So, you’re walking down the street when you see some tall Dutch teenagers in their Adidas shoes and Nike puffer jackets. Suddenly, you see one of them open their mouth to utter the words, “Ja, het is kankerweer, man!” (Yeah, it’s cancer weather, man.)
You shudder out of fear and/or disgust and return to your Instagram feed, hoping the jongens have moved on.
You ask yourself, “What the heck was that?” and try to get on with your day. 😩
We know that the Dutch are normally direct, straightforward, and not trying to stand out. However, their violent swear words don’t really correspond with their doe normaal attitude.
So, why do the Dutch use diseases as swear words? Let’s get into it.
What is it?
In many languages, swear words tend to revolve around sex, parents, and/or even animals.
However, the Dutch, not wanting to be like everybody else, have their own unique way of swearing: they use diseases to insult people.
READ MORE | 17 facts about the Dutch language that will make you go ‘echt’?!
In Dutch, the most common swear word is kanker (cancer), which is used not as a noun but as an adjective.
You can literally throw it in front of anything, and it kind of translates as “shitty, bad, uncomfortable, etc.”
Some common (awful) disease insults include:
- Kanker (Cancerous)
- Krijg de tyfus/klere/pest! (Get typhus/cholera/plague)
- Optyfussen (Typhus off)
- Klerelijer (Cholera-sufferer)
You can even use a nonsensical combination of diseases together, like, “Krijg de kankertyfus (Get cancer-typhus).” No, it doesn’t make sense, but it sure is creative.
Why do they do it?
According to an article in Atlas Obscura, Dutch swear words revolve around illness because it’s one of the Dutch’s biggest fears.
We know that the Dutch are pretty known for their cleanliness and hygiene, so it makes sense that they would be scared of illnesses and germs.
However, the pandemic showed us that Dutch people aren’t ALL that afraid of deadly viruses, so it’s quite hard to say that’s the reason why definitively. 🤔
Why is it quirky?
Well, it’s just a fascinating habit of swearing that few other languages share. It will definitely get someone’s attention if used. 👊
Should you join in?
This one’s a toughie! Especially with the kanker swear, it may still be quite frowned upon in Dutch society.
Just to be safe, maybe try to avoid using them in general or opt for the tons of other swear words which aren’t related to a serious illness.
Or, ask your Dutch friends about how the swears are used. 🤷
What do you think of this Dutch quirk? Have you experienced it? Tell us in the comments below!
I cannot take the swearing serious. I will definitely not be offended 😂😂😂
It’s just swear words. Sure, in a argument they are serious and can quickly be followed by physical agression.
But they can also be used as relief words after hurting yourself.
Also in a normal conversation they can be used as expressions of surprise or to highlight whatever.
“Kolere, lekker weer vandaag he?”/”Cholera, nice weather today, innit?”.
Still sounds better than:
“Have your mum taken up the a*rse by a dog, but it’s nice weather, innit?”
Swear words are cultural phenomena. Used in a native language it does make sense.
Being Dutch living for ages in the UK now, I still can’t get used to the pet names: “flower” en “pet” or “son”. Since, like all expats, I translate every word before I express myself, it just sound ridiculous.
Zo, kolere he, dat was een lang verhaal 😉
(So, Cholera eh, that was a lengthy response😉)
Kanker is helemaal niet gebruikelijk, wordt voornamelijk gebruikt door een bepaald slag mensen.