Top 10 Most Popular Polish Swear Words

'Kurwa' means whore, but it's used for absolutely everything. A Pole who stubs his thumb shouts 'kurwa', but a Pole who is impressed does exactly the same.

Everyone knows the word 'kurwa', but add 'mać' and the charge immediately doubles. It drags the mother into the curse, which makes the whole thing a lot grimmer.

'Chuj' is the Polish word for dick. In Poland, however, it's a much heavier insult than the English equivalent.

This verb forms one of the main pillars of Polish swearing. Although the base means 'to fuck', the derived forms are endlessly versatile.

'Jebany' works as a powerful intensifier. It's equivalent to the English 'fucking'.

'Skurwysyn' is the Polish version of 'son of a bitch' and one of the heaviest swear words you can use. It's a direct attack on someone's origins and character.

'Dupek' is the Polish jerk or asshole. It's an insult you save for the arrogant neighbor or that annoying colleague.

Literally translated, this means shit. You use 'gówno' for anything worthless, fake or simply of poor quality.

This is the light version of the heavier terms on this list. Compare it to 'gosh' or 'darn'.

'Cholera' is the most decent way to express your frustration in Poland. It refers to the notorious disease that was once so feared that its name became a curse.