Language
Croatian swear words
A guide to swearing in Croatian: 14 words and phrases from the Swear Atlas catalogue, organised from mild to strong and explained in plain English. Every entry links to its full page with meaning, pronunciation and a 1–5 Burn Rating.
Common Croatian swear words
The recognisable everyday expressions, with what each one actually means.
- dupe This refers to someone's arse, used in a casual or coarse context. It's a straightforward bodily term without much flair. 2/5 · Coarse
- guzica It means 'arse' and is often used in idiomatic expressions. It's a coarse term related to the buttocks. 2/5 · Coarse
- kvragu Literally “to the devil”. It’s an exclamation used like 'damn it' to express frustration or annoyance. 2/5 · Coarse
- pišati Literally “piss”. This is a coarse term for urinating. It's a straightforward bodily verb without any added insult. 2/5 · Coarse
- drkadžija This is a personal insult that translates to 'wanker,' implying someone is contemptible or foolish. It can also literally refer to masturbation. 3/5 · Vulgar
- govno Literally “shit”. This is a straightforward term for feces, but it's also used as an insult. It can imply that someone is worthless or contemptible. 3/5 · Vulgar
- jeben This word is used to describe something as difficult, bad, or impressively good, depending on the context. Its literal translation is 'fucked.' 3/5 · Vulgar
- kopile It means 'illegitimate child' and is used as an insult similar to 'bastard.' 3/5 · Vulgar
Milder expressions
Gentler exclamations and everyday grumbles.
- dupe This refers to someone's arse, used in a casual or coarse context. It's a straightforward bodily term without much flair. 2/5 · Coarse
- guzica It means 'arse' and is often used in idiomatic expressions. It's a coarse term related to the buttocks. 2/5 · Coarse
- kvragu Literally “to the devil”. It’s an exclamation used like 'damn it' to express frustration or annoyance. 2/5 · Coarse
- pišati Literally “piss”. This is a coarse term for urinating. It's a straightforward bodily verb without any added insult. 2/5 · Coarse
Stronger stuff
The heavier end of the scale — handle with care.
- jebati It means 'to fuck' and can be used both literally in a sexual context and figuratively to express frustration or anger. 4/5 · Strong
- kurac It means 'dick' and is often used as an exclamation. In some contexts, it can also refer to someone acting foolishly or annoyingly. 4/5 · Strong
- odjebi This means 'fuck off' and is used to strongly dismiss someone. It's a direct way of telling someone to get lost. 4/5 · Strong
Croatian insults
Words aimed at a person rather than shouted at the world.
- odjebi This means 'fuck off' and is used to strongly dismiss someone. It's a direct way of telling someone to get lost. 4/5 · Strong
- drkadžija This is a personal insult that translates to 'wanker,' implying someone is contemptible or foolish. It can also literally refer to masturbation. 3/5 · Vulgar
- govno Literally “shit”. This is a straightforward term for feces, but it's also used as an insult. It can imply that someone is worthless or contemptible. 3/5 · Vulgar
- kopile It means 'illegitimate child' and is used as an insult similar to 'bastard.' 3/5 · Vulgar
- šupak Literally “arse hole”. This is a direct insult referring to someone's arsehole, used to demean or insult someone. It can also imply that someone is an idiot or worthless. 3/5 · Vulgar
How to pronounce them
An English-friendly “sounds like” cue for each.
- dupe Sounds like “DOO-peh”. 2/5 · Coarse
- guzica Sounds like “goo-ZEE-tsa”. 2/5 · Coarse
- kvragu Sounds like “KVAH-goo”. 2/5 · Coarse
- pišati Sounds like “PEE-sha-tee”. 2/5 · Coarse
- drkadžija Sounds like “dur-KA-jee-yah”. 3/5 · Vulgar
- govno Sounds like “GOV-no”. 3/5 · Vulgar
- jeben Sounds like “YEH-ben”. 3/5 · Vulgar
- kopile Sounds like “ko-PEE-leh”. 3/5 · Vulgar
Curious literal translations
What these expressions say word-for-word, versus what they really mean.
- kvragu Literally “to the devil” — It’s an exclamation used like 'damn it' to express frustration or annoyance. 2/5 · Coarse
- pišati Literally “piss” — This is a coarse term for urinating. It's a straightforward bodily verb without any added insult. 2/5 · Coarse
- govno Literally “shit” — This is a straightforward term for feces, but it's also used as an insult. It can imply that someone is worthless or contemptible. 3/5 · Vulgar
- šupak Literally “arse hole” — This is a direct insult referring to someone's arsehole, used to demean or insult someone. It can also imply that someone is an idiot or worthless. 3/5 · Vulgar
How strong is Croatian swearing?
Burn Rating spread across all 14 Croatian entries (1 = mild, 5 = extreme).
- 1 · Mild 0
- 2 · Coarse 4
- 3 · Vulgar 7
- 4 · Strong 3
- 5 · Extreme 0
All Croatian words A–Z
D
- drkadžija This is a personal insult that translates to 'wanker,' implying someone is contemptible or foolish. It can also literally refer to masturbation. 3/5 · Vulgar
- dupe This refers to someone's arse, used in a casual or coarse context. It's a straightforward bodily term without much flair. 2/5 · Coarse
G
J
- jebati It means 'to fuck' and can be used both literally in a sexual context and figuratively to express frustration or anger. 4/5 · Strong
- jeben This word is used to describe something as difficult, bad, or impressively good, depending on the context. Its literal translation is 'fucked.' 3/5 · Vulgar
K
- kopile It means 'illegitimate child' and is used as an insult similar to 'bastard.' 3/5 · Vulgar
- kurac It means 'dick' and is often used as an exclamation. In some contexts, it can also refer to someone acting foolishly or annoyingly. 4/5 · Strong
- kvragu It’s an exclamation used like 'damn it' to express frustration or annoyance. 2/5 · Coarse