Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas | What does Carioca mean?

As you may have already noticed, our site is made by Cariocas, but do you know what does it means?

Officially, Carioca means being born in the city of Rio de Janeiro. But much more than that, being a Carioca is a way of life!

Origin of the word

Before the arrival of the Portuguese to Rio de Janeiro in 1502, a great tribe of Tupinambás and Goitacás natives lived here for thousands of years. When the Portuguese began to settle in the city (in the area that is now Flamengo beach), they built houses made of stone and lime that the Indians didn’t know until then. They then called kari’oka which comes from the junction of kara’iwa (caraiba or white man) and oka (house) in the Tupi language, that means, “house of the white man”.

(Source: The Curious origin of words – Marcio Bueno)

During the Colonial period, the use of the word Carioca became the gentilic used to describe who was born in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro. Some sources claim that, contrary to the above story, the term Carioca referred to the Carioca river, which was the river that supplied drinking water to the population, and with the construction of the Carioca Aqueduct (nowadays, Arcos da Lapa or Lapa arches) dazzled the natives and Europeans that arrived here. Don Juan Francisco de Aguirre, a Spanish nobleman who visited Rio de Janeiro in March 1782, said that the Cariocas hurried to tell him that “this water had the power to bewitch him and make him settle in the city “.

Those born outside the municipality but within the State of Rio, are called Fluminenses. This gentilic was created by the Viceroy of Brazil, D. Luiz de Vasconcelos, in 1783, from the Latin term flumens, that means “river”, in allusion to the name of the city “Rio”.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Carioca of the yolk or Carioca of the heart?

Popularly, we say that who is born and raised and has a Carioca father and mother, is considered “Carioca of the yolk”.

“Da gema” in this sense means that being the individual born of two Cariocas, it was already Carioca before its birth. We also say that Carioca da Gema is the person who lives the Carioca culture intensely and has a strong affinity with the city.

Rio, however, is a charming city, and like Christ the Redeemer, welcomes everyone with open arms, so who was born outside Rio but fell in love with the city and has adapted to our customs and lifestyle, is considered “Carioca de coração” or “Carioca of the heart”.

More than a term, a lifestyle

Going beyond the use of the word, being a Carioca is also considered a way of life. Cariocas are internationally known for their tanned bodies, happiness and festive spirit, their friendliness and their relaxed way of seeing and living life.

The Cariocas were eternalized in the bossa nova songs of Tom Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes.

Who doesn’t know “Girl of Ipanema”, “She is carioca” and “Corcovado”? In fact, we can say that this is the musical genre that more expresses the Carioca soul. –> Listen to Rio by Cariocas playlist no Spotify.

We are passionate about the sun and the sea. As the Brazilian singer Adriana Calcanhoto said in the song “Cariocas”: “we don’t like cloudy days” and we are depressed on rainy days. The beach is our “backyard” 365 days of the year, and it is in it that we recharge our energy.

Not to mention, one of the most traditional customs of Carioca is clapping on the sunset from the Arpoador beach stones. The “ritual” happens every day, and it is our way of venerating “the ordinary star” the sun and being grateful for one more day.

We love soccer, and any outdoor sport. It doesn’t matter if we are playing beach soccer with friends or jogging in the famous boardwalk of the beaches or in “Aterro do Flamengo” late afternoon, after a day of work. Just to feel relaxed and light-hearted.

And even though we are so physically active and always seeking for “a perfect body”, we do not pass an ice cold draft beer with friends after work or on weekends.

We hope that during your stay in the city, you feel at least a little “Carioca of the heart”, enjoy our habits and our Carioca way of life and take with you the joy of being a Carioca!

Monique Martins

Carioca from Madureira. Co-founder, bachelor in tourism since 2004, tour guide and content producer for Rio by Cariocas. She loves samba and exploring every corner of the city. She writes about lifestyle, music, nightlife and outdoor activities.