Croatian
10 Croatian swear words you'll actually hear
A traveller's shortlist of Croatian expletives, insults and exclamations — what they mean, and how strong they are.
Every language swears differently. This guide collects 10 Croatian expressions you're genuinely likely to hear — from mild exclamations to properly strong stuff — and explains what each one actually means, not just its dictionary translation.
Burn Ratings are an approximate, cross-language heuristic. Context, region, tone and who's speaking all change how a word lands. Treat these as a guide, not gospel.
- 1
- 2guzica 2/5 · Coarse
Literally “arse”. Coarse bodily word, often in idioms. Shared across the region.
Full entry → - 3kvragu 2/5 · Coarse
Literally “to the devil”. Exclamation: damn it. Also written k vragu.
Full entry → - 4
- 5drkadžija 3/5 · Vulgar
Literally “wanker”. Vulgar personal insult. Can refer literally to masturbation.
Full entry → - 6govno 3/5 · Vulgar
Literally “shit”. Vulgar bodily noun, also insult. Often used figuratively.
Full entry → - 7jeben 3/5 · Vulgar
Literally “fucked”. Vulgar adjective: difficult, bad or impressively good. Tone and construction determine polarity.
Full entry → - 8kopile 3/5 · Vulgar
Literally “illegitimate child”. Insult comparable to bastard. Abusive parentage label.
Full entry → - 9sranje 3/5 · Vulgar
Literally “shit”. Exclamation or noun for a mess or bad situation. Common figurative use.
Full entry → - 10jebati 4/5 · Strong
Literally “fuck”. Vulgar sexual and figurative verb. Attested infinitive.
Full entry →