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"Chica" is a noun which is often translated as "girl", and "niña" is a noun which is also often translated as "girl". Learn more about the difference between "chica" and "niña" below.
la chica(
chee
-
kah
)A feminine noun is almost always used with feminine articles and adjectives (e.g., la mujer bonita, la luna llena).
b. chick (colloquial)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
La chica rubia de la barra tiene un doctorado en Astrofísica.The blond chick at the bar has a Ph.D. in Astrophysics.
2. (old-fashioned) (cleaning lady)
A word or phrase that is seldom used in contemporary language and is recognized as being from another decade, (e.g., cat, groovy).
3. (colloquial) (form of address)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
a. no direct translation
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
Pues, chica, no sé cómo voy a resolver el problema.Well, I don't know how I'm going to solve the problem.
¡Chica! ¿Qué dices?Wow! Are you serious?
la niña(
nee
-
nyah
)A feminine noun is almost always used with feminine articles and adjectives (e.g., la mujer bonita, la luna llena).
a. pupil
Tenía que llevar gafas de sol con las niñas dilatadas.He had to wear sunglasses while his pupils were dilated.