” mean?
It is like “look, mate” in English. Used as a form of address, majo can be warm, but in mira, majo it often sounds a little impatient.