Three tables full of German swear words, curses, and insults

We both know why you're here, and it's not to read a boring introduction 🫡

Just bear with me for one important gramamar point:

Many of these curse words are terms that refer to a specific type of person. In other words, they're nouns. If you're wondering why random words in the middle of the example sentences are capitalized, that's why.

Alas:

[Disclaimer] Please don't call your boss an Arschgeige

I won't dwell on this point, but you should know that we have a significantly weaker emotional response to things in foreign languages than we do in our native language. Basically, even if you know what a German insult means, you won't be able to reliably feel just how offensive it is.

Unfortunately, the person you're talking to will.

We think that it's worth your time learning bad words and phrases in German, but that doesn't necessarily mean that we want you to sprinkle them into your speech like sesame seeds on a high-quality hamburger bun.

In other words:

Why learn German swear words, anyway?

Somehow I have a feeling I don't need to convince y'all on this one 👀

But, just in case, here are three big reasons for you:

Anyhow, now that that's out of the way, let's get into it!

Three lists of common German curse words and insults, organized by severity

We have a few native speakers of German on the Migaku staff, and they were, erm, very excited to help out with this article. I asked for fact-checking help on a Friday afternoon and within about two hours had received some of the most detailed and prolific feedback I've ever received as a writer.

In fact, I got so much feedback that I actually ended up writing two articles: this one, plus another article on German slang.

So, uhh, German learners rejoice, I guess.

1. Some "not so bad" bad words, like "Kacke" and "Depp"

Here are some words that you can use when you're miffed but don't quite feel ready to tell someone "kiss my ass". (For the record, Germans actually say "leck mich am Arsch"

, the exact translation of which is "lick me on the ass". Now that's a refined bit of German vocabulary for you!)

Many of these words can be used around children, or even by children, but several still pack a bit of punch—even if they aren't amongst the worst German insults.

2. Some real German curse words, like "Scheiße" and "Arsch"

Lightweight stuff out of the way, we're now ready to look at some "real" German swear words and insults. These popular expletives and insults will probably give you the most bang for your buck, so far as swearing in German goes. Many are used to express frustration or anger and pleasantly versatile, such that they can be combined with a number of other German phrases... but none are vulgar, obscene, or what you'd call "nuclear".

Basically, they're satisfying to use but not shocking, which is a nice balance, if I do say so myself.

3. Some of the strongest curses in the German language, like "Schlampe" and "Hurensohn"

No fancy introduction here: each of the below German swear words and phrases is one of the most offensive that the language has to offer.

They're good to know, but be super sure you're confident you know what you're doing before using them. (Or maybe just don't use them). When you see their equivalents in English, you'll get what I mean: this is heavy stuff.

Basically, proceed with caution.

A closer look at three notable specimens

Here are two commonly used German swear words, plus one prime example of what I think is a funny German trend of turning names into insults.

1. Scheiße, perhaps the most versatile curse word in German

“Scheiße”

is a German word that literally means “excrement”...... but, like "shit", it's a highly versatile exclamation you'll hear all the time in conversations among native German speakers. Depending on context and the words you pair it with, its severity may range from just a mild expression of frustration to a genuine explosion of outrage. It can also be used with positive words!

Given that it can act as a standalone expletive, be used both positively and negatively, and generally modify all sorts of utterances, you might think of Scheiße as holding a similar position in German's lexicon as "fuck" does in English's.

(In case you aren't studying German and just randomly Googled for a list of German expletives: Yes, that funny-looking B thing makes an "sh" sound in German.)

How to use it negatively:

How to use it positively:

2. Arschloch, Germany's go-to insult

"Arsch"

means "ass". "Loch" means "hole".

Surprise surprise, we have a similar insult in English: Asshole.

Like in English, Arschloch

is a strong insult which indicates that someone is mean, unpleasant, or has acted unfairly. It’s commonly used in moments of anger but may also be used humorously among friends.

Examples:

3. Horst, a name that became an insult

"Horst"

is (was?) a perfectly ordinary male given name in German, but in colloquial use, it has taken on a second life as a humorous insult. Referring to someone as a "Horst" implies that they are old-fashioned, clueless, or generally embarrassing. While not vulgar, it carries a connotation of mockery, as though the person in question is stuck in the past or just not "with" it. (Whatever "it" is.)

In TV shows, the "Horst" might be someone who makes dull dad jokes. On forums, a "Horst" may proudly declare an (unasked for) opinion. Basically, you can direct this term at another person when their behavior is out of touch or unnecessarily awkward.

How to use it:

Bonus: both "Uschi" and "Jacqueline" mean something like English's "Karen".

How to learn German curse words

It's nice to have a handy-dandy list, but it'd kinda cramp your style if you had to pull a screenshot up on your phone and scroll for a few seconds every time you wanted to drop a German curse.

In other words, you've got to learn these things. Intensively. Passionately. With fervor. By heart.

And I have good news for you:

You see, you don't need to do anything special to learn these words.

Why?

Bad words are used everywhere. They're German words and phrases just like, well, normal German words and phrases—not pots of gold being watched over by a short, short-tempered bearded guy on the other end of a rainbow.

So long as you're interacting with Germans or engaging with German media, you'll encounter these words all the time.

And that's the key.

Say you're watching a series of pranks on YouTube when you get hit with this beauty of a line:

My name's "Bleedman"—like "Blödmann" (dumbass), but with two E's.

Blödmann is a new word for you, so you just tap right on it in the subtitles to see what it means. Naturally, this is a very nutritious word that you'd be remiss to go without, so you decide to learn it: you click that orange button in the top-right corner of the dictionary to make a flashcard out of it.

Migaku fetches an audio snippet of your line of dialogue being said and whatever was happening on screen to make a flashcard like the one above. The whole process takes about two seconds, and then you go on your merry (insert expletive here) way.

That's how you'll learn German swear words.

You'll consume German content you enjoy, stumble into dialogue that features Germans swearing, and then extract the juicy ones into flashcards. (This same approach works wonderfully for all vocab, by the way, not just swears.)

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Geh zum teufel, or some closing thoughts on using German swear words

"Geh zum teufel"

means "go to hell".

That didn't feel very good, did it?

And that's precisely the point.

Be careful with these things. You can offend people.

...

Anyway!

Now that we've had our fun, I'm going to be serious for a moment.

If you want to learn German, you shouldn't really be looking around the internet for lists of vocabulary words like this.

viel Glück!