Jarana Spanish

asu

Short answer

In Lima, "asu" means wow — surprise, good or bad. The register is coloquial — fine among friends, out of place in a job interview or anything written to an institution. The standard Spanish equivalent is "¡vaya!, ¡caramba!". In use: ¡Asu, qué caro!

Part of speechinterjección
Registercoloquial
Standard Spanish¡vaya!, ¡caramba!
In use¡Asu, qué caro!
Wow, that is expensive!

Draft entry — needs a native-speaker check before publishing.

Often extended to asu mare. Pure reaction — it carries no literal content, only the speaker’s surprise, and the tone decides whether it is delight or dismay.