What does “くそ” mean in English?
This is a coarse exclamation similar to saying 'shit' or 'damn.' It literally translates to 'excrement.'
Literally “excrement”
You might hear it as a frustrated outburst or to express annoyance, much like 'fuck' in English. Its strength can vary based on the situation.
Take it with you
Wear it. Stick it. Drink from it.
Put くそ on a mug, a T-shirt or a sticker as Swear Atlas stamp artwork. You'll finish your order with Zazzle, our print partner — they handle payment, printing and delivery.
Adult/mature product · 18+. Purchases, delivery, returns and support are provided by Zazzle, not Swear Atlas. Availability is subject to Zazzle's policies.
Related Japanese words
クソッタレ
3/5 · Vulgarkusottare
It's a strong insult or an expression of frustration, akin to saying 'shithead' or 'damn it.'
小便
2/5 · Coarseshōben
This refers to urine and is used informally to mean piss. It's not a term you'd hear in polite conversation.
糞野郎
3/5 · Vulgarkusoyarō
It's a strong insult that translates to 'shithead' or 'bastard.'
クソガキ
3/5 · Vulgarkusogaki
It's a coarse insult aimed at a brat or an annoying child. Literally, it translates to 'shit brat.'
Featured in
About this data
Swear Atlas is a source-attested, AI-curated reference — not a native-speaker-certified dictionary. Meanings and the 1–5 Burn Rating are approximate editorial assessments that vary with context, region, tone and speaker. Inclusion of a word does not constitute endorsement of its use.
The literal gloss is a short editorial translation to show word-for-word sense, not an etymological claim.
“Sounds like” is an English-friendly approximation of how the word sounds, not an authoritative pronunciation. Where shown, the romanisation is a conventional Latin-script transliteration of the original spelling.
Term attested via 4troDev/profanity.csv, Viddexa SafeText, LDNOOBW (MIT, CC-BY-4.0). Editorial content © Swear Atlas.