Hokkien profanity explained
| Profanity |
| Hanji: | 垃圾話 |
| Poj: | Lap-sap-ōe / Lah-sap-ōe |
| Tl: | lap-sap-uē / lah-sap-uē |
Hokkien is one of the largest Chinese language groups worldwide. Profanity in Hokkien most commonly involves sexual references and scorn of the object's ancestors, especially their mother. The mentioning of sexual organs is frequently used in Hokkien profanity.
Insults
As in English, a vulgar word for the sexual act fuck is used in insults and expletives. Below are the most commonly used Hokkien vulgar words.
Most frequently used F-word
- kàn (姦) - fuck. Expressions:
- "kàn lín lāu-bú chhàu chi-bai" (姦恁老母臭膣屄); often abbreviated to "kàn lín lāu-bú" or simply "kàn lín niâ" (姦恁娘) - the most notoriously popular Hokkien expletive meaning "fuck your mother's smelly vagina (Cunt can also be substituted in this.)".
- "sio kàn" (相姦) - to fuck
- "tio̍h kàn" (著姦)- to get fucked
- "hiong kàn/hong kàn" (鄉姦) - expression used in anger, meaning "go get fucked!"
- chi-bai (膣屄) - vagina; cunt
- chhàu chi-bai (臭膣屄)- smelly vagina
- poah (撥) - to fuck or fucking.
- kàn lín lāu-bú poah chi-bai" "姦恁老母撥膣屄 - Fuck your mother's fucking vagina (Cunt can be substituted)
- ni, leng (奶)- breast
Kan
Kan, literally meaning fuck, is the most common but grossly vulgar profanity in Hokkien. It's sometimes also written as . It is considered to be the national swear word in Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore. Used in a manner similar to the English word fuck, kan can express dismay, disgrace, and disapproval. It is extremely offensive when used to insult someone.
Variety of phrases associated with Kan:
- kàn lín-niâ = fuck your mother
- kàn lín lāu-bú = fuck your mother
- kàn lín lāu-bú chhàu chi-bai = fuck your mother's smelly vagina
- kàn lín chó͘-má = fuck your great grandmother
- kàn lín lāu-su = fuck your teacher
- kàn lín-niâ chi-bai = fuck your mother's vagina
- kàn lín-niâ chhàu chi-bai = fuck your mother's smelly vagina
- kàn lín lāu-bú poah chi-bai = fuck your mother's broken vagina, literally means "fuck your mother broken vagina"
- kàn lín-niâ-bú chhàu chi-bai = fuck your mother's smelly vagina. In Singapore, niâ-bú 娘母 (mother) also exists in other variants of pronunciation such as nâ-bú (a vowel change from niâ to nâ when spoken quickly), nâ-beh .
- kàn lí chin-sóng = literally means "it's cool to rape/fuck you"
- kàn kah ē khan-si = literally means "fucking you until it becomes wet". Describing that vagina will become wet and intertwined like a spider web during sexual intercourse
- lín-niâ, lín-niâ--leh or lín-niâ khah-hó = short form for kàn lín-niâ, meaning "fuck your mother".
- sio-kàn = means having sex, fucking each other, to fuck
- tio̍h kàn = to get fucked
- hiông-kàn = expression used in anger, meaning "go get fucked!"
- khí-kàn = start scolding someone in vulgarity, start swearing
- kàn kha-tshng = sodomy, anal or oral sex
- káu-kàn-tūi = to curse someone being fucked/raped by a dog
- hō͘-káu-kàn-kàn leh = to curse someone to be fucked by a dog
Most frequently used sexual organ
- chi-bai (膣屄) - vagina; cunt
- chhàu chi-bai (臭膣屄)- smelly vagina
- poah (撥) - to fuck or fucking.
- ni, leng (奶)- breast
C-word (Cock)
- lān-jiáu (鳥) - penis; also used as an expression to indicate incredulity, as in the English "Bullshit!". Expressions:
- koài-lān (怪) - literally 'weird penis', used to call somebody fucked up or abnormal.
- kóng lān-chiáu oe (講鳥話) - to talk rubbish
- khoàⁿ siáⁿ-mih lān-chiáu? (看啥物鳥) - "What the hell are you looking at?"
- lām-pha (脬)- scrotum; also used as an expression to indicate incredulity, as in the English "Bollocks!" Nasal assimilation takes place as the onset of the second syllable is a bilabial, turning the underlying form /n/ in the coda of the first syllable to the surface form /m/.
- lān-hu̍t (核) - testes; used in a similar way as the above examples.
Very VULGAR
- kha-chhng (尻川) - buttocks or anus
- kha-chhng khang (尻川孔) - anus; arsehole
- phah chhíu-chhèng (拍手銃)- literally 'to fire a hand-gun'; slang for male masturbation
- bôa (磨)- literally 'to rub' or 'to grind'. Slang for 'having sex', the imagery being two bodies rubbing against each other.
- tēⁿ (捏)- literally 'to squeeze' or 'to lie on something'. Slang for 'fuck'. Expression:
- "lí hō͘ lâng tēⁿ" (汝予人捏) - you let yourself get (squeezed).
- sè (勢) - literally 'to whack'. Slang for 'fuck'. Expression:
- "lí hō͘ lâng sè" (汝予人勢) (you let yourself get fucked).
- siáu (痟) - crazy.
- kā (咬) - literally 'to bite'; slang for fellatio. Expression:
- "lí khàm goá lān-chiáu" (汝崁我鳥) (suck my cock), used in anger as in "up yours!"
- khàm (崁)- literally 'to cover'; slang for fellatio. Expression:
- "khàm lān" (崁) (stupid cock).
- chhīu-ni/chhiū-leng (樹奶) - literally 'rubber'; slang for condom
- khàu-pē khàu-bú (哭爸哭母) - literally 'cry father cry mother', refers to annoying and noisy complaining.
List of Hokkien profanities
| Hokkien profanities |
|---|
| – Chi-bai – |
|---|
| Pe̍h-ōe-jī | Hàn-jī | literal meaning | English translation | Notes |
|---|
| chi-bai | 膣屄 | cunt | | |
| chhàu chi-bai | 臭膣屄 | smelly cunt | | |
| – Kàn – |
|---|
| Pe̍h-ōe-jī | Hàn-jī | literal meaning | English translation | Notes |
|---|
| kàn | 姦 | to fuck | | |
| kàn lín chó͘-má | 姦恁祖媽 | to fuck your grandmother | | |
| kàn lín lāu-bú | 姦恁老母 | to fuck your mother | | |
| kàn lín lāu-bú chhàu chi-bai | 姦恁老母臭膣屄 | to fuck your mother's smelly cunt | | |
| kàn lín lāu-su | 姦恁老師 | to fuck your teacher | | |
| kàn lín niâ | 姦恁娘 | to fuck your mother | | |
| kàn lín niâ chhàu chi-bai | 姦恁娘臭膣屄 | to fuck your mother's smelly cunt | | |
| tio̍h-kàn | 著姦 | to be fucked | | The prefix 著 (tioh8) implies passive. |
| – Khàu – |
|---|
| Pe̍h-ōe-jī | Hàn-jī | literal meaning | English translation | Notes |
|---|
| khàu | 哭 | to cry | | |
| khàu iau | 哭枵 | to cry for hunger | | 哭 (khau3) means to cry, and 枵 (iau1) means hunger. |
| khàu pē | 哭爸 | to cry for father | | 哭 (khau3) means to cry, and 爸 (pe7) means father. |
| – Lān – |
|---|
| Pe̍h-ōe-jī | Hàn-jī | literal meaning | English translation | Notes |
|---|
| lān | | male reproductive system | | |
| lān-chiáu | 鳥 | penis | bullshit | |
| lān-hu̍t(-á) | 核(-仔) | testes | bullshit | |
| lān-pha | 脬 | scrotum | bollocks | |
| lān-sîn | 神 | the god of penis | lazy man | |
| ōe hó͘ lān | 畫虎 | to draw the tiger's penis | boast | |
| – Siâu – |
|---|
| Pe̍h-ōe-jī | Hàn-jī | literal meaning | English translation | Notes |
|---|
| siâu | 潲 | semen | | |
| chia̍h siâu | 食潲 | to eat semen | no way | |
| gê-siâu | 㤉潲 | | to loathe, dislike | |
| gia̍t-siâu | 孽潲 | | be naughty |
| hau-siâu | 嘐潲 | | boast | For example, Mái thiaⁿ i teh hau-siâu! (Don't believe what he says | ). |
|---|
| siáⁿ-siâu | 啥潲 | | what the hell | For example, Lí sī teh kóng siáⁿ-siâu haⁿh?! (What the hell are you talking about? | ). |
|---|
| soe-siâu | 衰潲 | | be unlucky | For example, Kin-á-ji̍t chin soe-siâu! (It's an unlucky day | ). |
|---|
| chhap-siâu | 插潲 | | to care about | For example, Mái kā i chhap-siâu lah! (Don't care about it | ). |
|---|
| – Others – |
|---|
| Pe̍h-ōe-jī | Hàn-jī | literal meaning | English translation | Notes |
|---|
| kha-chhng | 尻川 | ass | buttocks or anus | |
| lín chó͘-má | 恁祖媽 | your grandmother | first personal pronoun | Used by female speakers as a rude modality, see Hokkien pronouns. |
| lín niâ | 恁娘 | your mother | | |
| lín pē | 恁爸 | your father | first personal pronoun | Used by male speakers as a rude modality, see Hokkien pronouns. |
| tio̍h-kâu | 著猴 | be monkey-like | to become crazy | |
| cha̍p-chéng | 雜種/十種 | mixed breed / ten breed | mongrel; fucker | |
| piáu-siⁿ | 婊生 | prostitute/bitch-born | son of a bitch; bastard | |
| soaⁿ-kâu | 山猴 | mountain monkey | stupid; clueless; fool | |
| chhàu-hǐ | 臭耳 | smelly ear | deaf; rude; brusque | |
| chhàu-hoan | 臭番 | smelly foreigner / barbarian | roughshod; lowly | |
| siáu-siáu | 痟痟 | insane; mad | crazy; dumb | |
| iáu-siū | 夭壽 | die young | Damn! | | |
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