Norwegian swear words
Faen
“fuck / damn”
The most versatile and frequently used Norwegian swear word. Used to express frustration, anger, surprise, or as a general intensifier. Derived from 'fanden' (the devil).
Hore
“whore / hooker”
A direct and offensive term for a sex worker or sexually promiscuous person.
Fjott
“fool / dummy”
A light insult primarily used to call someone foolish or slow-witted.
Faen meg
“fucking / I swear to God”
Used for emphasis or to stress the absurdity of a situation. Difficult to translate directly but acts as an intensifier expressing exasperation or disbelief.
Gjøk
“idiot / fool / crackpot”
Calling someone a 'cuckoo' — implying they are daft, crazy, or foolish.
Jævel
“bastard / son of a bitch”
The noun form. Used to call someone a 'devil', 'bastard', or unpleasant person. Can also express admiration at recklessness.
Ræva
“shitty / terrible”
Used as an adjective to describe something terrible, low-quality, or worthless. Derived from 'ræv' (butt).
Faen ta deg
“fuck you”
A direct verbal attack on another person. Rooted in the old curse of wishing the Devil would claim someone's soul.
Det var som faen
“well I'll be damned / holy shit”
An expression of astonishment or impressed disbelief at something surprising.
Drit og dra
“fuck off / get lost”
Used to aggressively dismiss someone and tell them to go away.
Søren
“darn / shoot”
A very mild softened substitute for stronger curses like 'faen' or 'satan'. Expresses mild frustration without offending anyone.
Drittunge
“little shit / brat”
Used to call a child or young person a 'little shit' — someone who is annoying, misbehaving, or contemptible.
Dritt
“shit”
The standard Norwegian word for 'shit'. Used as an exclamation when something goes wrong or as a noun for something of poor quality.
Fyttirakkern
“good grief / blimey”
An old-fashioned exclamation of surprise or amazement. Used in astonishment, not anger.
Jævelskap
“fucking nonsense / outrageous bullshit”
A noun form describing a terrible situation, something deeply frustrating or unfair.
Jævelens avkom
“spawn of the devil / son of a bitch”
A dramatic and severe religious insult calling someone literally the spawn of the Devil.
Drittsekk
“scumbag / shit bag”
A direct insult calling someone a contemptible, worthless person.
Skitt
“shoot / crap”
A milder alternative to 'dritt'. Used as a mild exclamation when something goes wrong, or to describe something dirty.