What does guapa mean?
When a man tells a woman she's guapa, is he saying she's simply attractive or that she's pretty. It may seem dumb - but to me, there's a difference between the two and being called pretty is really great. There are degrees of compliments. Ie: cute, attractive, pretty, and finally - beautiful.
So what exactly does guapa mean? How "high" (or not so high) on the compliment list is it'!
10 Answers
Thank you. I was interested in knowing how people perceive guapa as a compliment. Not only on this site, but on other sites as well and the answers have been all over the place. It's pretty funny actually. The reference is for all countries' version of Spanish but I'm specifically interested in Mexico's. This was the best answer I received from a Mexican woman:
I'd rather be called guapa than any of the other. A girl can be 'bonita? (beautiful) but not guapa. Guapa is someone who looks 'sexy, appealing, sophisticated? To me for example someone like 'Catherine Zeta Jones? is guapa. I guess bonita is sweeter, but it's more girly, VS. guapa is more woman-ish. Know what I mean?
Linda is more like - pretty. But it's way too sweet.
A flower vs a tiger. Jaja that's the range of difference between 'linda? and 'guapa'.
It's not a bastardisation, it's a superlative. Very common, like feísima, altísima.
I can't answer that. 
By the way Erin,are you? 
I've always heard people say "guapisima" for very attractive,I believe it's a bastardisation between Spanish and Italian,as in bella and bellisima,seguro and segurisimo,etc.
The former being Italian and the latter Spanish.
In Spain, if you tell it to a woman it means that she's got a "pretty face", you can't be attractive but to have a pretty face, so you are "guapa".
There are another meanings for guapa, as for example ironic when you are angry because a woman jumped the queue and you tell her: "oye guapa yo estaba antes" (here "guapa" doesn't mean "pretty face" but "sassy" or "cheeky").
Teenagers in Spain use the word "guapo" or "guapa" to say "great or beautiful" as for example when one teenager to another shows a new cell phone, and looking admiringly say: ¡¡¡ohhhh, que guapo!!! ("oh, what a beautiful cell phone!").
In South and Central America, they prefer "bella" or "bonita" to say "guapa"
Best regards
It all depends on the context, the tone, the whole phrase
...that's right, I think in Spain it is sometimes used in a very free and easy way e.g. 'hola guapa' much as we might say 'hiya darling' informaly even to a stranger in the UK
It all depends on the context, the tone, the whole phrase. This word has as many nuances as the speaker wants to give it. The woman to whom is adressed shoud know the deep meeaning, and if she doesn't and cares about it she should find out.
Guapa can have subtle meanings depending on how it is used.
It can mean that you look nice (like you're all dressed up and look pretty tonight)
"Que guapa estás."
or
it can mean you are genuinely a pretty women
"Eres tan guapa".
Guapa = pretty woman.
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