When you’re learning a new language, one of the most fun parts is learning how to swear. Of course, Italian swear words always sound prettier to my non-Italian ear than their English equivalents, but just because they sound prettier doesn’t mean their meaning is! When I was teaching Italian, one of the most common questions I’d get from students - always after class, in hushed tones - was stuff like, “How do you say ’shit’ in Italian?” With that in mind, here are my 8 favorite Italian swear words.
8. Accidenti! (ah-chee-DEN-tee)
Let’s start with something G-rated, shall we? This is the less-questionable version of “merda” (see #6) - when you want to say a euphemism like “crap” instead of swearing and saying “shit,” you’d say “accidenti.” It looks so much more innocent, doesn’t it? Almost like, “Oh, what a horrible accident that I almost said a bad word” or something. Anyway, this is the one to internalize so that you don’t let loose with any of the really bad ones in front of passing nuns.7. Madonna! (mah-DOHN-nah)
While many Italian stereotypes turn out to be less true on the ground in Italy than you might have expected them to be, the one about Italians using “mamma mia!” as an exclamation of surprise or annoyance holds water - they actually do use it. But personally, I prefer the equally common “Madonna!” if for no other reason than it amuses me in this predominantly Catholic country. You can even pair this one with “porca” (see #1) for more emphatic (and less polite) uses.6. Merda! (MEHR-dah)
Now, because I’d often get the “How do you say ’shit’ in Italian?” question from students, I’ve learned this one - but I’ve honestly not heard it as much in Italy as I have some of the other swear words on this page. This is, however, how you say “shit” in Italian, and it’s used in exactly the same way we use it in English. It also is incorporated into other phrases for more colorful meanings as well.
5. Cazzo! (KAHTZ-soh)
This is the other question I’d get from the occasional (bolder) students - “How do you say ‘fuck’ in Italian?” This is the answer - “cazzo” - although it literally is a colorful term for “penis” (see below), and this one you do hear.4. Testa di cazzo! (TES-tah dee KAHTZ-soh)
Sometimes translating things literally is what makes these swear words amusing to me - but sometimes it works out quite well, and that’s the case with this little gem. Instead of calling someone a “dickhead,” in Italian you’d call them a “head of dick,” or a “testa di cazzo.” Which, really, is the same thing, right? This is also a general way of calling someone an “asshole,” but the Italian “testa di cazzo” has a bit more spice and so isn’t language you’ll want to use in polite company. “Cazzo” has lots of uses in Italian, like “culo” (see #3).3. Vaffanculo! (vah-fahn-KOO-loh)
This is a red-hot number, so use it with caution. It’s the Italian equivalent of “fuck off” or “go fuck yourself,” but literally means something vaguely like “go do it in the ass.” “Culo” on its own (meaning “ass,” but in a much more vulgar way than the English can really translate) has many, many uses in Italian, but this is the one non-Italians can latch onto quickly - which is both entertaining and a bit dangerous! The accompanying gesture for “vaffanculo” is the same as it is in English - a middle finger.2. Cavolo! (KAH-voh-loh)
Here’s an example of an exclamation that is really only funny to me because I translate it literally in my head when I hear it. “Cavolo” literally means “cabbage,” but when you say it emphatically it’s kind of like the equivalent of “holy crap!” or a more forceful version of “wow!” Even better, in my humble opinion, is what happens when you put the innocuous-looking “che” in front of it - “che cavolo?” offered as a question is kind of like saying, “what the fuck?” but you’re really saying, “what cabbage?” Ah, I love that.1. Porca vacca! (POR-kah VAH-kah)
This is my favorite one, hands down. In English, I’ve got lots of ways to say, “well, dammit!” in varying degrees of colorful language. In Italian, it’s no different. “Porca vacca” literally means “pig cow,” but it’s used in much the same way we’d say, “crap!” or “damn!” or the like - it’s not the most polite way to say it, but it’s also not the worst. What I particularly love about it is the literal translation (it cracks me up to think people are saying, “pig cow!”), and what’s fun about this is that you can put “porca” in front of just about anything. “Porca vacca” is my favorite for its literal silliness, but “porca miseria” (”miserable pig” or “pig poverty”) is a very close second-favorite for my perceived sense of the melodrama that goes with it. You’ll hear variations on these at Italian sporting events when the home team does something stupid.
So, those are my 8 favorite Italian swear words. I know some of my readers know some colorful Italian phrases, so what are your favorites? Leave a comment below to share it with us!
And for more Italian slang and swear words, you could do much worse than Deirdre’s list on Beginning With I - she explains lots of the slang you might hear while in Italy, both polite and decidedly not so.
Bonus: Fare i gattini (FAH-rey ee gaht-TEE-nee)
Okay, I’ve never heard this one personally, but while researching the colorful world of Italian swear words, I discovered that to say someone is throwing up or (even more colorfully) “barfing one’s guts out,” you’d use this phrase - “fare i gattini.” Which literally would mean that you were “having kittens.” So, I have to wonder - what does one say when one’s cat is actually having kittens?
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Testa di cazzo has got to be my all time favourite. Haha, thanks for posting these ^^
You forgot my all time favorite Porca Miseria. Which can be used in a varying array of situations such as when your team loses a big match, or if some ass hole bumps into you at the pub.
Thanks for the comment, Gianfranco - I stuck “porca miseria” in with “porca vacca” at #1, but it probably should have had its own entry. It is quite a good one. ![]()
Hi there. Jessica you forgot “Minchia” the southern expression for “Cazzo”! That’s slang!!! I’ll check this page later on….i want to be updated!
Thanks for the addition, Stefano - I thought “minchia” meant something else? Or maybe it does but it’s used the same way “cazzo” is?
You stupid idiot,,, “porca vaca”, cannot be translated literally to “pig cow”.
It obviously means “dirty(pig) whore(cow)”…
If you had just one sinapse in your tiny brain you would be able to figure it out.
Ma dai… There’s no reason to be rude, is there?
I know it’s not literally “pig cow,” but just as you pointed out in your translation the words on their own can be taken as “pig” and “cow.” That’s where I find the humor. And humor is, of course, a personal thing. Ain’t that the beauty of it?
Ok. That’s right. Just one thing. If “madonna” is quite accepted even in catholic places,(and it’s said also by polite old ladies) if you say “porca madonna” is considerd blasphemy (and actually, it is) so, i recommend not to use it too often. I may not be offended by it, but not everybody will be as open minded in my country.
That’s a good point, Costanza. Putting “porca” in front of a word - any word, even a completely polite one - totally negates its politeness!
Hi jessica! i loved this article, i still can’t stop laughing.
i think foreign people’s interest in italian swearing is.. uhm.. curious
btw, “fare i gattini” is meant like “behaving like kittens” so, as you said, throw up. but it’s not really common!
Hello Jessica, this is quite funny! But I have question: I met this fellow from Ancona who used a term that sounded like, and I’ll just try to spell it phonetically, sapristi, maybe sopristi … does this ring any bells? He used it when something he was cooking came apart and landed on the floor.
You should add in “Che cazzo…” meaning roughly, “what the fuck…” I’ve heard it quite a lot in Italy.
Perhaps ergo should learn to spell synapse. Apparently rudeness and stupidity go together.
JT, that’s a good question - I don’t know that one, but I’ll see what I can find out. I’m always in the market for a good new swear word.
(A quick search online tells me that “sapristi” is a French exclamation, albeit a bit old-fashioned, and means something like “good heavens.”)
Gio, yes, “che cazzo” is a good one. Thanks for the addition!
The best Italian swear word I ever learned was “leccaculo.” Literally, it means to lick some one’s asshole/penis. But, it’s used like kiss-ass is in the US. It’s certainly not for polite conversation, or for the person you’re describing.
Hi Jessica, “Vaffanculo” and condensed “Fanculo”, is the swear word most used in italy.
It is so popular that Beppe Grillo, a comic man involved in politics, has used it for a protestation days. The “VaffanculoDay” and the “Vaffanculo2Day”.
For more information about this initiative, this is the link: http://www.beppegrillo.it/eng/
Bye bye
hi jessica,
i’m italian but i never hear “fare gattini” anyway your list it’s very funny!
My favorite one is “sticazzi” (STEE KAHTZ EE) translated -> “this penis” it’s most used in Rome and is a corrispettive for “who care” but more ironical.
Bella!
My grandmother’s favorite expression was “Porca putana” roughly translated to ‘dirty prostitute.
I know that when a student comes to America the first thing they learn are dirty words. I think that’s because it’s said the most.
Thanks for the heads up for understanding what they are saying in Italian!
Elementary teacher in USA
FILIO DI PUTANA (SOB) really more like son of a whore.
My all time favourite is “stronzo!” As in “ma che stronzo!” What a bastard!
Puttana is one everyone should know, whore.
As well as Stronzo, which can mean a lot of things…Asshole, jerkoff, cunt, fucker, etc etc.
I often like to combine vaffunculo with another insult, such as cazzo or stronzo.
(vaffunculo cazzo would be like ‘fuck you, dick[or asshole]” not ‘fuck you fuck’)
And there are a MYRIAD of vulgar terms in italian, most of them interchangable.
I’m glad someone mentioned the common “stronzo” - that literally means turd but is used in the sense of arsehole. It can also be affectionate.
A really big or bad arsehole, such as Berlusconi, is a Stronzone.
“porca…” + X,Y or Z is everywhere - it’s their swear utility word (ranging in intensity). “Porco-vacca” is my favorite for the same reason as Jessica. This country eats a lot of pork, so considering them to be so filthy (”sporca” = dirty) is in itself sort of funny. The pan-ultimate swear is to say “porco-d*o” where “d*o” = “God” in Italian. It’s apparently too horrid for me to write here - my Italian wife flinched when I asked her about this one. In southern Italy, there’s a rather diffused expression, “mizzica” that means penis in Sicilian dialect. “Minchia” is, however, a rather tame expression meaning, “whaaa..?!” Bad to confuse these… Also, bad to confuse fico (”cool”) with fica (”pussy”) or figa (”fig”). I went to a bakery and asked a very surprised attendant for “one chocolate fig, with an almond inside…no, three please.” I messed up the pronunciation and ended up sounding quite vulgar.
Great additions, everyone. Looks like I’ll have to do a follow-up post.
And porca figa, that’s too funny about messing up the pronunciation when asking for the ‘chocolate fig with an almond inside’ at the pastry shop… I can only imagine the stunned look on the shopkeeper’s face…
interesting!!!
Nice post.
I agree with Gio that ‘Che cazzo. . .’ is worth special mention.
How about ‘fessa’ (cunt), found in a phrase often used by an Apulian pal of mine, ‘Fessa di mammete!’ or ‘La fessa di mammete!’ meaning something like ‘Your mamma’s cunt!’ To which he taught me to reply, ‘Che cazzo dice?’ meaning ‘What the fuck you talkin’ about?’
Such a musical language, Italian. 8>))
My friends and like to exclaim some of the in english.. for instance when something is really messed up we shout “How Balls!”
I have yet to discover why “porco dio” and “dio cane” really tick some folks off
I mean they tell me why, but I still don’t *understand*
I don’t know the spelling but ‘fesse di mama’
Don’t laugh! Oh, go ahead! When my cat is really having kittens, I’d say il mio gatto sta avendo kittens. No one would probably understand me. Then again, maybe they would, but they’d laugh!