Translations dictionary
mija
[mee-hah]
What does mija mean?
Literally meaning “my daughter,”听mija听is used as a familiar and affectionate address to women, like “dear” or “honey,” in Spanish.
Where does mija come from?
The term mija is a colloquial contraction of the Spanish words mi听(“my”) and听hija听(“daughter”). Its male counterpart is mijo, joining mi and hijo (son).
Mija is widely used as a familiar form of direct address.听Spanish-speaking parents, naturally, often use听mija听when getting the attention of a female child or speaking to them fondly.听It听has also become听a term of endearment among female friends or a female significant other, where it carries the sense of “my girl” or “sweetheart.”
An LA-based DJ, Amber Giles, notably uses听Mija as her stage name. She says听it was given to her as a nickname by a friend in her hometown of Phoenix, Arizona. As a result, she has observed wryly: “I get tagged in more family photos than you would expect,” referring to the widespread use of听mija on social media.
Examples of mija
Who uses mija?
Mija is a friendly, informal way for Spanish speakers and writers to refer to female friends or romantic partners, especially prevalent among older people to address a younger woman. The term has also extended to female pets.听While intended to be affectionate, some young women, however, may find mija听belittling, condescending, or sexist, particularly if coming from a male peer.
Some Spanish speakers will code-switch into听mija when otherwise speaking or writing in English.听Mijo听is used just like听mija, meaning “my son” among family or elders or “buddy” among close male friends.
The Spanish听mija is not to be confused with the given name听Mija, a variant of Mia in Scandinavian and Serbo-Croatian languages.听It is also a Korean girl’s name, pronounced more like mee–jah, specifically that of the lead character in the 2017 Korean-American film Okja.
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of mija like most terms we define on 亚洲网紅露点, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of mija that will help our users expand their word mastery.