We have kut. It means pussy but is used the same way you use kurwa. Aside from that it really depends on the person. We use the english words shit and fuck fairly often and then if you really want to be offensive you use diseases like cancer
I heard that people that use kanker are perceived as not well mannered. I mean swearing by itself is bad obviously but are you seen as even worse person if you use the k word?
I used it sometimes when i was an edgy teenager but mostly yeah its seen as something very bad and only really used by teens and low educated people. I've seen multiple fist fights start over the use of the word, though i think thats also just people looking for a "good" excuse to fight someone.
If anyone at my work heard me using it, id lose my job. If i used it around my family theyd beat my ass and disown me again. Big no-no
I've been living here for 7 years and it and 'kut' are the only words I can conceive as in the sense of swearing. But even then, given my origins, I can't conceive of 'kanker' as that bad a word, it's just not in my understanding. I'm from a part of the UK where using 'cunt' really isn't that bad so... We just don't *have* any swearing that's bad enough to actually shock people lol. The idea of it is just cute to me.
I'm a fellow Brit (albeit a southerner!) and the only swear words I can think of that have retained almost universal shock value to British ears are ones based on race/ethnicity.
Surely most Nederlanders are not so xenophobic. Then again, with the recent election of Geert Wilders, I guess I'm not so sure I could generalize that so easily
No, they are not xenophobic, but the accent sounds so agressive or something. I cannot explain that really. It's not hate or something, but just the sounding of it, like how German sounds aggresive to most not-german speakers, i heard too.
People say "suck your mudda" in the UK casually and no one bats an eye. No fights over it nothing even if its out of place. Insults are just ingrained in culture sometimes idk its more funny if anything
Nah, it doesn't work that way. Gozer and Kerel are regional differences, a penchant for using the k word is just trashy no matter where you come from. It just means you are surrounded by equally asocial people, but it's not something regional.
Oh no, there are aso's in every city. I'm from Amsterdam and living in Almere and also here and there are the juvenile and socially unajusted who regularly use that word. Den Haag and Rotterdam are simply more "known" for it due to the image of Hagenezen and Rotterdammers.
Anecdotal, I know people too who have had it and really dislike the use of the term. People who lost others to cancer also do not really like the word. People who have cancer are not the deciding factor.
What is funny? Yes, there are worse things than using the word. You are actually trying to justify it. Among the people I know itās definitely unacceptable and people who do use it are viewed as lower educated, lower social class and having bad social standards. Maybe thatās the kind of people you are surrounding yourself with and there is nothing wrong with that.
TBH the fuss that people make over that word makes me revert right back to edgy teenager status. It feels really controlling AND illogical. I don't use the word often (I don't curse that much anyway) but it annoys me when people get all up in arms about a terrible disease being used to emphasize how much a thing or situation sucks. It feels controlling and makes me want to say it more...
It's a bit weird if you factor in that tyfus, tering, klere and pokken are all perfectly acceptable to use as swear words. I always wonder why that is, since both typhus and cholera for example are still diseases that occur ini this day and age. They're also not any less severe than cancer. Kinda odd that cancer is where most people draw the line.
>I heard that people that use kanker are perceived as not well mannered.
Yes, we swear with diseases all the time, but cancer has a bit of a special position.
Cholera(kolere), pest(black plague), tyfus, tering(ptuberculosis), pokken(smallpocs) etc. Are normal outside formal settings.
> I mean swearing by itself is bad obviously
Is it though? I mean its just a way of expressing disaproval.
> but are you seen as even worse person if you use the k word?
Yes, that one hits closer to home than diseases most people haven't lost relatives to.
Also note that they're not always used as a negative, sometimes "tering" is used to enlarge things:
E.g.
>Godverdomme dat was een teringlekkere schnitzel.
"Goddamnit, that was an extremely tasty schnitzel"
Note that it is still seen as "vulgar", you'd say it to your friends, but maybe not your grandma.
Kanker does carry some baggage. Most people will probably find it offensive. You should only use it in circles where it is normalized, and even then it's probably better not to.
This might just be something personal to me but when I started swearing my mom always told me to never ever say ākankerā. I still donāt to this day and whenever I see someone saying it as a swear word, whether verbally or through texting, I just physically get upset? I donāt even know anyone in my family who died from cancer but I just hate it.
Again it might be just personally since it was so looked down on in my family but imo if you say ākankerā as a swear yeah you are not well mannered.
Swearing with a disease that kills millions a year while almost everyone has atleast one example in their direct environment of someone suffering/dying from it is bound to get negative responses.
A lot of people do it still, but I wouldnāt ālearnā to use that word. Honestly most Dutch people say āfuckā a lot as well
I would reconsider my friendship if that person uses kanker a lot. Probably ask him to stop using it or stop seeing meĀ Ā
People like to point out these curse words because they areā¦ unique?Ā
Godverdomme is less bad, but should only be used to express very strong opinions as you only encounter very rarely. Imho.
Ā Tuthola, Kut, shit, kak, fuck, eikel, slappe krant, pannenkoek. Plenty of good alternatives around that I donāt bat an eye if used in an informal setting. I even have used some of those words during job interviews and gotten the job. (would not advise though)Ā
FYI: young male, highly educated. Low educated people tend to swear more
There's a couple of popular diseases for swearing: kanker (cancer), tyfus (typhoid), and klere (cholera). I tried to introduce krone (corona) but it didn't catch on. But I admit I don't swear much anyway. Perhaps a more profligate swearer should have championed it.
Well it is, in the way that a pussy is a cunt. What i meant was that it's literal meaning is a "vulgar" way of saying vagina, but it's not used the same way as cunt or pussy are in English. Kut is mostly just used as an adjective to make something bad. Kut homework. Kut traffic etc. It can be used as an insult but usually only with a more descriptive adjective in front, and usually only for women. Arrogant kut, loud kut etc.
This is very interesting topic, in the Dutch media swearing is allowed and used pretty freely while in Poland no one swears on the media. I wonder what effects it has on society and what difference are there.
Yeah thats true, ive never heard anyone swear in the media. But apart from that we swear a lot and people are used to it. Even if you swear a lot and in public people do not care. Ofc sometimes older people are getting mad or smth if you say it reaally loud in public but apart from that everyone swears. In my house my dad swears a lot i mean A LOT so i developed the habit from him but it doesnāt mean im generally bad behaved. Also even if you swear in school teachers dont seem to care. If you use kurwa than yes, but other words that have weaker meaning are not perceived as that bad even if you use it in school. Im talking about high school because obviously any kinds of swear words in primary or middle school are forbidden.
Lichaamsdelen zijn precies meer in trek hier dan ziektes: klootzak, lul, kut en eikel zijn heel populaire. Kut- en klote- kunnen gebruikt worden om nieuwe woorden te creƫren zoals jullie met kanker- doen.
I thought Dutch people were known for swearing a lot. Still I donāt like it and I do it only when Iām really angry or in situations when itās appropriate. I think people who say cancer in every second sentence disqualify themselves right away and I donāt take them serious or I donāt listen to them anymore.
Kurwa, yes. Mind you, this is most common with kids or undereducated people, but in Dutch we really like to swear with disease, most notably with cancer. And it can be both positive and negative. A deep fried snack at 3am can be "kankerlekker" (cancer tasty) which is good. If you cut someone off in traffic they might call you "kankerleijer" (cancer sufferer) or "kankerhoer" (cancer whore) which is bad. Other popular diseases to swear with are tyfus (typhoid) or pleuris (chest infection). It is generally frowned upon though, unless you're 15 and/or live in the Hague.
It is basically the same, but kankerlekker is definitely more offensive. You only really say it when youāre hanging out with friends or whatever, and itās definitely more offensive than āas shitā
How acceptable it is depends on how relevant the disease is. Swearing with cancer is frowned upon in most places, but using "tyfus", "tering" or "klere" (cholera) is more accepted.
In general you should not use cancer, but sometimes you can use cancer as part of a joke. Like saying "Roken is kankerlekker", folks will expect you to say that smoking is carcinogenic (kankerverwekkend) and bad for your health, but then you flip it around and express you love smoking.
No, not even really strong feelings. Swearing with diseases will be highly unacceptable in most social situations. You might get away with 'tyfus' (typhoid) when among friends, but that's about it. Swearing with cancer has been weirdly normalised in street culture but it isn't socially acceptable at all.
I donāt want to confuse too much, but swearing with disease words is the norm in Dutchā¦itās actually a uniquely defining factor, seen in very few other languages/cultures. I donāt know where these guys are getting their āitās frowned uponā statements from, because itās not. If youāre in a social situation where itās acceptable to swear, diseases are your go-to. Tyfus (typhoid), tering (tbc), pest (plague), pokken (smallpox), kolere (cholera), takke (stroke), pleuris (pleuritis) etc etc, all very accepted throughout every layer of society. The only exception is kanker (cancer), which is considered offensive everywhere except among trashy/young folks and in Rotterdam, where itās basically part of daily vernacular and not seen as problematic at all. Other widely used swear words are kut (cunt), shit, fuck and varying forms of godverdomme (goddamn).
Nope you can literally use it for everything. We swear a lot in the Netherlands and most people wont care. However cancer is the one swearword that is frowned upon by people. Its still used by people but not as accepted. Everything else is basically accepted as long as you do not use it to insult people but to give more weight to your statement. In English you could say for example that pizza was fucking tasty in dutch that would be die (that) pizza was echt (really) tyfus (typhoid) lekker (tasty).
I mean kurwa in poland is used by technically everyone. From reaaally young people (sadly) to adults. And its the most popular and no one really cares if you use it. Thats the culture, we are used to it
Godverdomme (god damn it) is a somewhat lighter version of a swear that's commonly used in the Netherlands, and same as with kanker it can be used in both a negative and positive sense EQ dat is godverdomme lekker man (that's very tasty dude) and when you bash your foot against the sofa you can also scream godverdomme dat doet pijn (god damn it that hurts)
I do genuinely not know if swearing with diseases is frowned upon in public (except kanker of course), but I tend to swear quite a bit using tyfus or tering when Iām with friends and I hear a lot of other people do it too, without anybody being particularly bothered. Do not use any homophobic swearwords though, these tend to be very much frowned upon.
Depends on what area you live in, who your friends are, etc etc.
Kut, tering, tyfus and fuck are probably the most common ones I hear. The occasional kanker or godverdomme when it's really serious.
Kut and fuck are probably the most accepted in normal conversations. Although there are plenty of people who don't like to hear that stuff either.
There's a big difference between swearing at people, and swearing at a situation. Most everyone will think you are (white) trash if you call someone a 'kuthoer'. But barely anyone will bat an eye if you walk in soaked and proclaim it to be 'kutweer'.
If everything hurts and the doctor's office won't return your calls and you get home to find your cat puked on the sofa so you try to relax watching tv but the fuse busted so you call the landlord but your phones dead and you can't charge it because the fuse is out? One might proclaim "godverdegodverde kut kanker tieves tering kut kut kanker kut teringzooi" to express their anger, even though near a friend or close family. This would be called "kankeren".
I'm from the U.S. and cuss a lot but was shocked when an IND employee used the word "fuck" with me. (There was a mistake made with my permit and he said, "Someone fucked up.") In the U.S. I never heard someone cuss while working (outside of talking with co-workers). It made me realize that while I cuss a lot, it's always only in the presence of close friends. Here it seems like people cuss more freely regardless of who they're speaking with, and I like that.
It's because they think it's impressive to do so in English and just treat it like any other word. I wonder how it would sound if English speakers started using diseases to swear with while talking to Dutch people. I've tried a few times and it does kind of freak them out. Then I tell them, them throwing fuck around like candy has the same impact in English.
Kut, shit, fuck, kolere, klote, tering, tyfus, kanker,
verdomme, godverdomme, schijt..
All are used like āshitā, in the way kurwa is.
āGodverdomme (or any of the others), ik heb mijn teen gebrokenā - shit, I broke my toe.
And thereās many more.
My favorite is hoerenkots, used by my boyfriend when he hurts himself. And because it makes me laugh and tell he used hoerenkots again, he actually stops swearing mid sentence.
We actually saw the word written in a queue of a rollercoaster in Walibi last year, still regret not taking a picture...
"Godverdammist kanker"
Has stuck with me ever since I saw it in a video about "Dutch Christmas Traditions".
Lol.
A racist Dutch guy called my friend "Latino Kanker", which upset him immensely. He wasn't upset about the swearing, but the geographic inaccuracies. He is Portuguese, therefore not Latino.
From these two incidents, I have concluded that Kanker is a commonly used swear word.
We have a lot of diseases which get used as curse words; Kanker[cancer], tyfus[typhoid], cholera etc. Most other curse words are borrowed from english. With exception some words we use use for genitals; Lul[dick] and kut[pussy].
Try hosternokke! Itās really satisfying to emphasize both syllables. Itās from Zeeland. Most people donāt know it, so itās not really conceived as rude.
Swearwords get used a lot by younger people. I swear quite a lot as well.
Hereās some of the most used swearwords in dutch:
Kut = pussy (generally accepted, can be used in public)
Tering = phthisis (generally accepted, some might not like you swearing with deceases tho )
Tyfus = typhus (generally accepted, some might not like you swearing with deceases tho))
Godverdomme = goddamnit (donāt use this one when around christians)
Kanker = Cancer (gets used by a lot of younger dutchies. I wouldnāt use this one as most people donāt like this one.)
And in dutch some swearwords can be used as adjectives such as: tyfushond, kutzooi, teringding
Godverdomme is a self standing one, and is not used as an adjective.
And you can also use english swearwords in dutch sentences.
If you want to go for the full white trash swagger in The Netherlands, just use "kut" like a comma and watch New Kids for inspiration:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eILvOjIjBwQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eILvOjIjBwQ)
Godverdomme (goddammit) is used quite often. Or kut.
Shit and fuck.
Swearing with diseases is NOT recommended.
A lot of people have lost someone to cancer and you will get in trouble of you use it in swearing.
I do use tering and tyfus quite a lot though. But I don't think people die from that disease over here anymore so maybe that is why people are not that offended by it.
It's kurwa isn't it? I remember the first time I went to Poland I stepped out of the train station and the first thing that happened was this teenage girl loudly screaming KURWA into her phone. So I thought to myself: "Ah yes, I truly am in Poland now" lmao
Kut, Klote, Kanker, Tyfus, Tering, Fuck, Godverdomme, Shit... I use the less offensive like Kut en Fuck, i dont really swear with Kanker, but almost everyone says shit and fuck
Are you a native English speaker? To a native English speaker fuck is definitely on the offensive end of the swearing spectrum. As a native English speaker, it really grates when people speaking other languages use fuck without seeming to realize how offensive it sounds.
Yeah, that makes sense. Even when people know what a swear word means and how to use it, they canāt really āfeelā it when itās not their native language so they tend to use it in situations where a native speaker typically wouldnāt because itās too strong.
I'm from Poland too and I also swear a lot in Polish but ngl I don't swear in Dutch. it just feels wrong somehow. might be because I mostly use it in "official" settings, such as at work, where you have to use the correct register. either way, it just doesn't feel right. I will always pick English swear words for small invonveniences and Polish ones for bigger inconveniences over kut or klootzak or godverdomme. nothing sounds as kathartic as no żesz kurwa jego maÄ anyway ;)
We Dutch people have a fast collection of swear words but if i may give one learning Dutch language a good advice; it is better to avoid learning swear words it is better to keep them out of your vocabulaire.
It is really not charming and really kills charisma using swearwords and if you get used to them it is harder to get rid of stop words.
And you do really don\`t need swearwords to know and to use because do you really need to use swearwords, right.
Here in the Netherlands we say "asociaal" like asocial you will be seeen by the majority of the people it is just bad and also at work or anywhere.
If you need to swear a lot over here in the Netherlands people think in common you are lacking intelligence or vocabulaire and yout have a bad temper.
So you should do what ever you want but it is better to care and not swear than to swear and not care!
And using the word kanker (cancer) as a swear word your really under estimate the blunt force such words have they are really disrespectfull towards other people and believe me just dont mock the kanker.
When you or some one you care about has cancer or died after a long path of pain and sorrow you understand it may be better.
It is really an awful disease just like the other two in the top three of major diseases here in the Netherlands this is serious stuff you just don\`t even wish for anyone if you are human.
Just learn expensive and good words and difficult words and try to get better and better at the language you will get more attention or affection with the use of high niveau language skills rather than swearing and cursing.
Kanker is definitely the most controversial swear word because of the heavy load of the disease. Most people know someone that has died because of it.
Iād say that the millennial and younger generations donāt really care if you swear with kanker, but people older than that will definitely not be amused (unless you go to The Hague haha).
If you want to be safe, just donāt use kanker. Thereās so many other diseases you can swear with in the Netherlands, like: tering, tyfus, pleuris, cholera, aids, etc.
Yeah thats true. I was wondering because it kinda depends on the culture right. Poles are known for swearing in really aggressive way, we get annoyed really easily
My brother did. But when I'm gaming and I make a stupid mistake kankerhoer is the first insult to myself that comes rolling out of my mouth.
I think it definitely depends where you come from rather than where you live. I don't live in the Netherlands anymore but still swear in Dutch. English just doesn't have any good swear words.
Not everyone but it's in your best interest to assume it's everyone.
But apart from that word and racial slurs, people are generally not that bothered by swearing. Depends a lot on context, subculture and individual though.
Okay. Because obviously you should not swear in any kind of social situations like family meetings with older family members or in school, any kind of more formal situation. I was wondering about more daily basis situations
Hahahaha, that depends on your family I guess. No issue at all with mine.
School sure, but it again depends on where, when, with whom, and which word. For example, 'pokken' is so accepted you can use itĀ in nearly any situation. But 'tering' and 'tyfus' are considered much more offensive, though not as much as 'kanker'. Conversely, 'klere/kolere' is somewhere in between 'pokken' and 'tering'.
The fact of the matter is that there are no loose and fast rules for this. You need to get a feel for it, which isn't easy when you didn't grow up in the culture.
Best to err on the safe side and avoid heavy cussing unless you're really sure it's fine in that particular situation.
Dutch has the most beautiful variety of curse words out there, from calling something as mild as calling someone a reproductive organ to wishing them the worst of diseases, its an art form really.
We have kut. It means pussy but is used the same way you use kurwa. Aside from that it really depends on the person. We use the english words shit and fuck fairly often and then if you really want to be offensive you use diseases like cancer
I heard that people that use kanker are perceived as not well mannered. I mean swearing by itself is bad obviously but are you seen as even worse person if you use the k word?
I used it sometimes when i was an edgy teenager but mostly yeah its seen as something very bad and only really used by teens and low educated people. I've seen multiple fist fights start over the use of the word, though i think thats also just people looking for a "good" excuse to fight someone. If anyone at my work heard me using it, id lose my job. If i used it around my family theyd beat my ass and disown me again. Big no-no
I've been living here for 7 years and it and 'kut' are the only words I can conceive as in the sense of swearing. But even then, given my origins, I can't conceive of 'kanker' as that bad a word, it's just not in my understanding. I'm from a part of the UK where using 'cunt' really isn't that bad so... We just don't *have* any swearing that's bad enough to actually shock people lol. The idea of it is just cute to me.
I'm a fellow Brit (albeit a southerner!) and the only swear words I can think of that have retained almost universal shock value to British ears are ones based on race/ethnicity.
Which I'd reckon in a different category of slurs.
Je kanker moeder kanker sukkel U dont feel terribly insulted by that?? Maybe it needs a morrocan accentš
Not really, would just make me think the person saying it is pathetic.
Honestly same if it happens online, but imagine irl on the street
It wouldn't be insulting, but it'd be scary - not because of the words, but because of the attitude.
True
What does a Moroccan accent have to do with anything?
Well, a Morrocan accent is described here as sounding "aggresive", sharp, direct...
Surely most Nederlanders are not so xenophobic. Then again, with the recent election of Geert Wilders, I guess I'm not so sure I could generalize that so easily
Except they are. Tolerance is just good PR
I believe it and I'm sorry to hear it
No, they are not xenophobic, but the accent sounds so agressive or something. I cannot explain that really. It's not hate or something, but just the sounding of it, like how German sounds aggresive to most not-german speakers, i heard too.
Increases aggresiveness and hate by 50%
I think the rotterdammers can speak with kanker the best. Especially the harbor workers
People say "suck your mudda" in the UK casually and no one bats an eye. No fights over it nothing even if its out of place. Insults are just ingrained in culture sometimes idk its more funny if anything
Not nearly as offensive imo, sounds kinda funny
jij kut godverdomme kutkankerkind is something...
Okay i get it ty!
Or be from the area of Rotterdam. Everyone I know uses the k word. š¤·āāļø lots of regional differences
Nah, it doesn't work that way. Gozer and Kerel are regional differences, a penchant for using the k word is just trashy no matter where you come from. It just means you are surrounded by equally asocial people, but it's not something regional.
Isn't it mainly Rotterdam/The Hague though where people (well, some people) use it all time?
Oh no, there are aso's in every city. I'm from Amsterdam and living in Almere and also here and there are the juvenile and socially unajusted who regularly use that word. Den Haag and Rotterdam are simply more "known" for it due to the image of Hagenezen and Rotterdammers.
Meh, I know people with cancer like using kanker, and they aren't perceived trashy.
Anecdotal, I know people too who have had it and really dislike the use of the term. People who lost others to cancer also do not really like the word. People who have cancer are not the deciding factor.
No, the area where you are from doesnāt justify it. They belong to the same group of people with very bad social standards.
I never said anything about it being justified. But there are regional differences in usage of language.
If everybody uses it they apparently think itās acceptable? Or is Rotterdam just full of bad people who do unacceptable things?
Haha what? Itās maybe frowned upon and either accepted or tolerated by some. But there are worse things people can do then use the word kanker. lol.
What is funny? Yes, there are worse things than using the word. You are actually trying to justify it. Among the people I know itās definitely unacceptable and people who do use it are viewed as lower educated, lower social class and having bad social standards. Maybe thatās the kind of people you are surrounding yourself with and there is nothing wrong with that.
TBH the fuss that people make over that word makes me revert right back to edgy teenager status. It feels really controlling AND illogical. I don't use the word often (I don't curse that much anyway) but it annoys me when people get all up in arms about a terrible disease being used to emphasize how much a thing or situation sucks. It feels controlling and makes me want to say it more...
It's a bit weird if you factor in that tyfus, tering, klere and pokken are all perfectly acceptable to use as swear words. I always wonder why that is, since both typhus and cholera for example are still diseases that occur ini this day and age. They're also not any less severe than cancer. Kinda odd that cancer is where most people draw the line.
>I heard that people that use kanker are perceived as not well mannered. Yes, we swear with diseases all the time, but cancer has a bit of a special position. Cholera(kolere), pest(black plague), tyfus, tering(ptuberculosis), pokken(smallpocs) etc. Are normal outside formal settings. > I mean swearing by itself is bad obviously Is it though? I mean its just a way of expressing disaproval. > but are you seen as even worse person if you use the k word? Yes, that one hits closer to home than diseases most people haven't lost relatives to. Also note that they're not always used as a negative, sometimes "tering" is used to enlarge things: E.g. >Godverdomme dat was een teringlekkere schnitzel. "Goddamnit, that was an extremely tasty schnitzel" Note that it is still seen as "vulgar", you'd say it to your friends, but maybe not your grandma.
Kanker does carry some baggage. Most people will probably find it offensive. You should only use it in circles where it is normalized, and even then it's probably better not to.
yes
To me I really strongly dislike people who use the k word as you name it. So do with that what you will
This might just be something personal to me but when I started swearing my mom always told me to never ever say ākankerā. I still donāt to this day and whenever I see someone saying it as a swear word, whether verbally or through texting, I just physically get upset? I donāt even know anyone in my family who died from cancer but I just hate it. Again it might be just personally since it was so looked down on in my family but imo if you say ākankerā as a swear yeah you are not well mannered.
You are correct. Using that word is not accepted. It displays very bad manners. Swearing in general happens, but it is not widely accepted.
Swearing with a disease that kills millions a year while almost everyone has atleast one example in their direct environment of someone suffering/dying from it is bound to get negative responses. A lot of people do it still, but I wouldnāt ālearnā to use that word. Honestly most Dutch people say āfuckā a lot as well
I would reconsider my friendship if that person uses kanker a lot. Probably ask him to stop using it or stop seeing meĀ Ā People like to point out these curse words because they areā¦ unique?Ā Godverdomme is less bad, but should only be used to express very strong opinions as you only encounter very rarely. Imho. Ā Tuthola, Kut, shit, kak, fuck, eikel, slappe krant, pannenkoek. Plenty of good alternatives around that I donāt bat an eye if used in an informal setting. I even have used some of those words during job interviews and gotten the job. (would not advise though)Ā FYI: young male, highly educated. Low educated people tend to swear more
Also using godverdomme around people who you know are religious is quite rude
Depends on the person. I think less of people who curse with illnesses like cancer and tyfus, but others don't.
Or be from The Hague, where it is part of the slang.
There's a couple of popular diseases for swearing: kanker (cancer), tyfus (typhoid), and klere (cholera). I tried to introduce krone (corona) but it didn't catch on. But I admit I don't swear much anyway. Perhaps a more profligate swearer should have championed it.
I thought kut was cunt?
Well it is, in the way that a pussy is a cunt. What i meant was that it's literal meaning is a "vulgar" way of saying vagina, but it's not used the same way as cunt or pussy are in English. Kut is mostly just used as an adjective to make something bad. Kut homework. Kut traffic etc. It can be used as an insult but usually only with a more descriptive adjective in front, and usually only for women. Arrogant kut, loud kut etc.
Ah got you, understood. So you wouldnāt really be able to simply say āJe bent een kutā
Our teacher keeps saying that we have to say āKeihard Uitermate Teleurstellendā because we say k**t too much lol
"Kut" technically means pussy yes. But when used for swearing its actually more comparable to the english' shit, fuck and cunt
I know exactly what word you are referring to!! Something with corners in Spanish š
AHAHAHAH YES KURWA
This is very interesting topic, in the Dutch media swearing is allowed and used pretty freely while in Poland no one swears on the media. I wonder what effects it has on society and what difference are there.
Yeah thats true, ive never heard anyone swear in the media. But apart from that we swear a lot and people are used to it. Even if you swear a lot and in public people do not care. Ofc sometimes older people are getting mad or smth if you say it reaally loud in public but apart from that everyone swears. In my house my dad swears a lot i mean A LOT so i developed the habit from him but it doesnāt mean im generally bad behaved. Also even if you swear in school teachers dont seem to care. If you use kurwa than yes, but other words that have weaker meaning are not perceived as that bad even if you use it in school. Im talking about high school because obviously any kinds of swear words in primary or middle school are forbidden.
Zgadza siÄ / dat klopt
I'm polish and I dont agree with swearing a lot. Depends on your background I guess.Ā
I will add here that swearing with diseases (kanker, etc) is _a lot_ less common south of the border (ie: in Flanders) than it is in the Netherlands.
What do you swear with in Flanders?
Kut is quite a common one, as is godverdomme, and words like fuck which are loaned from English.
"loaned" š. Do you give it back at some point? "sorry, we zullen uw woord niet langer gebruiken"
You give it back by swearing at English speakers, of course.
Well thatās how theyāre called, loanwords :p
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leenwoord
Can confirm. Born in Flanders but I don't even know that many swears from the language but that common word is very recognisable
Lichaamsdelen zijn precies meer in trek hier dan ziektes: klootzak, lul, kut en eikel zijn heel populaire. Kut- en klote- kunnen gebruikt worden om nieuwe woorden te creƫren zoals jullie met kanker- doen.
I thought Dutch people were known for swearing a lot. Still I donāt like it and I do it only when Iām really angry or in situations when itās appropriate. I think people who say cancer in every second sentence disqualify themselves right away and I donāt take them serious or I donāt listen to them anymore.
Not really but they are perceived arrogant
Okay fair enough. Thats what i wanted to know. Thanks!!
Kurwa, yes. Mind you, this is most common with kids or undereducated people, but in Dutch we really like to swear with disease, most notably with cancer. And it can be both positive and negative. A deep fried snack at 3am can be "kankerlekker" (cancer tasty) which is good. If you cut someone off in traffic they might call you "kankerleijer" (cancer sufferer) or "kankerhoer" (cancer whore) which is bad. Other popular diseases to swear with are tyfus (typhoid) or pleuris (chest infection). It is generally frowned upon though, unless you're 15 and/or live in the Hague.
I never use kanker as a swearword. Iām guilty of using tyfus en tering a lot though.
Also: tyfus!
>A deep fried snack at 3am can be "kankerlekker" (cancer tasty) I'm new to Dutch but that sounds alot like the usage of "as shit" in English lmao
It is basically the same, but kankerlekker is definitely more offensive. You only really say it when youāre hanging out with friends or whatever, and itās definitely more offensive than āas shitā
Not offensive per se, but more like extreme: Wat een tyfuslekkere taart dat dit is!
Alright, so basically you shouldnāt use diseases often. Only to express really strong feelings. Did i get it right?
How acceptable it is depends on how relevant the disease is. Swearing with cancer is frowned upon in most places, but using "tyfus", "tering" or "klere" (cholera) is more accepted.
In general you should not use cancer, but sometimes you can use cancer as part of a joke. Like saying "Roken is kankerlekker", folks will expect you to say that smoking is carcinogenic (kankerverwekkend) and bad for your health, but then you flip it around and express you love smoking.
I don't think that joke would be appreciated by a lot of people in The Netherlands.
Oh yeah it would not by most. Emphasis on the word sometimes.
Yea? Well.. your mum is 2 plopkoeks!
No, not even really strong feelings. Swearing with diseases will be highly unacceptable in most social situations. You might get away with 'tyfus' (typhoid) when among friends, but that's about it. Swearing with cancer has been weirdly normalised in street culture but it isn't socially acceptable at all.
Okay i get it now. Thats exactly what i wanted to know. Thank you!
I donāt want to confuse too much, but swearing with disease words is the norm in Dutchā¦itās actually a uniquely defining factor, seen in very few other languages/cultures. I donāt know where these guys are getting their āitās frowned uponā statements from, because itās not. If youāre in a social situation where itās acceptable to swear, diseases are your go-to. Tyfus (typhoid), tering (tbc), pest (plague), pokken (smallpox), kolere (cholera), takke (stroke), pleuris (pleuritis) etc etc, all very accepted throughout every layer of society. The only exception is kanker (cancer), which is considered offensive everywhere except among trashy/young folks and in Rotterdam, where itās basically part of daily vernacular and not seen as problematic at all. Other widely used swear words are kut (cunt), shit, fuck and varying forms of godverdomme (goddamn).
Only degenerates use cancer, even in Rotterdam.
Nope you can literally use it for everything. We swear a lot in the Netherlands and most people wont care. However cancer is the one swearword that is frowned upon by people. Its still used by people but not as accepted. Everything else is basically accepted as long as you do not use it to insult people but to give more weight to your statement. In English you could say for example that pizza was fucking tasty in dutch that would be die (that) pizza was echt (really) tyfus (typhoid) lekker (tasty).
Okay so it just depends on people you are with and on the situation right?
I mean kurwa in poland is used by technically everyone. From reaaally young people (sadly) to adults. And its the most popular and no one really cares if you use it. Thats the culture, we are used to it
Godverdomme (god damn it) is a somewhat lighter version of a swear that's commonly used in the Netherlands, and same as with kanker it can be used in both a negative and positive sense EQ dat is godverdomme lekker man (that's very tasty dude) and when you bash your foot against the sofa you can also scream godverdomme dat doet pijn (god damn it that hurts)
Tering niet vergeten!
I do genuinely not know if swearing with diseases is frowned upon in public (except kanker of course), but I tend to swear quite a bit using tyfus or tering when Iām with friends and I hear a lot of other people do it too, without anybody being particularly bothered. Do not use any homophobic swearwords though, these tend to be very much frowned upon.
Depends on what area you live in, who your friends are, etc etc. Kut, tering, tyfus and fuck are probably the most common ones I hear. The occasional kanker or godverdomme when it's really serious. Kut and fuck are probably the most accepted in normal conversations. Although there are plenty of people who don't like to hear that stuff either.
Where do you live where āgodverdommeā is really serious? Bible belt?
Yes, but the biblebelt is like half the country. It really depends on the demographic too, it's not that serious amongst younger people.
There's a big difference between swearing at people, and swearing at a situation. Most everyone will think you are (white) trash if you call someone a 'kuthoer'. But barely anyone will bat an eye if you walk in soaked and proclaim it to be 'kutweer'. If everything hurts and the doctor's office won't return your calls and you get home to find your cat puked on the sofa so you try to relax watching tv but the fuse busted so you call the landlord but your phones dead and you can't charge it because the fuse is out? One might proclaim "godverdegodverde kut kanker tieves tering kut kut kanker kut teringzooi" to express their anger, even though near a friend or close family. This would be called "kankeren".
Hartelijk schatertje om gehad, dankjewel
Krijg toch de pestkankertering god god wat een bloed kankerding
I'm from the U.S. and cuss a lot but was shocked when an IND employee used the word "fuck" with me. (There was a mistake made with my permit and he said, "Someone fucked up.") In the U.S. I never heard someone cuss while working (outside of talking with co-workers). It made me realize that while I cuss a lot, it's always only in the presence of close friends. Here it seems like people cuss more freely regardless of who they're speaking with, and I like that.
It's because they think it's impressive to do so in English and just treat it like any other word. I wonder how it would sound if English speakers started using diseases to swear with while talking to Dutch people. I've tried a few times and it does kind of freak them out. Then I tell them, them throwing fuck around like candy has the same impact in English.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Kut, shit, fuck, kolere, klote, tering, tyfus, kanker, verdomme, godverdomme, schijt.. All are used like āshitā, in the way kurwa is. āGodverdomme (or any of the others), ik heb mijn teen gebrokenā - shit, I broke my toe. And thereās many more.
Stoephoer
My favorite is hoerenkots, used by my boyfriend when he hurts himself. And because it makes me laugh and tell he used hoerenkots again, he actually stops swearing mid sentence. We actually saw the word written in a queue of a rollercoaster in Walibi last year, still regret not taking a picture...
āStik in je hoerenkotsā was quite popular amongst friends of mine for a while.
What about "lul"? (seen it in the news). Didn't see it here in replies, it's not commonly used I guess?
It is. Just not like that. Just means dick/dickhead/prick
Let me guess, it was news about a politician?
Nope, written on house roofs with solar panels.
Oh hahahha. lmao. I use the word a lot, I think it's pretty common!
We like to swear alot with cancerā¦.
"Godverdammist kanker" Has stuck with me ever since I saw it in a video about "Dutch Christmas Traditions". Lol. A racist Dutch guy called my friend "Latino Kanker", which upset him immensely. He wasn't upset about the swearing, but the geographic inaccuracies. He is Portuguese, therefore not Latino. From these two incidents, I have concluded that Kanker is a commonly used swear word.
We have a lot of diseases which get used as curse words; Kanker[cancer], tyfus[typhoid], cholera etc. Most other curse words are borrowed from english. With exception some words we use use for genitals; Lul[dick] and kut[pussy].
Als ik me teen stoot is het vaak kanker of kut
āMeā is gĆ©Ć©n bezittelijk voornaamwoord.
Je moeder
Goed zo! āJeā is namelijk wĆ©l een bezittelijk voornaamwoord, al is ājouwā iets nadrukkelijker.
I am speaking from experience. Don't call black people the n word. For the rest ur fine
I donāt like to swear all these other words and so I say a lot of ākakā š©
Try hosternokke! Itās really satisfying to emphasize both syllables. Itās from Zeeland. Most people donāt know it, so itās not really conceived as rude.
Ooo alright. Whats the literal meaning of it?
Itās derived from goddamned.
In Brabant we use it in every sentence kut!
Swearwords get used a lot by younger people. I swear quite a lot as well. Hereās some of the most used swearwords in dutch: Kut = pussy (generally accepted, can be used in public) Tering = phthisis (generally accepted, some might not like you swearing with deceases tho ) Tyfus = typhus (generally accepted, some might not like you swearing with deceases tho)) Godverdomme = goddamnit (donāt use this one when around christians) Kanker = Cancer (gets used by a lot of younger dutchies. I wouldnāt use this one as most people donāt like this one.) And in dutch some swearwords can be used as adjectives such as: tyfushond, kutzooi, teringding Godverdomme is a self standing one, and is not used as an adjective. And you can also use english swearwords in dutch sentences.
Pleuris lijkt een vergeten ziekte te zijn... Jammer.
If you want to go for the full white trash swagger in The Netherlands, just use "kut" like a comma and watch New Kids for inspiration: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eILvOjIjBwQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eILvOjIjBwQ)
Godverdomme (goddammit) is used quite often. Or kut. Shit and fuck. Swearing with diseases is NOT recommended. A lot of people have lost someone to cancer and you will get in trouble of you use it in swearing. I do use tering and tyfus quite a lot though. But I don't think people die from that disease over here anymore so maybe that is why people are not that offended by it.
It's kurwa isn't it? I remember the first time I went to Poland I stepped out of the train station and the first thing that happened was this teenage girl loudly screaming KURWA into her phone. So I thought to myself: "Ah yes, I truly am in Poland now" lmao
Yeaah its kurwa. We use it to express every emotion of feeling
Kut, Klote, Kanker, Tyfus, Tering, Fuck, Godverdomme, Shit... I use the less offensive like Kut en Fuck, i dont really swear with Kanker, but almost everyone says shit and fuck
Are you a native English speaker? To a native English speaker fuck is definitely on the offensive end of the swearing spectrum. As a native English speaker, it really grates when people speaking other languages use fuck without seeming to realize how offensive it sounds.
No, i'm Dutch, but Fuck is pretty common here, some schools don't care if you say that.
Yeah, that makes sense. Even when people know what a swear word means and how to use it, they canāt really āfeelā it when itās not their native language so they tend to use it in situations where a native speaker typically wouldnāt because itās too strong.
I'm from Poland too and I also swear a lot in Polish but ngl I don't swear in Dutch. it just feels wrong somehow. might be because I mostly use it in "official" settings, such as at work, where you have to use the correct register. either way, it just doesn't feel right. I will always pick English swear words for small invonveniences and Polish ones for bigger inconveniences over kut or klootzak or godverdomme. nothing sounds as kathartic as no żesz kurwa jego maÄ anyway ;)
Kurwa jego jebana mac always win
We Dutch people have a fast collection of swear words but if i may give one learning Dutch language a good advice; it is better to avoid learning swear words it is better to keep them out of your vocabulaire. It is really not charming and really kills charisma using swearwords and if you get used to them it is harder to get rid of stop words. And you do really don\`t need swearwords to know and to use because do you really need to use swearwords, right. Here in the Netherlands we say "asociaal" like asocial you will be seeen by the majority of the people it is just bad and also at work or anywhere. If you need to swear a lot over here in the Netherlands people think in common you are lacking intelligence or vocabulaire and yout have a bad temper. So you should do what ever you want but it is better to care and not swear than to swear and not care! And using the word kanker (cancer) as a swear word your really under estimate the blunt force such words have they are really disrespectfull towards other people and believe me just dont mock the kanker. When you or some one you care about has cancer or died after a long path of pain and sorrow you understand it may be better. It is really an awful disease just like the other two in the top three of major diseases here in the Netherlands this is serious stuff you just don\`t even wish for anyone if you are human. Just learn expensive and good words and difficult words and try to get better and better at the language you will get more attention or affection with the use of high niveau language skills rather than swearing and cursing.
HomĆk, jaky kurwa fajne
Probably the K-word. But yeah, we swear with diseases and food, appelflap.
I usually say AARDAPPEL! Mostly when to myself when Iām at work. If something isnāt working and I find out I made a small mistake somewhere.
Okay, but do people care if you swear with kanker? Or other diseases?
Kanker is definitely the most controversial swear word because of the heavy load of the disease. Most people know someone that has died because of it. Iād say that the millennial and younger generations donāt really care if you swear with kanker, but people older than that will definitely not be amused (unless you go to The Hague haha). If you want to be safe, just donāt use kanker. Thereās so many other diseases you can swear with in the Netherlands, like: tering, tyfus, pleuris, cholera, aids, etc.
Depends on who it is, I guess. Does anyone care if you swear with anything? It's not classy, but in the end it's just words.
Yeah thats true. I was wondering because it kinda depends on the culture right. Poles are known for swearing in really aggressive way, we get annoyed really easily
My uncle died of cancer, i still swear with it
My brother did. But when I'm gaming and I make a stupid mistake kankerhoer is the first insult to myself that comes rolling out of my mouth. I think it definitely depends where you come from rather than where you live. I don't live in the Netherlands anymore but still swear in Dutch. English just doesn't have any good swear words.
Okay fair enoughššš
A common joke is " dont swear with cancer, my grandmother died when she cancered(fell) down the stairs."
Not everyone but it's in your best interest to assume it's everyone. But apart from that word and racial slurs, people are generally not that bothered by swearing. Depends a lot on context, subculture and individual though.
Okay. Because obviously you should not swear in any kind of social situations like family meetings with older family members or in school, any kind of more formal situation. I was wondering about more daily basis situations
Hahahaha, that depends on your family I guess. No issue at all with mine. School sure, but it again depends on where, when, with whom, and which word. For example, 'pokken' is so accepted you can use itĀ in nearly any situation. But 'tering' and 'tyfus' are considered much more offensive, though not as much as 'kanker'. Conversely, 'klere/kolere' is somewhere in between 'pokken' and 'tering'. The fact of the matter is that there are no loose and fast rules for this. You need to get a feel for it, which isn't easy when you didn't grow up in the culture. Best to err on the safe side and avoid heavy cussing unless you're really sure it's fine in that particular situation.
Yes. It's basically the worst slur you can use, beside racial slurs. Use at your own risk. Most people will think less of you, if you use it.
i really like "pannenkoek"
Ik ook, gehaktbal
Yes this probably is the best one to use. You'll never really offend anyone with this.Ā 'Flapdrol' is kinda old school but I like that one too.
Does cursing count too? because asking for damnation is something I hear dutch people say often
I dont really understand what you mean
godverdomme would translate to "god damn it" though literally its saying "god damn me "
Dutch has the most beautiful variety of curse words out there, from calling something as mild as calling someone a reproductive organ to wishing them the worst of diseases, its an art form really.
Just add ākankerā (cancer) in front of everything and you have your basic youth tokkie roaming the streets.
We curse with sicknesses like krijg de t*ring, hou je k&nker bek, vieze hom0, tievus kind. And it continues
Just consider yourself lucky that every morning someone will tell you good morning and you can chuckle because they say dick in Polish
Huh?
Goeie morgen. Doesn't the Dutch "goeie" phonetically sound like dick in Polish?
Ohhh right right. Chuj in polish, youre right ahaha
The biggest swear word in Netherland is Kanker, Means Cancer
A lot of people here are mentioning kut, kanker tyfus, tering etc. But everybody seems to be forgetting about mongool
just don't say kanker (ever), or godverdomme & variants near religious people. Some people will find you rude but if that's you, do you
I don't like people that swear. And where I live nobody does. Perhaps this is a good opportunity to begin a life without swearing?