kurwa
/ˈkur.va/
kurwa is the Polish word kurwa.
kurwa is a common, strong profanity in Polish.
What does it mean word for word?
The word literally means 'prostitute' or 'whore'.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˈkur.va/. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first syllable.
Did you know?
- The word shares an ancient ancestor with the word for 'hen' in several Slavic languages, stemming from the Proto-Slavic root *kury.
- While it is a heavy profanity, the word is often used as a 'punctuation mark' in speech to express frustration, surprise, or even emphasis, similar to how some English speakers use 'f*ck'.
- The word is so ubiquitous in Polish pop culture and street slang that it has become a recognizable linguistic marker for the language itself in many memes and internet jokes.
Examples in context
- KurdeDarn or damn
- Kurwa, znowu spóźnię się na autobus.Fuck, I'm going to be late for the bus again.
- O kurwa, co ty zrobiłeś?Oh fuck, what did you do?
- Kurwa, to jest strasznie drogie.Fuck, this is terribly expensive.
Example conversation
Tomasz accidentally dropped his phone and it broke.
- TomaszKurwa, mój telefon właśnie się rozbił!Fuck, my phone just broke!
- AgnieszkaNaprawdę? To bardzo pechowe, Tomaszu.Really? That's very unlucky, Tomasz.
- TomaszNie mogę w to uwierzyć.I can't believe it.
- AgnieszkaSpokojnie, spróbujemy go naprawić.Calm down, we will try to fix it.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry kurwa, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries kurwa, CC BY-SA 4.0.
