Polish
10 Polish swear words you'll actually hear
A traveller's shortlist of Polish expletives, insults and exclamations — what they mean, and how strong they are.
Every language swears differently. This guide collects 10 Polish 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.
- 1duperele 2/5 · Coarse
Trivial things or unimportant rubbish. Coarse informal dismissal of minor details.
Full entry → - 2bzdury 1/5 · Mild
Literally “nonsense”. Dismissal of claims as rubbish or nonsense. Mild rather than obscene.
Full entry → - 3cholerny 2/5 · Coarse
Literally “cholera-related”. Damn or damned as an intensifier. Usually not a literal disease reference.
Full entry → - 4dupa 2/5 · Coarse
Literally “buttocks”. Coarse term for the backside. Appears in many idioms.
Full entry → - 5jajco 2/5 · Coarse
Literally “egg”. Coarse slang for a testicle; sometimes a dismissive retort. The ordinary egg-related sense is not profane.
Full entry → - 6pierdoła 2/5 · Coarse
Insult for a bumbling person; also a trivial matter. Sense depends on context.
Full entry → - 7burdel 3/5 · Vulgar
Literally “brothel”. A mess or chaotic situation. Often nonliteral; literal brothel sense also exists.
Full entry → - 8
- 9fiut 3/5 · Vulgar
Literally “penis”. Vulgar anatomical word; also a personal insult. Register depends on context.
Full entry → - 10gówno 3/5 · Vulgar
Literally “excrement”. Shit; something worthless or nonsense. Not always directed at someone.
Full entry →