# Pijije

> A whistling duck native to Central American wetlands; in Western Guatemala it is also used colloquially as a mild, almost affectionate term for a naive or foolish person.

- Category: noun
- Region: Guatemala
- Published: 2026-07-30T00:00:00.000Z

### Definition

The «pijije» is a whistling duck (family Anatidae) common in Guatemalan and Central American wetlands. In Western Guatemala, the word is also used colloquially as a mild insult for someone who acts foolishly or naively.

Unlike harsher insults, calling someone «pijije» has a gentler, almost affectionate tone and is often used among friends or family to gently correct or tease someone.

### Usage

Used in informal contexts to point out that someone made a careless mistake or lacked judgment. Commonly heard in departments like Quetzaltenango, Totonicapán, San Marcos, and Huehuetenango. The tone can range from playful among friends to a more serious scolding.

### More examples

- «That guy is such a pijije, he always forgets everything.»
- «Don't be a pijije, kid, you need to be careful.»
- «Pijije, you forgot to pay the electricity bill.»

## Examples

- "You're such a pijije, why did you let the chicken go?"
- "Don't be a pijije, that's how you do it."
- "Pijije, you forgot to pay the electricity bill."

## Synonyms

- fool
- naive
- dummy

## Links

- [View in the dictionary](https://chapinismos.org/en/palabras/pijije/)
- [Spanish version](https://chapinismos.org/es/palabras/pijije/)
- [Spanish version (markdown)](https://chapinismos.org/es/palabras/pijije.md)
- [Full dictionary (llms-full.txt)](https://chapinismos.org/llms-full.txt)