Niño/niña vs chico/chica

[TBAWriter]

I'm very new to learning Spanish, so what is the difference between the words niño/niña and chico/chica? Do they mean different things, or is one more formal or informal than the other?

[Rusty]

They can be used interchangeably in some instances, while in other contexts the meanings would be different. There are also regional differences in usage.

In general, I think the difference would be that a niño describes a younger child better than does chico.

[Hanita]

kid= niño/niña

niño/niña you can use for younger child


Chico= boy
Chica= Girl

chico/chica you can use for boy or girl (Adolescence or young adult)