Croatian Swear Words With English Translations (Part II)

Chasing the Donkey may include affiliate links - if you decide to make a purchase through these links, we receive a commission without any additional cost to you. Disclaimer & privacy policy.
Post author Mate

Written by our local expert Mate

Mate is Croatian and owns a transport company in the Balkans, he has visited over 30 countries. He is an expert on all things transportation as well as food and wine.

Warning: Content May Offend

Those of us with Croatian heritage will know that Croatian swear words (or for you Americans: Croatian cuss words) are very “colorful and creative.”

Growing up, I remember my parents saying things that seemed completely nonsensical, like “pun kurac,” which literally translates to full of dick, and wondering what the hell it meant.

One of our most popular posts has been our Croatian swear words. Since then, we’ve gotten lots of feedback from you, our readers, about some of the Croatian, swear words you grew up with and telling us we should make a post about the ones that’ll make people really cringe. So we’ve decided to compile an uncensored Croatian swear words list, which includes the feedback we have received from you guys.
When swearing in Croatian, one thing to remember is that how you say it determines the context, meaning, and how it will be received. Remember the scene in Donnie Brasco, where Johnny Depp explains the multiple meanings of “forget about it.” Croatian swear words are much the same.

Learn How To Swear In Croatian

Pička Ti Materina

Use this Croatian swear word that translates to your mother’s vagina instead of one of that lame-ass ‘Yo Mama so fat’ jokes. Nothing beats using a phrase about your best friend’s mother’s lady parts to get his attention.

Idi U Tri Pičke Materine

As if talking about someone else’s mother’s private area was not bad enough in the first example, this phrase goes up three notches. Here you’re telling someone to go into your mother’s vagina three timesLike once is not bad enough.

Brands We Use And Trust


Jebi Se

In part one, we left out this rather handy phrase, sorry about that. Simply put, fuck yourself needs no explanation.

Jebi Ga

Simple is often best. No need to translate this super-common Croatian swear – fuck it. Just as it’s used in English, you can say jebi ga in the morning, at noon, and night, basically whenever you’re pissed off.

Odjebi

Fuck off. Innocent as that.

Ajde U Kurac

This one is a touch more tricky. If od jebi were not enough to tell someone to go fuck themselves, then this one should do the trick. Go into a dick means to fuck off but with more power. Mrs. Chasing the Donkey has used this one a few times herself, talk about assimilating.

Croatian Flag Stick Men | Croatia Travel Blog

 

Jebo Ti Pas Mater

Oh boy, how our dear mothers who gave birth to us get used in the worst possible way while swearing in Croatian. May the dog fuck your mother surely will get your point across to that person who is pissing you off or to a situation that really has your panties in a twist.

Kurac

This word meaning dick is quite flexible as it changes its meaning depending on its use. Add it to one of your English cuss phrases for added effect to throw your friends off.

Kurac Od Tovara Or Ovce

We all have at least one useless and worthless friend *looks around*. Croatian swears often use animals (not just mothers), and this one is dick of a donkey (tovar) or sheep (ovca)—two poor innocent animals who often get used to when swearing in Croatian.

Pun Kurac

If you remember, kurac means dick. And, if you want to know how to swear like a Croatian, you need to know how to use that word in as many ways as possible. An easy example is full dick, which translates to full of shit or bullshit. Give it a whirl next time your mate is raving on.

Koji Ti Je Kurac?

So, what is wrong with your dick? You would never say that in English, but it’s a perfect Croatian cuss word meaning what the fuck is wrong with you?

Hoću Kurac

I want dick. Gasp – what? Who says that? Us Croats, that’s who. Use it instead of hell; no, I don’t want it. When Mrs. Chasing the Donkey asks me to do the dishes, my response is hoću kurac.

Ajde U Pičku Strininu

We cussed out our mothers, a few animals, a few dicks… so, of course, the next person to use in Croatian swearing is your dear aunt. Go into your Aunt’s vagina. This one is particular. Why it has to be the auntie who is your dad’s sister-in-law, I have no idea.

Pičkin Dim

Ever thought about vagina smoke? Well, you have now; this phrase means that something is straightforward, almost nothing. I would love to know how this phrase originated?

Here is a clip of a guy having some trouble starting a fire who demonstrates the Croatian language color. He is clearly very frustrated and heads into religious cursing territory. If you do not want to hear any serious cursing, please do not watch the clip.

Learn More Croatian


Learn Croatian Online

We’ve been taking weekly Croatian language Skype lessons for some time now with our teacher, who provides excellent service. She is currently taking on new students, so if you’re interested in learning or improving your Croatian, now is the time.

Learning Croatian one-on-one with a language teacher via Skype. You can learn at your own pace, you have the flexibility of taking the lessons in the comfort of your own home, and you have your very own teacher to help you along the way.

Click Here To Learn Croatian Online

Comments (101)

  1. I am repeating the new Croatian lesson, not only to have the special words available when needed, but also to know when and if someone says them to me :)))))

    1. yes, be aware. You should also read part one – you might hear those more often ‘at you’ so early on in your freindships.

  2. The man swearing in the YouTube clip…. I’m surrounded by people swearing in Croatian but that, was truly something else!

  3. I’m partly Croatian and thought i knew almost every Croatian swear word, but swearing on the video was truly off the charts, i’m shocked!

  4. I never thought we’d find someone who can out swear mum but the dude in the video at this end of link is out of this world!

  5. I’m partial to the popular swear phrase I learned in Imotski. Boli me kurac!!! Literal translation My Dick hurts. What it actually means: I couldn’t care less.

  6. Uhhhh ja nisam mogla slušati ove psovke,mora da je Dalmatinac but overall I had a good laugh

  7. That clip is taking it to a whole knew level wow!!
    We did laugh though, is that very bad of us haha

  8. I don’t pretend to be fluent in the language, but know most of these phrases….Ha

  9. …and my husband (who’s not Croatian) doesn’t understand why cursing comes so natural to me…..it’s cultural

    1. and i am proud on our unbelievable riches of swear words and phrases. da ga jebeš ….. :)

    1. You did not hear me. I am from Istria and swearing mixing Croatian and Italian. It’s a collection of swear dictionaries. It’s fantastic and nobody can compete

  10. “idi u tri picke materine” doesn’t mean “go to yours mother vagina 3 times” but “go to 3 vaginas of your mother” as if someone’s mother has 3 vaginas. It’s little abstract but well…

    1. Actually neither you are correct. There is no necessary implication to your mother. The translation is Go to 3 mother’s vagina

  11. Thank you but cursing in American comes very natural. Cursing in Cro is very in detail and very and I’m a Croat.
    Zrno po zrno❤️

  12. Brings back memories of my childhood! Lmao…..every family gathering. All the old men cursing and screaming about how to roast the pig and or lamb while drinking homemade gutrot wine and slivo!

  13. Now you are armed with the Croatia language. You will understand the language 90% of the time

  14. Plačipička – crying pussy (used for men who make drama about everything, drama queen)

    1. Instead od plačipička which do not sound good you can use “pičkica” but the oldest word for this is “pizdica” meaning both little pussy therefore not male or brave

  15. The maid at the hotel we stayed would tell my kids “idi u __ ” when they would refuse a bon bon she offered! Hilarious yet shocking!

    1. Jebiga is the sweetiest swear word ever. It is very lite meaning “bad luck” when something west wrong

    1. Jebe te vrag meaning the Devil fuck you. Od you use ti meaning to you then you need to add a word like jebe ti vrag tvoj auto meaning the Devil fuck your car. However, in Croatia we never sweet on Devil but on god like JEBO TE BOG which generally is the most powerfull swear word ever

      1. I would say that only sounds like the most powerful one, but it’s not. People use it in discussions when someone is acting stupid and can be used without the other party getting angry.

        But cursing mothers is completely different. Whenever used it will create a big offence.

  16. Really great. Used it when meeting with some Croatian businesses reps. and thought it would be helpful.

  17. Can you help me figure out what my grandma was saying when she said something that sounded like “checka mola”…?

    1. checka – is probably čekaj, which means wait. No clue on the second word – when would she use it?

  18. I would also like assistance trying to figure out what my grandmother would call my brother and I when we were little. It sounded like “ma-gar-atsa”. She normally would say it if we beat her at a game of cards or something. lol I’m guessing it was a curse word but I don’t see anything on here like that one. She would speak in Croatian occasionally but that’s the main thing that I recall. Thanks!

      1. Oh my… lol.. thank you bunches!!! She was feisty and funny so that certainly sounds like something she’d call someone. :P

        1. Ana yes it was probably as SJ Begonja wrote. However, I disagree that she said him to be a donkey. What she probably said is a very old way to swear when you loose a game. I am still using this expression and it is to be written as (‘BEM)TI MAGARCA. In parenthesis is an optional part of the word. If you do not say it it is less aggressive as ‘bemti stay for jebemti meaning fully I am fucking your donkey so old people avoid to say fully the bad word

      2. I hear my other half swear in Croatian in bathroom to the kids all I hear ia boga can someone translate. Who knows he’s probably swearing at me the idiot and using the kids.

  19. During the futbol game we heard people shouting “English kapishke.” We understood it to mean “English pussies” but wanting confirmation. Thanks!

    1. “Vrag je va tebe” yes it means that the devil is inside of you.
      You also have “Vražji si” you are devilish.

      This does not have to mean something is wrong with you, it can also apply you are resourceful, smart, know how to get what you want.

  20. I new a guy that used to say “embemsheboga” or it sounded like that when raising a glass toasting a drink, I asked what does that mean and his reply was ” it means Fuck your god” Sounds good to me! Any Idea?

      1. You mean ‘jebem ti boga’, ‘jebes mi boga’ or ‘jebo te bog’. All 3 of them are just so awful

        1. This one, and the ones with Jesus are actually not meant in a that bad way…. When you say it to someone, you feel angry at god for making that person so stupid.
          Mentioning mothers is far more direct and worse.

    1. It means “I’m driving from a middle of nowhere”, but literally translates as “I’m driving from mother’s vagina”.

  21. So my grandma said her mom used to tell my uncles “pusky drek na meyde” when they would pick on her (spelling is completely phonetic there) something like “don’t stir the shit”… any thoughts on what it actually is??

  22. Hahahaha,this one cracked me up as a born and raised Croat, and lemme tell you, Dalmatian peeps aren’t the only ones to…psuju k’o kocijasi (or,swear like the carriage drivers back in the days) lol 🤣
    Also, one of the swear phrases I kinda like to use a lot is pusi (or pushi) kurac,meaning literally suck dick,or a more popular phrase popusi (popushi) mi kurac,meaning suck my d*ck (said when, and only when someone truly gets heavily on your nerves and you srsly want to point that out to them). Another one is jebem ti mater (literally I fuck your mother) which is only to be used when and where it’s due (depending on how much the person pissed you off) and actually, all of these “fine examples of the colorful Croatian language” aren’t just popular in Dalmatia, but all over Croatia (for example, I’m from Podravina (famous for one of the worldwide known condiments, Vegeta by Podravka) and I personally use almost all of these on a daily basis…how Croatian of li’l ol’ me lmao 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣) as well as most of our Slavic neighbors, so it’s all normal here in the Balkan peninsula 🤷‍♀️🤣🤣🤣

  23. I’ve seen a similar list like 10 years ago. I came back and I’m not disappointed. This is beyond hilarious.
    Greetings from Poland, kurwa mać :)

  24. I am from Croatia and i live in the city of Rijeka.
    I understand these words and they are not for to say in croatia unless you are angry but dont say it if you are tourists because you will be in a big problem.
    Visit Croatia and stay safe! Visiting reccomendations are Zagreb(capital)
    Porec (Istria)
    If you are traveling with a family or kids visit Santa Marina in porec,
    Split, Dubrovnik, Rijeka and Osijek and Vukovar.

  25. your translation is horrible and nonsensical, lets just take first couple of examples koji ti je kurac doesnt mean what’s wrong with your dick but rather what dick is bothering you (both literal translation and explanation) pun kurac means full dick literally but it means full balls and that is self explanatory… also variants dont fill my balls /ne puni mi jaja,kurac…/ (with nonsense -implied)
    hoću kurac doesnt mean i want dick but i wont do it or literally i won’t. dick! it means the very opposite of i want… also you cant literally translate words cause words have very different scope in their respective languages, and that’s just the dictionary meaning, not to mention different tenses (without any counterpart in the other language) and so on and so forth and last but not least EVERY language have their own cusses that most frequently have no meaning whatsoever when you translate them without detailed explanation, etymology, examples, context etc… thx for understanding

  26. can you please help me with this phrase.
    pisi me vrit i am told it means “kiss my ass’ does it?
    dk

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Move This Adventure To Your Inbox & Get An Instant Freebie

Subscribe To Unlock Your FREE Customizable Travel Packing List & All Our Best Tips!