Country Slang Guide
Everyday slang for thirteen countries, including the false friends that embarrass travellers and the words that mean the opposite abroad.
🔞 Strong language
Off by default. Included for the same reason every serious phrasebook has this section: knowing what is being said to you, and not saying it by accident.
Everyday slang
⚠️ Words that don't mean what you think
False friends — the innocent-sounding words that get travelers into trouble.
🤝 Getting it right
Slang moves fast and varies by city, age and class — treat this as orientation, not gospel, and follow the lead of people around you. The single most reliable rule for travelers: understanding strong language is useful, using it is not. A foreigner swearing lands very differently from a local doing it, even with perfect pronunciation. For complete phrases see the Travel Phrasebook, and for plugs, tipping and emergency numbers see the Country Travel Reference.
How to use
- Pick the country you are visiting.
- Read the everyday terms first.
- Check the false friends section before using a word you think you know.
- Listen more than you deploy.
Frequently asked questions
What is a false friend?
A word that exists in two varieties of a language with different meanings, so using it confidently produces the wrong result. English is full of them between countries — words that are entirely neutral in one place and crude or insulting in another, which is exactly the trap.
Should I actually use slang abroad?
Sparingly, and understanding it matters far more than producing it. Slang used by an obvious outsider often lands badly or sounds like mockery, whereas recognising what is said to you is genuinely useful. Listening is the safer half of the skill.
Does slang date quickly?
Very. Terms move in and out of use within a few years, and using something a decade out of date marks you more clearly than not using slang at all. Any published list is a snapshot, and this one is no exception.
Why does slang vary so much within one country?
Because it is regional, generational and social all at once. A term that is universal in one city can be unknown two hundred miles away, and a national label always flattens enormous internal variation. Country-level guidance is a starting point rather than a description.
Are the crude terms included?
Where they are genuinely useful to recognise, and clearly marked. Knowing that an innocuous-sounding word is offensive somewhere is precisely the information a traveller needs, and omitting it to keep the page polite would defeat the purpose.
Will this make me sound like a local?
No, and attempting to is generally a mistake. What it can do is stop you being confused, or accidentally saying something you did not mean, which is a more realistic and more useful goal.
🔒 This tool runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded, logged, or stored.