Hindi

10 Hindi swear words you'll actually hear

A traveller's shortlist of Hindi expletives, insults and exclamations — what they mean, and how strong they are.

Every language swears differently. This guide collects 10 Hindi 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. 1
    चूतड़ 2/5 · Coarse

    chutad

    Literally “buttocks”. Coarse bodily word. Not intrinsically a slur.

    Full entry →
  2. 2
    टट्टी 2/5 · Coarse

    tatti

    Literally “excrement”. Coarse or childish term for poo; also something bad. Usually weaker than sexual family insults.

    Full entry →
  3. 3
    फट्टू 2/5 · Coarse

    phattu

    Insult for a coward. Casual North Indian slang.

    Full entry →
  4. 4
    बकवास 2/5 · Coarse

    bakvaas

    Nonsense or rubbish. Hindi-Urdu colloquial word; not strongly obscene.

    Full entry →
  5. 5
    भूतनी के 2/5 · Coarse

    bhootni ke

    Literally “of a female ghost”. Comic or mildly rude exclamation/address. Often a euphemistic family-style insult.

    Full entry →
  6. 6
    कमीना 3/5 · Vulgar

    kamina

    Literally “mean person”. Insult for a scoundrel or nasty person. Inflected forms such as kamine occur in address.

    Full entry →
  7. 7
    कुत्ता 3/5 · Vulgar

    kutta

    Literally “dog”. Insult for a contemptible person. Literal animal word is neutral.

    Full entry →
  8. 8

    kutte ki aulaad

    Literally “offspring of a dog”. Strong family-directed personal insult. Hindi-Urdu expression.

    Full entry →
  9. 9
    गांडफट 3/5 · Vulgar

    gaandfat

    Literally “arse torn”. Vulgar insult for someone fearful. Slang form attested in romanisation.

    Full entry →
  10. 10
    चोदू 3/5 · Vulgar

    chodu

    Vulgar insult for a fool. Coarse slang.

    Full entry →

See all Hindi entries →

Keep reading