It is the act of miss someone or something really dear to you. The melancholic nostalgia and longing for a dear person or place that is now far away from you, that you don’t see for a long time.

Beijinho
Little Kiss

Beijinho is a sweet way to “send kisses” to someone. When Brazilian people greet each other, we usually kiss one another on the cheek.

So Beijinho is a combination of Beijo (kiss) with the suffix –nho (meaning little or cute) and represents the act of kissing in a letter, message, or email. It is an equal and more informal way to say goodbye.

However, it is important to remember that men don’t kiss other’s men cheeks nor send Beijos or Beijinhos to each other.

Carinho
Affection

It represents the action of show affection to someone, like when you are giving someone you like a massage, or gently stroke, or soothe someone, you can say you are giving that person carinho.

You can also tell others that you have carinho for someone, it is an excellent way to say you have affection for the person. It is a pretty common thing to say between people who are close or like each other.

When you are taking care of someone, or you ask about someone’s day, it is because you have carinho for that person.

Cafuné
Petting or caressing someone

I believe that this word only exists in Brazilian Portuguese.

It represents the loving act of petting or caressing someone, or a pet, or even, simply the act of running the fingers through someone’s hair (or fur, if in the case of a pet).

Normally people do that to each other during the sleeping time or watching tv. Among families or couples, it is normal to ask for a cafuné when you feel like sleeping or enjoying a tv show with the person next to you.

We Brazilians are very touching, I know.

Xodó
Roughly translated as “sweety”

It is a cute way to call someone or something (you can say that to your pet, for example) you love and appreciate.

You can both call your boyfriend/girlfriend “xodó”, to tell your friends that this or that person is a “xodó”.

It is a lovely way to call someone.

Mimo
A small gift/ or delight

Mimo can mean two things. First, it can mean a gift, usually a small gift. If you are going to visit someone and decide to bring them some chocolate, you will say it is just a mimo. Or if you travel and bring someone a souvenir, you just got them a mimo.

Or you can also call someone a mimo, saying someone is a mimo means that the person is a delight. It is a sweet and very tender way to call someone you like.

Beija-flor
Hummingbird

This is what we call the Hummingbird in Brazil. Beija means kiss and flor means flower in Portuguese, and the term represents the delicate way these little birds feed on nectar. Definitely the cutest and most appropriate name for this bird.

Poesia
Poetry

Brazil is famous for its famous writers and beautiful poetry. Poetry is deeply linked to Brazilian culture. Unfortunately, you have to learn Portuguese to fully appreciate the meaning of our poetry.

But by translating some Brazilian songs as “The Girl from Ipanema,” you can have an idea (although the original version is way more poetic, I may say).