Portuguese
10 Portuguese swear words you'll actually hear
A traveller's shortlist of Portuguese expletives, insults and exclamations — what they mean, and how strong they are.
Every language swears differently. This guide collects 10 Portuguese 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.
- 1merda 3/5 · Vulgar
Literally “excrement”. Shit; exclamation or something of poor quality. Used in Portugal and Brazil; pronunciation varies.
Full entry → - 2besta 1/5 · Mild
Literally “beast”. Insult meaning fool or silly person. Can be mild teasing; literal animal sense is neutral.
Full entry → - 3
- 4cocô 1/5 · Mild
Literally “poo”. Mild or childish term for excrement. Brazilian spelling; Portugal often uses cocó.
Full entry → - 5droga 1/5 · Mild
Literally “drug”. Mild exclamation meaning damn, or something lousy. Ordinary substance-related uses are neutral.
Full entry → - 6gaiato 1/5 · Mild
A mischievous joker or cheeky person. Can be affectionate, not necessarily an insult.
Full entry → - 7baba-ovo 2/5 · Coarse
Literally “egg/testicle drooler”. Insult for a sycophant or brown-noser. Especially Brazil; usually nonliteral.
Full entry → - 8babaca 2/5 · Coarse
Insult for an idiot or jerk. Especially Brazil; an everyday insult.
Full entry → - 9bebum 2/5 · Coarse
Literally “drunk person”. Coarse label for a habitual or obvious drunk. Especially Brazil; can be disparaging.
Full entry → - 10bosta 2/5 · Coarse
Literally “excrement”. Crap; something worthless or bad. Often milder than stronger sexual swearing.
Full entry →