# Everyday Uruguayan words: ta, bo, botija, championes

> id: regional.uy.lexicon · category: regional · depth: standard · levels: A2 · review: internally_reviewed

**Summary.** Uruguay shares Rioplatense slang but has its own: ta (OK/alright), bo (hey, like che), botija/gurí (kid), championes (sneakers), de más (great), salado (intense).

Uruguay shares the Rioplatense/lunfardo base with Argentina (laburo, quilombo, guita, boludo), but carries a distinctive set of its own. The most Uruguayan word is ta — 'OK / alright / agreed', used constantly on its own or doubled: ta, ta; ¿ta?

Address and people: bo is the local vocative alongside che (bo, ¿vamos?), and a kid is a botija or gurí/gurisa (from Guaraní/Portuguese) rather than pibe. Everyday nouns diverge too: championes (sneakers; Argentina says zapatillas) and refuerzo (a filled sandwich).

Judgments and intensity: de más and bárbaro mean 'great', salado ranges from 'expensive' to 'intense/impressive', and mate culture is even more central than in Argentina — the thermos under the arm is a national image. A handful of these words instantly place you in Montevideo, not Buenos Aires.

## Examples
- —¿Nos vemos a las ocho? —Ta, dale. — —Shall we meet at eight? —OK, sure. *(ta = OK / alright (very Uruguayan).)*
- Bo, ¿viste el partido? — Hey, did you see the match? *(bo = 'hey', the Uruguayan che.)*
- El botija dejó los championes en la cantina. — The kid left his sneakers at the canteen. *(botija = kid; championes = sneakers.)*

Related: regional.uy.voseo, regional.ar.lexicon, regional.ar.che

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