# "Bitch" in other languages **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 11, 2009, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-in-other-languages/489074 "2009-03-11T14:06:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-in-other-languages/489074/1 "2009-03-11T14:06:27Z")
“Bitch,” in English, is a female dog – it is also, and more commonly, a seriously nasty woman. What is a nasty woman called in other languages? ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-in-other-languages/489074/2 "2009-03-11T14:11:19Z")
In Icelandic, _Tussa_, aka c\*\*t. It’s pronounced pretty much like “tossah”. ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-in-other-languages/489074/3 "2009-03-11T14:19:48Z")
Spanish, at least in Puerto Rico, is **puta**. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-in-other-languages/489074/4 "2009-03-11T14:19:57Z")
ETA: Directed at **Worm** : Does that have the same kind of “verboten” quality that c\*nt does in English? (I did read bits of the recent thread on that in IMHO, but don’t recall if you posted there.) I’m talking about a word that’s definitely not polite, but not “omigod I can’t believe you just said that” either. ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-in-other-languages/489074/5 "2009-03-11T14:23:33Z")
In Hebrew, either “_Klafteh_” or “_Kalba_” – While “Kalba” simply means “female dog” in Hebrew, I’m pretty sure “kalfteh” isn’t really Yiddish like it sounds, but is rather a case of taking the Hebrew word and retro-fitting it into Yiddush form, so it sounds like a **real** insult! 😃 Most likely an emulations of the concept of “bitch” from English. Interestingly, calling a woman a “cunt” in hebrew (“kussit”) means you think she is extremely attractive… 😕 ETA (to answer **Twix** ’s ETA to **Worm** ) – no, “Kalba” is not \*verbotten \*at all, translating it as “bitch” is actually probably one of the few cases where translation loses almost nothing in terms of tone and connotation. ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-in-other-languages/489074/6 "2009-03-11T14:28:01Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > ETA: Directed at **Worm** : > > Does that have the same kind of “verboten” quality that c\*nt does in English? (I did read bits of the recent thread on that in IMHO, but don’t recall if you posted there.) I’m talking about a word that’s definitely not polite, but not “omigod I can’t believe you just said that” either. Not quite as “verboten”, but it depends a lot upon the circumstances and in what context you use it. ETA: It’s still not a word I use around my parents and grandparents, but I woulnd’t use bitch around them either. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-in-other-languages/489074/7 "2009-03-11T14:31:18Z")
In Hindi it’s “kuthi” and it’s pretty crude but it isn’t the first insult I’d use for a woman by a long shot. I’d probably start with “churel” (witch) or “saali”; literally,“sister-fucker”, which doesn’t make much sense in English but is pretty vulgar in Hindi. Note that the word for brother-in-law, “saala” is also an insult. Your brother-in-law literally being a sister fucker of course, but when said to to someone else it takes on a different meaning. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-in-other-languages/489074/8 "2009-03-11T14:33:36Z")
> [@Noone\_Special](#): > > ETA (to answer **Twix** ’s ETA to **Worm** ) – no, “Kalba” is not \*verbotten \*at all I do not think that word means what you think it means. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-in-other-languages/489074/9 "2009-03-11T14:38:14Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > In Hindi it’s “kuthi” and it’s pretty crude but it isn’t the first insult I’d use for a woman by a long shot. I’d probably start with “churel” (witch) or “saali”; literally,“sister-fucker”, which doesn’t make much sense in English but is pretty vulgar in Hindi. > > Note that the word for brother-in-law, “saala” is also an insult. Your brother-in-law literally being a sister fucker of course, but when said to to someone else it takes on a different meaning. Interesting! One question, though – does “kuthi” mean “female dog”? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-in-other-languages/489074/10 "2009-03-11T14:47:36Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Interesting! > > One question, though – does “kuthi” mean “female dog”? Yep… In Hindi, -a = masculine, and -i = feminine. ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-in-other-languages/489074/11 "2009-03-11T14:50:31Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I do not think that word means what you think it means. 😕 (honestly) Are you saying I don’t know what \*verbotten \*means? (I don’t htink this is the case); or that I don’t understand how unacceptable “bitch” really is? (a lot more likely, I’ll admit… I’d think it’s not something you’d likely call a woman to her face if you’re polite, but not :eek: inspiring if you’re talking **about** a woman?) Or is this a whoosh and “kalba” means something else in another language…? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-in-other-languages/489074/12 "2009-03-11T14:55:29Z")
> [@Noone\_Special](#): > > 😕 (honestly) > Are you saying I don’t know what \*verbotten \*means? (I don’t htink this is the case); or that I don’t understand how unacceptable “bitch” really is? (a lot more likely, I’ll admit… I’d think it’s not something you’d likely call a woman to her face if you’re polite, but not :eek: inspiring if you’re talking **about** a woman?) > > Or is this a whoosh and “kalba” means something else in another language…? 🙂 Well, it’s _verboten_ for one thing. You said _kalba_ loses nothing in translation in tone and connotation. Then you said it’s not verboten. _Bitch_ certainly is verboten, so since I assume you know what bitch means I presume you don’t know what verboten means. I’m guessing from the context that you thought it meant “incorrect”, but that’s not quite right. It’s more like “forbidden”- as in, “it is _verboten_ to allow your 6-year-old nephew to watch hardcore porn.” ETA: Re-reading your post, it appears we just have different views on how offensive bitch is. If I called the wifey a bitch I’d definitely get an “OMG I can’t believe you said that” response. Probably involving a fist. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-in-other-languages/489074/13 "2009-03-11T14:55:58Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Yep… In Hindi, -a = masculine, and -i = feminine. Thanks, RNATB. I wouldn’t really use kutha for a man either; it just doesn’t seem to have that bite. For a man I’d probably say “niccama”, which basically means “useless” but far more potent. Or “haraamzaada”…which funnily enough, means “bastard child”, which…I am. Hah. And most every word in Hindi has gender. ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-in-other-languages/489074/14 "2009-03-11T14:59:42Z")
In Greece we use the word for a female dog (σκύλα) in a similar way. It is used mostly for women who behave badly or are simply ugly (or both). Also sometimes denotes promiscuity. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-in-other-languages/489074/15 "2009-03-11T15:00:43Z")
Urdu its similar to Hindi; “Cutia”. In Salman Rushdies Midnight Children, the unit our hero is a member of the Canine Unit Tracking Intelligence Agents or CUTIA. **Annamika** , I think “sister-fucker” is “Bahan Chod”. “Saali” means sister in law. But most S Asians would use “Bitch” anyway ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-in-other-languages/489074/16 "2009-03-11T15:13:34Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > ETA: Re-reading your post, it appears we just have different views on how offensive bitch is. If I called the wifey a bitch I’d definitely get an “OMG I can’t believe you said that” response. Probably involving a fist. There was a thread recently in IMHO on the use of the word c\*nt – which you may correctly infer I will not say, or even spell out, I consider it so completely offensive under any circumstances. That is a word I consider “verboten.” “Bitch,” OTOH, though rude as hell, isn’t a word I think twice about using in front of just about anyone other than an elderly aunt or a boss, esp. in reference to a third person. Admittedly calling someone that to her face can definitely be fightin’ words – but would your wife freak out completely if you described some incredibly obnoxious woman who made your life a living hell as a bitch? [/ot] Let’s get back to which languages do, and which don’t, call nasty women female dogs. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-in-other-languages/489074/17 "2009-03-11T15:18:39Z")
In Russian it is suka. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-in-other-languages/489074/18 "2009-03-11T15:28:57Z")
In Polish, there’s _pizda_, meaning “cunt.” It’s probably not quite as offensive as “cunt,” but it’s a very strong word. There’s also _kurwa_, meaning “whore,” which is the all-purpose swear word in Polish, and can mean anything from the literal to something like “bitch” to a general intensifier (almost exactly like the English “Fucking.” _Ale kurwa dobre piwo!_ “What a fucking good beer!”) Hungarian has the word _szuka_, which means female dog and a disagreeable woman, but I’ve never actually heard the word used in conversation. _Kurva_ (variant of above) is more common in my experience. I am not a native speaker, though, so you might want to check with one. (Also, I discovered from the above posts that it looks like the Hungarian word for dog, _kutya_, is related to the Hindi and Urdu words.) ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-in-other-languages/489074/19 "2009-03-11T15:34:37Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > In Russian it is suka. The word for female dog? Is it used for a nasty woman? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-in-other-languages/489074/20 "2009-03-11T15:41:04Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > The word for female dog? Is it used for a nasty woman? I didn’t realize this, as I’ve never heard it around my family, but _suka_ is also a Polish word meaning both “female dog” and an domineering woman. You can also [look here on wiktionary](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bitch) and check out the female canine and spiteful woman categories and see where words overlap. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitch-in-other-languages/489074.md?page=2)