# How do they say "grunt" (slang for lowest rank soldier) in other languages? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 3, 2014, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-say-grunt-slang-for-lowest-rank-soldier-in-other-languages/700274 "2014-10-03T13:39:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-say-grunt-slang-for-lowest-rank-soldier-in-other-languages/700274/1 "2014-10-03T13:39:48Z")
See hed. The nuance of “grunt” is not exactly correct in that short definition. Think of “grunting” and the image is clearer. Which reminds me, I don’t know what the equivalent in the other US services is. Even though every recruit can wind up doing slogging heavy work and be put-upon, I associate the feeling of the word with Armies only. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_York](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_York](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_York)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-say-grunt-slang-for-lowest-rank-soldier-in-other-languages/700274/2 "2014-10-03T14:22:35Z")
In the UK they say squaddie. The pioneer corps were known as chunky’s ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-say-grunt-slang-for-lowest-rank-soldier-in-other-languages/700274/3 "2014-10-03T14:42:20Z")
In Spain recent recruits are _pelados_ (“shorn” for evident reasons, and usually pronounced without the d), _quintos_ (because when we had a draft, any group of draftees would be born in the same year except for those with deferrals - people born in the same year are _quintos_ and the group is your _quinta_)… I’ll have to ask my brother who actually did his service what other terms he knows, but he may apply a “not for ladylike ears” filter (as if I couldn’t cuss him to the ground). A corporal is called a _sardineta_ (tiny sardine), a term which also refers to each of the stripes. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-say-grunt-slang-for-lowest-rank-soldier-in-other-languages/700274/4 "2014-10-03T14:53:09Z")
During WW2, the top officers of the Japanese army referred to their foot soldiers as “issen gorin.” In those days, “Issen gorin” was the price, in Japanese money, of a postcard. The implication was that an ordinary Japanese soldier was expendable and easily replaced. If one Japanese boyr died, it cost almost nothing to send out a postcard conscripting another. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-say-grunt-slang-for-lowest-rank-soldier-in-other-languages/700274/5 "2014-10-03T14:56:05Z")
In WWI France they were called “poilu,” meaning “hairy one.” But don’t Google it at work: tends to yield French porn. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-say-grunt-slang-for-lowest-rank-soldier-in-other-languages/700274/6 "2014-10-03T15:36:17Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > I_quintos_ (because when we had a draft, any group of draftees would be born in the same year except for those with deferrals - people born in the same year are _quintos_ and the group is your _quinta_ I explained this upside-down, comes from typing and cooking at the same time. The draft was 20% at one point, so 1/5 (_un quinto_) of the males born in that year got drafted, which leads both to recruits being called _quintos_ and to people born in the same year to get the same name, with the group of people born in a given year being that year’s _quinta_. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-say-grunt-slang-for-lowest-rank-soldier-in-other-languages/700274/7 "2014-10-03T15:57:41Z")
soldado raso, recluta (recruit) or, when compulsory military service (“colimba”) existed: colimbas. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-say-grunt-slang-for-lowest-rank-soldier-in-other-languages/700274/8 "2014-10-03T18:07:16Z")
> [@Duke\_of\_York](#): > > In the UK they say squaddie. The pioneer corps were known as chunky’s 😕 “Pioneer corps?” Also, this is infantry, right? And, derivation of “chunky?” (That’s the fun of this.) ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-say-grunt-slang-for-lowest-rank-soldier-in-other-languages/700274/9 "2014-10-03T18:09:18Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > soldado raso, recluta (recruit) or, when compulsory military service (“colimba”) existed: colimbas. Yeah, but _soldado raso_ is the actual name of the grade, so not slang. ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-say-grunt-slang-for-lowest-rank-soldier-in-other-languages/700274/10 "2014-10-03T18:21:32Z")
For the German army soldier in WWII, this would have been: _Landser_ ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-say-grunt-slang-for-lowest-rank-soldier-in-other-languages/700274/11 "2014-10-03T18:40:43Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Yeah, but _soldado raso_ is the actual name of the grade, so not slang. True. ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-say-grunt-slang-for-lowest-rank-soldier-in-other-languages/700274/12 "2014-10-03T20:00:51Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > 😕 “Pioneer corps?” > > Also, this is infantry, right? And, derivation of “chunky?” > > (That’s the fun of this.) [Royal Pioneer Corps](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Pioneer_Corps). ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-say-grunt-slang-for-lowest-rank-soldier-in-other-languages/700274/13 "2014-10-03T20:20:02Z")
> [@Bookkeeper](#): > > [Royal Pioneer Corps](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Pioneer_Corps). What the American army calls Combat Engineers or Sappers. The OP’s premise is flawed. A grunt is not the lowest ranking soldier. A grunt is an infantry soldier of any rank. Or as we called them while I was in tanks, crunchies. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-say-grunt-slang-for-lowest-rank-soldier-in-other-languages/700274/14 "2014-10-03T20:21:00Z")
> [@Donnerwetter](#): > > For the German army soldier in WWII, this would have been: _Landser_ Or: _Abnutzungskriegkanonenfuttersoldaten_. 😛 (j/k) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-say-grunt-slang-for-lowest-rank-soldier-in-other-languages/700274/15 "2014-10-03T22:00:41Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Which reminds me, I don’t know what the equivalent in the other US services is. Even though every recruit can wind up doing slogging heavy work and be put-upon, I associate the feeling of the word with Armies only. In the Navy or Coast Guard, it’s “swabbie”. Swab the deck. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-say-grunt-slang-for-lowest-rank-soldier-in-other-languages/700274/16 "2014-10-03T23:35:56Z")
Well, in Azeroth, the lowest units in the Horde are Grunzer (German), Bruto (Spanish), and I think just Grunt in French; will need to search more to find more. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_York](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_York](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_York)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-say-grunt-slang-for-lowest-rank-soldier-in-other-languages/700274/17 "2014-10-03T23:58:47Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > 😕 “Pioneer corps?” > > Also, this is infantry, right? And, derivation of “chunky?” > > (That’s the fun of this.) The pioneer Corps were the ones that went in first to do the digging of latrines, ditches etc. I’m not 100% sure, but the term chunky was something to do with “the men with the pineapple balls” Don’t ask me why. I was in the UK Military Police in the late fifties and we had derogatory terms for most of the other regiments. For example, the Intelligence corps were known as "the clever c\*\*\*s. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2014, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-say-grunt-slang-for-lowest-rank-soldier-in-other-languages/700274/18 "2014-10-04T02:01:05Z")
“Bidasse” in French comes to mind, but it was used for conscripts, and I’m not sure it can be properly used for professional soldiers (never wondered before today). ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2014, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-say-grunt-slang-for-lowest-rank-soldier-in-other-languages/700274/19 "2014-10-04T03:25:22Z")
Pakistan, it’s _jawaan_, literally “youngster”. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2014, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-say-grunt-slang-for-lowest-rank-soldier-in-other-languages/700274/20 "2014-10-04T04:44:51Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Pakistan, it’s _jawaan_, literally “youngster”. Ditto India, but in India at least, it’s not really ‘slang’ per se. You’ll see it used in all sorts of formal ways and contexts. ETA: What I mean is, I wouldn’t view jawaan to be strictly equivalent to ‘grunt’ or the other examples given here. Unfortunately I’m not conversant enough with military slang to know if there even _is_ an alternative that fits better. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-say-grunt-slang-for-lowest-rank-soldier-in-other-languages/700274.md?page=2)