håll käften (hole chef-ten)
What does håll käften (hole chef-ten) mean? håll käften (hole chef-ten) is a Swedish severe that translates to “shut the fuck up” in English.
Literal Translation
hold the jaw
Meaning & Usage
"shut the fuck up"
A highly aggressive way to tell someone to stop talking.
Examples in the Wild
Håll käften på dig! (Shut your fucking mouth!)
When to Use It
Context
- Expressing strong frustration or emphasis
- Only among very close friends who share this register
- As a spontaneous exclamation
- Direct confrontation (use with caution)
Avoid
- Professional or formal settings
- Around elders or authority figures
- Public spaces — will cause genuine offense
- Job interviews, meetings, or customer-facing situations
Cultural Context
'Käft' means an animal's jaw. Telling a human to hold their jaw equates them to a barking dog.
More in Swedish 🇸🇪
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“chick / ho / girl”
Modern Ortenspråk slang for a girl.
rövhål (ruv-hole)
“asshole”
The anus. Used to call someone a terrible person.
järnspikar (yairn-spee-kar)
“goodness gracious / holy smokes”
An extremely old euphemism/minced oath.
jävlar (yev-lar)
“damn it / holy shit”
Plural of devil (djävul). Used as a strong exclamation or an intensifier.
qahpa (قەحپە) (kah-ba)
“whore / slut”
Arabic/Kurdish word for prostitute, imported into modern Swedish street slang (Ortenspråk).
skit (sheet)
“shit”
Feces. Note the 'sk' is pronounced similar to 'sh' in English.
jävla (yev-la)
“fucking / damn”
The adjectival form of 'jävel/djävul'.
helvete (hell-veh-teh)
“hell / fuck”
Hell. Used as a strong exclamation of anger.