The Spanish word 'chanchito' meaning 'little pig' comes from 'chancho' (meaning 'pig') combined with the diminutive suffix '-ito'. The word 'chancho' itself evolved from an earlier Spanish form 'sancho'. This transformation from 's-' to 'ch-' represents a common sound change pattern in Spanish informal or dialectal variations.

The most directly related and simpler Spanish word is 'chancho', which means 'pig'. This is a common word for pig used in many Latin American countries. The addition of '-ito' to form 'chanchito' makes it diminutive and often more endearing, similar to saying 'piglet' or 'little pig' in English.

While there aren't direct English cognates for 'chanchito' or 'chancho', English speakers might find it helpful to remember that the '-ito' suffix is very common in Spanish and always indicates something small or endearing, like in other words they might know such as 'perrito' (little dog) or 'gatito' (little cat).