A Latina is a girl or woman from Latin America, or whose family comes from Latin America. Latin America includes Mexico, most of Central America, most of South America, and parts of the Caribbean where people mainly speak Spanish or Portuguese.

The word tells you about someone's cultural background and heritage. A Latina might have been born in Colombia and moved to the United States, or she might be a third-generation American whose great-grandparents came from Puerto Rico. Either way, she has a connection to Latin American culture, language, and traditions.

The masculine form of the word is Latino, used for boys and men. The plural Latinos can refer to boys and men, or to a mixed-gender group.

Being Latina doesn't tell you what someone looks like, since Latin America is incredibly diverse. Latinas might speak Spanish, Portuguese, indigenous languages like Quechua or Nahuatl, or English, or several languages. They might celebrate different holidays, eat different foods, and follow different traditions depending on which country their family comes from.

The word specifically describes cultural and geographic heritage. When you hear that someone is Latina, you're learning about an important part of their identity and the cultural traditions they might share with their family and community.