Dutch profanity can be divided into several categories. Often, the words used in profanity by speakers of Dutch are based around various names for diseases. In many cases, these words have evolved into slang, and many euphemisms for diseases are in common use.
Additionally, a substantial number of curse words in the Dutch language are references to sexual acts, genitalia, or bodily functions. Religious curse words also make up a considerable part of the Dutch profanity vocabulary. Aside from these categories, the Dutch language has many words that are only used for animals; these words are insulting when applied to people. English terms often complement the Dutch vocabulary, and several English curse words are commonly in use.
Because of the prominence of the diminutive in the Dutch language, most nouns used in Dutch profanity can also be said or written in their diminutive forms.
The words listed here are mostly used in the Netherlands; some of them are uncommon in Flanders.
Profanity related to illness and diseases
("retarded") had been used as a word to denote mentally disabled people in the past. It is commonly used as an insult, usually for people who do not have their facts up to date, or for people, organisations or geographic areas considered backwards or old-fashioned. A humorous variation, "" ("retarded gladiolus"), was first lexicalized in 1984. ("incapable" or "infirm") is a term for people with a developmental disorder. It is commonly used as an insult. has the same meaning as the English "downy", referring to people with Down's Syndrome. means "idiot". Also used in Afrikaans as equal to "idiot". means "cancer". It can be used as a strong expletive, as an adjective or as an adverb. ("get cancer") is used as an insult. In slang, it can also have a positive meaning. For example, can mean "extremely good tasting" or "very attractive". Even when used this way in its positive meaning, the word can still be considered very offensive and its use is strongly discouraged.Man beboet voor het schelden met kanker, terecht? (Man fined for swearing with cancer, is it right?), Metronieuws.nl "" can be paired with nearly any insult to intensify it. The word is sometimes shortened to its historical euphemism , or in slang kk or kkr. means "cancer sufferer". It is a strong insult: an example of its legal status can be found in court cases, in which using the word to insult a police officer was cited as a serious offense.When an official in the lawful performance of his/her duties is threatened by means of insults (and other utterances), threat and insult are charged as two separate counts. was used in , , , ... is a slang word for cholera. It can be used as an expletive, as an adjective or as an adverb. is a common variation. is a slang word meaning "cholera sufferer". It is used as an insult, and roughly analogous to "motherfucker". is a slang word for cholera. It can be used as an expletive, as an adjective or as an adverb. is a common variation. To wish a disease upon someone, the words ("catch the...", "get the...", "contract the...") are typically used. Examples include , , , , , , , and the more euphemistic (but more old-fashioned) . In standard Dutch, the article is superfluous or incorrect in these phrases, and consequently "" and "" are only paired with disease names in context of profanity. is a euphemism for leprosy. ("catch the leprosy") is uncommonly used as an insult. It is more often used as slang for getting very drunk, comparable to "shitfaced". (literally: "sufferer") is a noun and suffix. It is correctly spelled "", but the "d" becomes silent in slang. It is used both as a standalone insult and in combination with diseases, such as , , , , , and . ("mongoloid") is a common insult, referring to Down syndrome. Its diminutive is often used as a somewhat more neutral or affectionate term for people with Down syndrome, although it is not considered politically correct. ("cancer-mongoloid", idiomatically "fucking retard") is a common variation; see . Some people use . Also frequently used in Afrikaans. is a neologism introduced by a famous Dutch comics writer, Marten Toonder. It is incorrectly used to denote somebody with a small (minor) brain or low IQ. According to the writer it is actually a positive quality, as a lack of pretence and ego. (literally: "plague", compare "pestilence") can be used as an adjective or as an adverb. The verb means "to bully" (whereas the etymologically related "" means "to tease"). "" ("to have the plague in") means "to be irritated". The word is sometimes shortened to its historical euphemism . Literally meaning "plague head", a is someone who engages in bullying. See and . , or less commonly , is a slang word for tuberculosis (compare ), originally referring to any form of lung infection. It can be used as an expletive, as an adjective or as an adverb. ("catch the tuberculosis") is also commonly used. As with , the phrase "" ("everything went to the tuberculosis", analogous to "everything went to hell/shit") is commonly used. As a verb, the word (literally "to tuberculosis off") can mean "to fuck off" (compare under ). is a slang word meaning "tuberculosis sufferer". It is used as an insult, and roughly analogous to "motherfucker". is uncommon as a curse word, and is mostly heard in the phrase "" ("do you have polio or something?"), which can be used to insult someone's perceived laziness. The (Dutch Language Society) has noted a rise in the use of as an expletive and adjective in the Rotterdam area, and describes it as a possible alternative to the more severe . (correctly spelled "") is a slang word for smallpox. It can be used as an adjective or as an adverb. is a slang word meaning "smallpox sufferer". It is used as an insult, and roughly analogous to "motherfucker". (literally: "unintelligent", "dumb", "mute") can be used an intensifier when using curse words. Examples are "" ("dumb whore") and "" ("dumb cunt"). is the person who is considered stupid. (from French "") is a slang word for stroke. It can be used an adjective or as an adverb. ("have the stroke") is used as an insult. A common variation is ("stroke woman"): see also . is a slang word for tuberculosis. It is short for "" (literally: "digestion"; compare English "consumption"). It can be used as an expletive, as an adjective or as an adverb. ("flying tuberculosis") is a humorous variation, originally referring to sudden-onset tuberculosis. ("catch the tuberculosis") is used as an insult. Other words for tuberculosis include TB and TBC, which were historically used as euphemisms, as the names of diseases were considered profane. As with , the phrase "" ("everything went to the tuberculosis", analogous to "everything went to hell") is commonly used. is a slang word meaning "tuberculosis sufferer". It is used as an insult, and roughly analogous to "motherfucker". is a word for typhoid fever. It can be used as an expletive, as an adjective or as an adverb. ("catch the typhoid fever") is used as an insult. The variation ("to typhoid off") is analogous to "fuck off" (compare under ). Sanders and Tempelaars (1998) note ("typhoid tuberculosis") as a variation common in Rotterdam. is a slang word meaning "typhoid fever sufferer". It is used as an insult, and roughly analogous to "motherfucker". (literally: "finch tuberculosis") is noted by Sanders and Tempelaars (1998) as an expression that is typical in the Rotterdam vocabulary. A noted humorous variation is ("catch the (flying) finch tuberculosis"). See also . (literally: "sickness", "illness" or "disease") is used in the expression ("catch the disease"). It is a euphemism that can be used for various afflictions. Older variations include ("to drink like the disease"). can also be used as an adjective, much in the same sense that "sick" in English is used.
Profanity related to religion and death
gadverdamme Gadverdamme is a softened version of godverdomme. Gadverdamme is used to express disgust. It is often shortened to gadver or gatver. getverderrie Getverderrie is a softened version of godverdomme, and is used to express disgust. It is often shortened to getver. godverdomme Godverdomme is a shortened version of the subjunctive phrase "God verdoeme..." ("may God damn...", compare English "goddamnit"). Verdomme ("damn", literally "damn me") or Godsamme ("God shall me", short for "God zal me verhoeden" = "God shall protect me" e.g. from doing something barbarous) are common variations. Softened versions exist like gadverdamme and getverderrie which are specifically meant to express disgust, snotverdomme, potverdorie, potvolblomme, potvoldriedubbeltjes, potverdrie. godskolere Godskolere is a combination of the West-Flemish dialect word koleire (meaning "being furious"; "colère" in French) and God. graftak Graftak literally means "grave branch" and refers to someone's age. This is typically enforced by adding ouwe/oude ("old") or achterlijke ("retarded"). The word can also refer to a moody, cranky person. hel Hel ("hell") is not typically used in Dutch profanity. The word can be seen in some expressions, including "loop naar de hel" (literally: "walk to hell", analogous to "go to hell"), "hels karwei" ("hellish chore"), and the archaic helleveeg ("evil woman from hell"). Jezus Christus Jezus Christus ("Jesus Christ") is used similarly to godverdomme, although it is slightly less offensive. Often just Jezus, or in the form of minced oaths: tjezus, jeetje, jezus mina etc. Disgust can be expressed by jesses, jasses, harrejasses, the last from Here Jezus ("Lord Jesus"). Judas Judas is used as an insult for somebody who is considered a traitor, like Judas Iskariot who according to the New Testament betrayed Jesus Christ for 30 silverlings. The derived verb judassen refers to harassing somebody.kopvodKopvod ("head rag") is a derogatory word to refer to the hijab worn by some Muslim women. Popularised by Geert Wilders, it is mostly used in relation to the proposed kopvoddentaks ("head rag tax"). verdomme Verdomme ("damn") is a common variation of godverdomme. Because it doesn't use "god" it is seen as slightly less offensive than "godverdomme", but as it originates from "godverdomme", some religious Dutch people still find it very offensive. verdorie Verdorie is a softer variation of verdomme ("darn"). There is a large number of bastard curses of this form, including potdorie, potjandorie, potdrie, potverdriedubbeltjes, potdeksels, deksels, etc.
Profanity related to sexuality, the human body, and animals