The joy of Faen and other Norwegian expletives
Faen and beyond: When learning Norwegian, it is important to learn Norwegian expletives. Even if you never use them, it helps to know when someone swears in Norwegian …
It can be frowned upon in the best families, but sometimes nothing but a bad word will do. Who hasn’t said one after hitting their toe on the corner of the bed?
In this article, we aim to give you an overview of the most used profanities in Norwegian.
Forgive us if you are easily offended by swear words, because this article is full of them. If this is you, I would advise you to stop reading now! Although if you scroll to the end you will find a list of minor and less offensive Norwegian swear words.
The root of Norwegian insults
Swear words differ a bit from one language to another, but they have some common traits. They almost always come from the more taboo parts of the language.
This means, very often, that they relate to one of three things: sex, body dejections, and religion. The Norwegian language is no exception in this regard.
Do Norwegians swear?
Yes, the Norwegians swear it! They do it pretty much the same way people do in other countries. That is: they usually don’t do it in good company.
If a Norwegian swears in your presence, it probably means they are comfortable around you. Either that or you just made them very angry.
Norwegians also sometimes swear at work. It varies from office to office, of course, but it’s not uncommon. Interestingly, a recent UK study claims that swearing at work has its benefits.
In Norway, there is a stereotype that northerners swear more. It was even the basis for a game in an episode of the reality TV show, Alt for Norge.
How to swear in Norwegian
How should you, as a non-native speaker, swear in Norwegian? The answer to this is: very carefully. At least at first while you are still learning Norwegian.
When you learn a new language, you realize that the words do not correspond exactly to each other. A swear word, literally translated, may sound quite harmless in another language. This can easily lead to misunderstandings.
There are different levels of profanity, and it is very easy for a non-native speaker to end up using profanity that is too loud for the occasion. This is why non-native speakers should exercise caution in the expletive department.
Faen
If we were to award an Oscar for the best, most commonly used and adaptable Norwegian swear word, it would have to go to ‘faen’. This is the basic Norwegian expletive, used the same way as f ** k in English.
In the three categories we mentioned earlier, it falls under “religion” because it means “devil”. Make no mistake: while “devil” sounds harmless enough in English, “faen” in Norwegian is about as vulgar as f ** k.
The reason faen stands out is that it can be used in many situations. By itself, it usually expresses anger or irritation. It is often used in combination with “fy” (fy faen), roughly translated: “f ** king hell” and with “hva” (hva faen) which means “what the f ** k.
It can also be used in expressions: “det var som faen”, which literally translates to “it was like the devil”, means something like “well I’ll be damned”.
“Faen meg” is also recurring: “Devil me”. This one is difficult to translate but you can understand it with an example: “han var faen meg ikke klar engang” means “he was not even ready to fuck the king”.
Other common Norwegian swear words
“Faen” may be the main actor, but it’s certainly not the only bad word the Norwegians have in their repertoire. Here is a list of some of the most common and nasty ones we’ve found, if you choose to build your vocabulary in that direction.
Read more: Common phrases in Norwegian
Jævlig, jævla, jævel
This small collection, like “faen”, has to do with the devil. “Jævlig” literally translates to “evil” or “like the devil”, but it really means “terrible”. It is a negative adjective, but with the added characteristic of being bad language.
“In jævla silly” translates to “A fucking idiot”. “Jævel” is the same word, but used as a noun. “Han er en rik jævel” translates to “He’s a rich f ** k”. Jævlig can also be used in a positive way, as in “jævlig god” meaning “damn good”.
Helvetian
This word means “hell”. It can be used alone, in anger – if you spill coffee on your laptop, for example: “Helvete! “. Or it can be used for its literal meaning, as in “Dra til helvete”, in English “Go to hell”.
While the word “hell” is certainly not considered a good word in English, the word “helvete” in Norwegian seems to carry a bit more weight as a swear word than its English counterpart. It can also be combined with “faen”, as in “faen i helvete” or “damn hell”.
Satan
You have now understood that anything to do with hell or the devil is (or historically has been, at least) very taboo in Norway. Satan is no exception.
This word can be used on its own as an interjection, similar to “helvete”, to express anger or shock. One difference, however, is that “satan” can also be used to express a kind of shocked astonishment, without negative connotations.
Fitte
Now let’s put religion aside for a moment and explore the realm of sex-related expletives. “Fitte” refers to the female anatomy. It roughly corresponds to “c ** t” in English, although I say roughly because the word in English has different weights of vulgarity depending on whether it is pronounced in the US or UK.
You could say that “Fitte” is somewhere between the US and UK level of “c ** t”. It’s certainly not something you say in polite company – probably not in anyone’s company, to be honest.
It can be used to refer to a person (regardless of gender) in the same way that we can call a person an ac ** t or an a ** hole.
Kuk
This word is the Norwegian equivalent of “c * ck”. Used as a swear word, it will most often mean insulting someone. “For in kuk!” translates to “What an ad *” “or” What a hole **! ” “.
Ræva
Here is another blasphemy related to anatomy. “Ræv” means “buttocks”, and ræva is the adjective that goes with this name.
This makes the literal translation into English a little difficult (there is no practical English adjective for “related to buttocks”). The meaning is however easy to grasp. “Debt var helt ræva!” means “This is really bad!”. “Pour et ræva hotellrom!” means “What a crappy hotel room!”
Dritt
It’s easy. It means “sh * t” and can be used in exactly the same way.
Drit og dra
Literally translated as “sh * t and Leave”, it means “f * ck off”.
Little Norwegian expletives: for milder circumstances
Sometimes the anger does not reach a high enough level to warrant the use of the worst blasphemies. Or the company we keep does not allow it. Or TV writers have to dilute their language because they’re writing a children’s show.
Søren – This word falls into the same category as American “darn” or British “blimey”. He can express anger, shock, disappointment, but without offending anyone.
Filler – This literally translates to “the rag”. Norwegian dictionaries tell us that it comes from faen – the idea being to modify the word to make it harmless.
Read more: The Norwegian alphabet
Fyttirakkern – This one seems strangely close to “fitte” (although I am told there is no link here). This is another interjection that can mark surprise, shock or astonishment, but rarely anger. It is safe to use in most settings.
Poker – This seems to be the “dirty word” used by people who create Norwegian subtitles for foreign language broadcasts. It is rarely used in real life and has a slightly comical (unintentional) effect when it is, because it is so harmless.
Hold kjeft – This one means “shut up”. It’s not technically a bad word, but it made the list because it’s definitely offensive.
“Kjeft” refers to the “mouth” (or jaw) of an animal. To refer to a person’s mouth with this word, especially when ordered to shut it, is therefore highly rude. It is, however, not vulgar enough to be banned from children’s television programs.
Tell us what you think
We hope this short guide has enlightened you on the fascinating world of faen and other Norwegian blasphemies. Did we miss your favorite Norwegian swear word?
If you live outside of Norway but have Norwegian ancestors, does your family still use Norwegian profanity? Tell us about it in the comments!