# Teach me to swear in other languages. Part 1: Interjections **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 28, 2019, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-to-swear-in-other-languages-part-1-interjections/836225 "2019-06-28T17:02:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-to-swear-in-other-languages-part-1-interjections/836225/21 "2019-06-28T23:09:30Z")
> [@Telperion](#): > > …and that is why Northlanders stole _perkele_ from the Finns. I’ve never heard perkele used in Norway. Not saying it doesn’t happen, especially since there are Finnish and Kvæn minorities around, but I think you might be suffering from some personal bias here. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-to-swear-in-other-languages-part-1-interjections/836225/22 "2019-06-28T23:11:44Z")
Japanese: kuso, pronounced more like k’soh! (emphasis on the second part) which means “shit” and can also be used as a general “dammit” sort of expletive. It is probably vulgar, I’ve never really used it myself. kusotare, pronounced k’soh-tah-reh, I believe means something like “full of shit” or just “shitty.” I am frequently described thus by my less-than-respectful Japanese husband. uncotare, same as above, apparently colloquial because it’s not in my dictionary. The “u” is pronounced more like “ooh” instead of “uh” or “yu.” Japanese rarely talk about sex, and almost never directly, so there is a paucity of swears on that topic. At least I’ve never heard any. I wouldn’t be surprised if underworld folks have a more colorful vocabulary that I haven’t heard. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-to-swear-in-other-languages-part-1-interjections/836225/23 "2019-06-28T23:33:59Z")
A few years back, when I realized how much I was swearing at work, I began to compile a bag of angry-sounding but non-vulgar expletives. The first was on the front of a pizza oven, _Blodgett_. It feels vicious to have hard consonants to sharply stop the airflow. _Rat bites_, for example. _Garbage_, besides being a disgusting word, gives you a growl. _Arbitrary_ is good for a growl, as well as having a certain swear-word rhythm. _Duckwalker_ is a good one. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-to-swear-in-other-languages-part-1-interjections/836225/24 "2019-06-29T00:05:40Z")
from border Spanish: Pinche from [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com) > [@](#): > > n many Spanish dialects, pinche is a strong swear word variously meaning “goddamned,” “shitty,” or “fucking,” among other senses. > > The term literally refers to a low-level or temporary worker, particularly one who works in a kitchen. > [@](#): > > Many restaurants in Spain have the name “El Pinche,” to the great amusement of Mexican and Chicano tourists. Pendejo from [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com) > [@](#): > > It’s a mildly vulgar insult for “asshole” or “idiot” in Spanish. Lots of profanity revolving around the verb “chingar” meaning “to fuck”. “Chinga tu madre” =“Go fuck your mother” “Te chinga” = “Go fuck yourself” puta = whore puto = gigolo,with an implication that you cater to the gay market. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-to-swear-in-other-languages-part-1-interjections/836225/25 "2019-06-29T00:19:48Z")
“Tabernac, ostie et calisse!” in Quebec are pretty strong. Unlike Anglo-Germanic swears that are often based on body parts and bodily functions, these are blasphemous swears, based on the Mass: “Tabernacle, the host and the chalice!” ---
**Author:** ![mandala](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mandala/32/95_2.png) [@mandala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mandala)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-to-swear-in-other-languages-part-1-interjections/836225/26 "2019-06-29T01:15:56Z")
Here are some hearty invectives in Hindi: Madarchod = mother-fucker (madar = mother, chod = fucker) Bhenchod = sister-fucker (bhen = sister) Randichod = prostitute-fucker (randi = prostitute) Gaandu = Asshole A rich variety of colorful but milder invectives exist; but these should get you started. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-to-swear-in-other-languages-part-1-interjections/836225/27 "2019-06-29T01:54:49Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > In Germany, the Bavarians are most creative with swear words. \*Himmelherrgottsakramentzefixhallelujascheissglumpatverreckts \*is the longest I’ve heard of. > > But for daily use, fuck!=Scheiße! and asshole=Arschloch are sufficient. Sakrament!! ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-to-swear-in-other-languages-part-1-interjections/836225/28 "2019-06-29T02:44:32Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Sakrament!! Himmel, Arsch und Zwirn! ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-to-swear-in-other-languages-part-1-interjections/836225/29 "2019-06-29T04:24:13Z")
> [@naita](#): > > I’ve never heard perkele used in Norway. Not saying it doesn’t happen, especially since there are Finnish and Kvæn minorities around, but I think you might be suffering from some personal bias here. 😉 I don’t think I do. But I did mean this [Northland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norrland). That’s the problem with having mutually intelligible languages, everything is the same including our lame swearwords. I’m not saying that’s your fault or anything, we probably came up with a fair few of them too, I’m just saying that the Finns know how to get a proper swear on. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-to-swear-in-other-languages-part-1-interjections/836225/30 "2019-06-29T10:58:08Z")
An old-fashioned Polish one is “cholera jasna!” which means light/white cholera. (The 2nd word is pronounced like “yah-sna.”) It originated from wishing the disease onto another person. I learned Polish from my mother, and relatives such as my grandparents (that’d be Babcia and Dziadek) so I don’t know if it’s in much use anymore by younger generations. Originally a literal death wish, it’s considered fairly mild. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-to-swear-in-other-languages-part-1-interjections/836225/31 "2019-06-29T11:22:37Z")
Bengali: শালা [ʃala] shala — literally “ a man’s wife’s brother” —can be used as a general epithet, as an exclamation, or generally sprinkled throughout one’s speech. It’s considered extremely coarse when used in its not-literal sense. Its origin as a curse word is the implication that if I address you as “brother-in-Law,” I am implying an intimate relationship with your sister. The word for a man’s wife’s father—শ্বশুর [ʃoʃur] svasur shoshur—works the same way for a man older than you. If I address you as “father in law,” I’m basically saying “I fuck your daughter.” ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-to-swear-in-other-languages-part-1-interjections/836225/32 "2019-06-29T12:16:50Z")
Two of the worst words in Thai are [/t͡ɕʰip̚˦˥.haːj˩˩˦/](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E0%B8%89%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%9A%E0%B8%AB%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A2) (‘woeful’ or ‘very’) and [/hia̯˥˩/](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%AB%E0%B8%B5%E0%B9%89%E0%B8%A2) (literally the lizard species _Varanus salvator_). Best is for foreigners to avoid these words completely! ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-to-swear-in-other-languages-part-1-interjections/836225/33 "2019-06-29T18:07:22Z")
> [@Telperion](#): > > I don’t think I do. But I did mean this [Northland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norrland). That’s the problem with having mutually intelligible languages, everything is the same including our lame swearwords. I’m not saying that’s your fault or anything, we probably came up with a fair few of them too, I’m just saying that the Finns know how to get a proper swear on. Ah. Yeah, I’ve no trouble believing there’s heavy Finnish influence in Norrland. I doubt it has much to do with the superiority of Finnish swear words though. Northern Norwegians for instance are known in Norway for being particularly imaginative and colorful in their swearing, but they stick with good old Norwegian. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-to-swear-in-other-languages-part-1-interjections/836225/34 "2019-06-29T18:09:48Z")
Sūdi! (“Shit!” in Latvian. I had a Latvian GF at one time.) ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-to-swear-in-other-languages-part-1-interjections/836225/35 "2019-06-29T18:58:17Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > In Panama, the most common swear words include: > > _¡Coño!_ (technically means “cunt,” but is much softer than that in American English) Used freely and commonly by both men and women. > > _¡Carajo!_ (technically “dick,” but likewise softer.) Often _¡Ajo!_ (“garlic”) is substituted. > > _¡Chucha!_ (also “cunt,” but has different meanings in other Spanish-speaking countries.) Often _¡Chuleta!_ (“pork chop”) is substituted, much to the confusion of people not familiar with the original word. > > \*¡Mierda! \*(“shit”). Often _¡Miercoles!_ (Wednesday) is substituted. > > _¡Puta madre!_ (“whore mother”) In Spain all of the above apply except for “chucha”, which in our case would mean “(despective) female dog” but it would refer to the actual animal, it wouldn’t be equivalent to the English “bitch”. We have whole chapters dedicated to defecating on someone as a way of dishonoring them. _¡Mecagüen… (whatever)!_ I shit on… _Mecagüen Dios_: I shit on God, not to be said in polite company. _Mecagüen diez_: I shit on 10, euphemistic for the previous one. _Mecagüen Díez_: said by my close relatives; I shit on Díez, a boss of my Dad’s who was one of those people whose death improves humanity. _Mecagüen todo_ (or _mecagüen tó_): I shit on everything. _Mecagüen tus muertos_: I shit on your ancestors. _Mecagüen mis muertos, soy gilipollas_: I shit on my own ancestors, I’m such a complete arsehole/imbecile/dickhead / I just realized I left my brain in bed or something. _Mecagüen tu madre_: I shit on your mother. _Mecagüen la madre que lo parió_: I shit on the mother who gave birth to him. _Mecagüen la leche que le dieron_: I shit on the milk on which (s)he was breastfed. _Mecagüen la leche que le dieron al cura que bautizó a la madre que lo parió_: I shit on the milk on which the priest who baptised his mother was breastfed. And I second **Colibri** on his interpretation of “_puta madre_”. It can be negative, in that your mother is a whore, and positive, in that if you’re a _cabrón_ (i.e., you make a living from your mother’s whoring) you don’t need to work and can laze about all day long (your mother, OTOH, is quite literally working her cunt off). But note that in Spanish pretty much everything can be made its opposite just by tone of voice. _Cabrón_: lit. male goat. More usually, someone who pimps his direct relatives. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2019, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-to-swear-in-other-languages-part-1-interjections/836225/36 "2019-06-30T01:18:44Z")
I find it interesting that “son of a bitch”, “bastard”, references to your mother and animal genitalia are common themes of the foreign language profanities I know (but choose not to share as I don’t want the to be part of my “Permanent internet record” 😛 ) Interestingly and oddly, when I was growing up in Japan (lived there until I was four), my parents and their friends found it amusing that I would swear in Japanese (I’m told I only spoke Japanese back then) with a heavy yakuza accent (this was the early 60’a and yakuza films were big back then). One of my few memories of my time in Japan was when our family friends playfully took away my talking dog toy and my swearing at them to give it back. Yeah, looking back on it, my parents (primarily my mother) had an odd sense of humor. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2019, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-to-swear-in-other-languages-part-1-interjections/836225/37 "2019-06-30T01:54:59Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Japanese: kuso, pronounced more like k’soh! (emphasis on the second part) which means “shit” and can also be used as a general “dammit” sort of expletive. It is probably vulgar, I’ve never really used it myself. > > kusotare, pronounced k’soh-tah-reh, I believe means something like “full of shit” or just “shitty.” I am frequently described thus by my less-than-respectful Japanese husband. > > uncotare, same as above, apparently colloquial because it’s not in my dictionary. The “u” is pronounced more like “ooh” instead of “uh” or “yu.” > > Japanese rarely talk about sex, and almost never directly, so there is a paucity of swears on that topic. At least I’ve never heard any. I wouldn’t be surprised if underworld folks have a more colorful vocabulary that I haven’t heard. My very rudimentary understanding of Japanese is that ‘tare’ in the context used above means head so it’s literally poop (both kuso and unko) head. The English equivalent of “sh\*t for brains” I’m sure a Japanese speaking person will correct me if I’m wrong, but AFAIK, ‘kuso’ by itself or in certain context, e.g. mekuso (the gunk in the corner of your eye) and hanakuso (runny nose) are commonly used by children. Same with ‘unko’, which children say when they have to poop. While my parents would allow me to use real swear words when I was very young (see my previous post), calling someone ‘bakatare’ (literally idiot head) was forbiddengain, ‘baka’ isn’t really vulgar in itself. You’ll often hear it used affectionately in Japanese TV and anime, especially when stretched out baaaaaaka! or very quickly, basically calling someone dumb, but not extremely stupid like bakatare. Edit: I remember being allowed to call someone baka, but never bakatare. I suspect bakatare is equivalent to calling someone retarded. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2019, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-to-swear-in-other-languages-part-1-interjections/836225/38 "2019-06-30T01:56:04Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > UK English. “Bollocks” is very versatile. A bit milder than fuck, but still can be used as an interjection, exclamation, or indeed, an ejaculation. > > Typical use might be for a slighter inconvenience than cramp (which would also require a “fuck”, or more likely a “fucking hell”) such as dropping the last piece of toast on the floor; this would warrant an “oh, bollocks”. > > It can also be used to indicate nonsense or balderdash ie “What a load of [old] bollocks”, or simply “BOLLOCKS” > > Conversely, it can be pressed into use as a compliment ie “Those shoes are the [dog’s] bollocks”. Absolutely key here is “the”. “Man City were bollocks this season” and “Man City were **the** bollocks this season”… two _very_ different sentences. As I Yankee who lived abroad for several years and worked with Brits and Commonwealth speakers, I loved British English vulgarity and put-downs. They just always seemed to sting a wee bit more, were more creative, more accentuated than the standard American go-to “Motherfucker” or “Prick”. Anyway, carry on… ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2019, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-to-swear-in-other-languages-part-1-interjections/836225/39 "2019-06-30T02:12:00Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > UK English. “Bollocks” is very versatile. A bit milder than fuck, but still can be used as an interjection, exclamation, or indeed, an ejaculation. > > Typical use might be for a slighter inconvenience than cramp (which would also require a “fuck”, or more likely a “fucking hell”) such as dropping the last piece of toast on the floor; this would warrant an “oh, bollocks”. > > It can also be used to indicate nonsense or balderdash ie “What a load of [old] bollocks”, or simply “BOLLOCKS” > > Conversely, it can be pressed into use as a compliment ie “Those shoes are the [dog’s] bollocks”. Absolutely key here is “the”. “Man City were bollocks this season” and “Man City were **the** bollocks this season”… two _very_ different sentences. When I first learned that the posts used to prevent vehicles from entering a roadway or area large enough for a vehicle to pass are called 'bollards", I was shocked because my ears heard something else! :eek: During one of my college classes, the professor quoted someone calling a person (don’t remember who) a “fake fakir!”. I heard it correctly, but most of class gasped as they thought they heard something else. :rolleyes: One cold day, the same professor entered the class and proclaimed “It’s colder than a witches tit!”. Again, the majority of the class gasped until the professor explained that it was legitimate non-vulgar phrase. Like before, it didn’t phase me because I was in my late 30’s when I returned to school and was familiar with the phrase. Humph! Youngsters! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2019, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-to-swear-in-other-languages-part-1-interjections/836225/40 "2019-06-30T02:26:39Z")
Edit to my the nonsensical sentences above: I’m sure a Japanese speaking person will correct me if I’m wrong, but AFAIK, ‘kuso’ by itself or in certain context [is not vulgar], e.g. mekuso (the gunk in the corner of your eye) and hanakuso (runny nose) are commonly used by children. Same with ‘unko’, which children say when they have to poop. While my parents would allow me to use real swear words when I was very young (see my previous post), calling someone ‘bakatare’ (literally idiot head) was forbidden. [Again], ‘baka’ isn’t really vulgar in itself. You’ll often hear it used affectionately in Japanese TV and anime, especially when stretched out baaaaaaka! or very quickly, basically calling someone dumb, but not extremely stupid like bakatare. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-to-swear-in-other-languages-part-1-interjections/836225.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-to-swear-in-other-languages-part-1-interjections/836225.md?page=3)