# Any English words obscene in other languages? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 18, 2010, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-english-words-obscene-in-other-languages/543664 "2010-06-18T12:48:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-english-words-obscene-in-other-languages/543664/41 "2010-06-18T22:29:57Z")
> [@flano1](#): > > There is a large construction company in Sydney whose headquarters with a huge sign always > attracts French ( and other Francophile) tourists and their cameras. > > Its name: " Grocon." _Pourquoi?_ ---
**Author:** ![BorgHunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@BorgHunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BorgHunter)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-english-words-obscene-in-other-languages/543664/42 "2010-06-18T22:32:10Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > The British equivalent would be “bum bag,” “bum” being the British term for what Americans call the butt or fanny. Dunno what Americans you know, but all the Americans I know refer to that particular part as the ass. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone aside from my 93-year-old aunt call the ass a “fanny”; the term is rather antiquated and quaint. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-english-words-obscene-in-other-languages/543664/43 "2010-06-18T23:29:15Z")
I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before, but apparently my name is a derogatory word for Jew in Amharic. I lived in Israel for awhile and every time I met an Ethiopian Israeli they were horrified. One woman gasped when I introduced myself and said “that’s not a name!”. ---
**Author:** ![Drew\_Kit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Drew\_Kit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drew_Kit)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-english-words-obscene-in-other-languages/543664/44 "2010-06-19T00:22:54Z")
Con is the French C word. QUOTE=Kyla;12593530]I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before, but apparently my name is a derogatory word for Jew in Amharic. I lived in Israel for awhile and every time I met an Ethiopian Israeli they were horrified. One woman gasped when I introduced myself and said “that’s not a name!”. [/QUOTE] Is your name Hebrew or Gaelic? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-english-words-obscene-in-other-languages/543664/45 "2010-06-19T01:25:45Z")
> [@TerpBE](#): > > The Korean word for penis sounds like “Chachi”…which gives the show “Joanie Loves Chachi” a whole new meaning. Is it? I think this is an old story, usually followed by people saying Joanie love Chachi was highly rated in Korea. [Ah, I don’t think it is true.](http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/joanie.asp) From that article: > [@](#): > > Chachi’ is not the Korean word for ‘penis,’ although it is close in pronunciation to a word meaning ‘penis’ in a pidgin language employed by English-speaking servicemen stationed in Asia in the World War II era and beyond. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-english-words-obscene-in-other-languages/543664/46 "2010-06-19T01:51:42Z")
In British English, fanny means “vagina,” so a “fanny pack” is a tampon. Or, I guess if a male is offering it, it could mean something else. Also, “rubber” means eraser in Brit English. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-english-words-obscene-in-other-languages/543664/47 "2010-06-19T01:58:00Z")
In Thai, “yet” means “fuck.” What with the confusion over L and R that Westerners like to joke about but really does exist to some extent, “too late” sounds very much to a Thai like “too rate,” which is a local admonishment that roughly translates to: “You’re full of shit, you worthless cocksucking motherfucker.” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-english-words-obscene-in-other-languages/543664/48 "2010-06-19T02:09:00Z")
> [@](#): > > The British equivalent would be “bum bag,” “bum” being the British term for what Americans call the butt or fanny. For what it’s worth, “bum” can mean buttocks in the US, too. More often, though, it means beggar or homeless man. And while we’re on English words in English, in Britain, “pants” means “underpants”. The corresponding overgarment is “trousers”. ---
**Author:** ![xnylder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bbce88/32.png) [@xnylder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xnylder)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-english-words-obscene-in-other-languages/543664/49 "2010-06-19T02:25:08Z")
> [@Drew\_Kit](#): > > Con is the French C word. In Quebec, it more commonly means “idiot”. “Big Idiot Construction” does not inspire confidence… ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-english-words-obscene-in-other-languages/543664/50 "2010-06-19T03:00:43Z")
> [@Khaki\_Campbell](#): > > Not at all. “Cul” is pronounced as [ky], using a vowel sound totally unheard of in English. No, it exists in English, as an allophone of /ju/. There actually is an alternate pronunciation of cool, usually spelled kewl, that uses that vowel. While it is usually pronounced either [kjul] or [kyl], I’ve heard it pronounced [ky]. For an example of someone who always says it that way, try listening to Cartman on South Park. (In fact, I’m not sure he didn’t start the trend of dropping the [l]) ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-english-words-obscene-in-other-languages/543664/51 "2010-06-19T03:07:02Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > In British English, fanny means “vagina,” so a “fanny pack” is a tampon. Or, I guess if a male is offering it, it could mean something else. > > Also, “rubber” means eraser in Brit English. I think you’re joking a bit? 🙂 Just saying, in case anyone makes a mental note that going into a shop in Britian and asking for “fanny packs” would be a good way to buy tampons. It would be a good way to get a strange look. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-english-words-obscene-in-other-languages/543664/52 "2010-06-19T04:14:23Z")
> [@Drew\_Kit](#): > > Is your name Hebrew or Gaelic? It’s…I don’t know, my parents got it from the New Age Baby Name Book. (I wish I were kidding.) It’s definitely not Hebrew, the “y” sound in my name doesn’t exist in Hebrew and there was no good way to write it so that people pronounced it correctly. Of course, people don’t pronounce it correctly here in the US, either. _shrug_ ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-english-words-obscene-in-other-languages/543664/53 "2010-06-19T09:12:32Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > In British English, fanny means “vagina,” so a “fanny pack” is a tampon. Or, I guess if a male is offering it, it could mean something else. In Soi Cowboy, there is a handjob bar called Fanny’s. I believe the owner is a Brit or some derivative thereof (Aussie, Kiwi etc), and so he intended the name to refer to vaginas. But many’s the American here who thinks it refers to the buttocks. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![simple\_homer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@simple\_homer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simple_homer)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-english-words-obscene-in-other-languages/543664/54 "2010-06-19T09:48:42Z")
Everyday in China I hear what sounds like “nigga, nigga, nigga”. It means something similar to "that, that, that " or “um, um, um”. I try to explain to my students to never say that when they travel abroad. ---
**Author:** ![Drew\_Kit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Drew\_Kit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drew_Kit)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-english-words-obscene-in-other-languages/543664/55 "2010-06-19T11:51:20Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > It’s…I don’t know, my parents got it from the New Age Baby Name Book. (I wish I were kidding.) It’s definitely not Hebrew, the “y” sound in my name doesn’t exist in Hebrew and there was no good way to write it so that people pronounced it correctly. Of course, people don’t pronounce it correctly here in the US, either. _shrug_ This [baby names website](http://www.babyhold.com/list/Hebrew_Baby_Names/Kyla/details/) says Kyla is a Hebrew girls name meaning Victorious, and a Gaelic feministaion of Kyle. To be honest I’ve never heard the name before, along I do know a girl called Kyna (gaelic for great wisdom). A former French lover slapped me for saying ‘con’, and it hadn’t been aimed at her. I was trying to speak French around her more often, and I was surprised because I didn’t moderate my swearing in English. She told me swearing in English is funny, but swearing in French is rude. ---
**Author:** ![xnylder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bbce88/32.png) [@xnylder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xnylder)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-english-words-obscene-in-other-languages/543664/56 "2010-06-19T12:52:58Z")
> [@Drew\_Kit](#): > > A former French lover slapped me for saying ‘con’, and it hadn’t been aimed at her. I was trying to speak French around her more often, and I was surprised because I didn’t moderate my swearing in English. She told me swearing in English is funny, but swearing in French is rude. I guess she really didn’t like [this movie](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119038/), then (check the original title). ---
**Author:** ![Drew\_Kit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Drew\_Kit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drew_Kit)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-english-words-obscene-in-other-languages/543664/57 "2010-06-19T13:46:38Z")
> [@xnylder](#): > > I guess she really didn’t like [this movie](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119038/), then (check the original title). Maybe if it is an art movie she would’ve accepted artistic license. I pointed out that she loved Brels and Gainsboroug, and that their lyrics were obscene but she just pointed out ‘You are not Jacques Brel or Serge Gainsboroug’. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-english-words-obscene-in-other-languages/543664/58 "2010-06-19T15:06:24Z")
Some English-speakers have a habit of onomatopoeically saying “ching-ching” when they’re clinking wineglasses to make a toast… in Japanese they’re saying “pee-pee” (as in ‘penis’). ---
**Author:** ![Drew\_Kit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Drew\_Kit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drew_Kit)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-english-words-obscene-in-other-languages/543664/59 "2010-06-19T15:18:06Z")
Is the American ‘ass’ just a bowdlerized version of the Scottish ‘arse’ or the German ‘arsch’ or does it have a different derivation? ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-english-words-obscene-in-other-languages/543664/60 "2010-06-19T19:43:44Z")
> [@Drew\_Kit](#): > > Is the American ‘ass’ just a bowdlerized version of the Scottish ‘arse’ or the German ‘arsch’ or does it have a different derivation? I always thought it meant “donkey,” so calling someone an ass was like saying they were a type of animal (e.g. you beast.) Then, later it got co-opted into bunghole. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-english-words-obscene-in-other-languages/543664.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-english-words-obscene-in-other-languages/543664.md?page=4)