Is "Abuelita" offensive in any way?
A friend of mine is soon to become a grandmother for the first time. She is of Peruvian heritage although she was born in the states. She is of course proud of who she is and has asked mutual friends for suggestions for her grand child to call her. I thought it would be awesome to relate to her origins and suggest "Abuelita" as opposed to the more common grandma, nana, etc. She is fluent in her native tongue, if I suggested "Abueita" would she be offended in any way? Thanks for your help.
10 Answers
"Abuelita" is as offensive, or not, as "Granny" is in English.
Most grandmothers probably don't mind being addressed thus by their grandchildren, but I know of a few women who would take firm exception to being addressed thus, specially by a stranger!
So the same caution applies in either language.
Abuelita/o is an affectionate term meaning grandma and is not rude as such or even slang but colloquial or familiar.
Whether you should use Abuelita instead of abuela (grandmother) to address someone would depend on how well you know the person/grandmother
If you are a close friend of the family it shouldn't be a problem 
But if you are a stranger it could be considered impertinent/inappropriate so if you are unsure take advice from /or be guided by her children.
When you speak to your grandmother she is likely "abuelita" Politely affectionate and familiar. In México anyway, we love the diminutives.
If you are speaking to someone else about your grandmother, (other than family. "abuela" is appropriate.
From what I can reckon Abuelita roughly translates as "grandma" whereas Abuela would mean "grandmother".
It is kind of like the difference between madre "mother" and mamá "mom".
I have used this term with my own grandmother (she is of Spanish descent and speaks it fluently) and she has never taken offense to it and I do not think that anyone else should, unless of course they are not proud of their heritage as I knkow people like that as well.
When -ito or -ita is added onto the end of a noun in Spanish, it implies special importance or something that is small.
Ex: Amiga can become amigita to indicate a special friend. Hermana can become hermanita to indicate a younger/smaller sister.
In either interpretation, abuelita is not offensive.
I've always heard it used as a term of affection. Two things, though: it tends to have the image of a little old gray haired lady, and it's hard for little kids to say. Just plain abuela might be easier.
Just don't call your grandfather that and you're okay! He might take exception and box your ears! 
It is not offensive. It's a term of endearment to a grandmother.
I have also noted, in Mexico at least, that some of the little ones just say Ita or Ito (short for Abuel- Ita or Ito)... I think of it as just saying Nana or Papa which is much simpler for the younger ones to say...
We called my husband's grandmother Abuelita. I was told it means "little grandma" and is used very affectionately. She came to the U.S. many years ago, in the 1920's but never learned to speak more than a few words in English. In spite of not being able to converse with her, she was wonderful to spend time with. She loved to feed every one and was a wonderful cook.
