Che (/tʃeɪ/; Spanish: [tʃe]; Portuguese: tchê [ˈtʃe]; Valencian: xe [ˈtʃe]) is an interjection commonly used in Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Paraguay, Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) and Valencia (Spain), signifying "hey!", "fellow", "guy".^[1] Che is mainly used as a vocative to call someone's attention (akin to "mate!" or "buddy!" in English),^[2] but it is often used as filler too (akin to "right" or "so" in English). The Argentine revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara earned his nickname from his frequent use of the expression, which amused his Cuban comrades.^[3]

Etymology

Che is an interjection of unclear origin. According to the Diccionario de la Lengua Española, it is comparable to the archaic ce used in Spain to ask for someone's attention or to make someone stop.^[4] Che is now mainly used in Argentina and Uruguay, but is also predominant in Bolivia, Paraguay, the Rio Grande do Sul state of Brazil, and also in Valencia, Spain with a similar meaning.^[5]

Due to its spread in South America, alternative etymologies have been suggested by analogy with indigenous words:

• In Tupi-Guarani, spoken by certain ethnic groups from Argentina to Brazil, che means simply "I" or "my."^[6]
• In the native Araucanian and Chonan language families of the Southern Cone, che means "man" or "people" and is often used as a suffix for ethnonyms in these languages (such as Mapuche, Huilliche, Tehuelche, and Puelche).^[7]
• In Kimbundu, spoken by Congolese slaves during colonial times, xê means "hey!", an interjection for calling someone.^[8]

Usage

The first recorded use of che in Spanish America appears to be in 19th-century Argentine writer Esteban Echeverría's short story "The Slaughter Yard" ("El matadero"), published posthumously in 1871 but set in 1838–1839 in the Rosas era.

Che, negra bruja, salí de aquí antes de que te pegue un tajo—exclamaba el carnicero.^[9]

("Hey, you black witch, get out of here before I gash you," said the butcher.)

Falkland Islands

In the Falkland Islands, che is commonly used by English speakers ("G'day che, how's things?"). It can also be written as "chay".^[10] The word is sometimes used to describe someone who is a particularly traditional Falkland Islander ("He's a proper che").^{[citation needed]}

Valencia

In Spain, che is widely used in Valencia and Terres de l'Ebre, Catalonia (written as xe), as an interjection. With the spelling "xe" in Valencian, its main use is to express protest, surprise or exasperation. Xe! is one of the symbols of the Valencian identity to the point where, for example the Valencia CF is often referred to with the nickname "Xe Team".^[11]

Philippines

In the Philippines, che (also spelled cheh) is used to express the dismissing another person or interrupting another person's speech, similar in context to the English expression "Shut up!".