What does “他妈的” mean in English?
This is a strong exclamation or intensifier similar to 'fucking' in English. It literally translates to 'his mother's,' but that's not how it's used in conversation.
Literally “his mother's”
You might hear it as an exclamation to emphasize frustration or anger, and it can be directed at someone or just used to vent. It's quite strong, more intense than just saying 'damn' or 'shit.'
Take it with you
Wear it. Stick it. Drink from it.
Put 他妈的 on a mug, a T-shirt or a sticker as Swear Atlas stamp artwork. You'll finish your order with Zazzle, our print partner — they handle payment, printing and delivery.
Adult/mature product · 18+. Purchases, delivery, returns and support are provided by Zazzle, not Swear Atlas. Availability is subject to Zazzle's policies.
Related Chinese words
屌
4/5 · Strongdiǎo
This term literally means 'penis' but is often used as a vulgar intensifier in slang. It can express strong emotions or emphasize a point.
妈的
3/5 · Vulgarmā de
This is a short exclamation similar to saying 'damn' or 'fuck' in English. It literally translates to 'mother's,' but it's used more as an expression of frustration or anger.
鸡巴
4/5 · Strongjī ba
This is a very crude term for 'penis' in Mandarin. It's among the most vulgar ways to refer to male genitalia.
傻逼
4/5 · Strongshǎ bī
This is a very vulgar insult that means 'fucking idiot.' It literally translates to 'stupid vulva,' but that's not how it's used in practice.
Featured in
About this data
Swear Atlas is a source-attested, AI-curated reference — not a native-speaker-certified dictionary. Meanings and the 1–5 Burn Rating are approximate editorial assessments that vary with context, region, tone and speaker. Inclusion of a word does not constitute endorsement of its use.
The literal gloss is a short editorial translation to show word-for-word sense, not an etymological claim.
“Sounds like” is an English-friendly approximation of how the word sounds, not an authoritative pronunciation. Where shown, the romanisation is a conventional Latin-script transliteration of the original spelling.
Term attested via LDNOOBW, 4troDev/profanity.csv, Viddexa SafeText (CC-BY-4.0, MIT). Editorial content © Swear Atlas.