If you’re going to pick up some Lao swear words, you might as well learn the best of the best, or the worst of the worst. Knowing them tells you a lot about everyday Lao culture, and it lets you catch anyone plotting against you.
Before we get started, keep in mind that being polite and cordial is a big part of Lao culture, especially when talking to elders or people you don’t know. So use these Lao swear words, or kham nyap (ຄໍາຫຍາບ), responsibly and with care.
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What Are Lao Swear Words?
Lao swear words, called kham nyap (ຄໍາຫຍາບ) in Lao, can include pronouns, adjectives, words, phrases, and loanwords used in super informal or colloquial conversations. Many Lao swear words exist in a sort of binary when it comes to formality. When used with close friends, it can be seen as very friendly, but with anybody else, it’s very rude.
The words we’re going to be discussing should only be used with people that you’re close to. Using them when talking with children, the elderly, or strangers is seen as inappropriate and not socially acceptable. Even though it’s a fact that Lao people love to have fun and are known to be very casual, only use these words in the right context!
Common Lao Swear Words
Now, before we get into some common Lao swear words. It’s worth noting that there are some regional variations in Lao slang. Dialects of Northern Laos, Central Laos, and Southern Laos all have their own regional slang, but for this post, we’ll look at the common words that can be understood anywhere in Laos.
Without further ado, let’s start by covering the rude pronouns, adjectives, and more that you can use to spice up your conversations or express yourself!
Rude Pronouns In Lao
Replacing neutral or formal Lao pronouns with informal pronouns is a common way to make conversations more casual with friends.
Instead of using khoy (ຂ້ອຍ), meaning ‘me,’ or chao (ເຈົ້າ), meaning ‘you,’ try out the alternatives below:
| English | Lao | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| I | ກູ | Kou |
| You | ມຶງ | Mung |
| Brother | ບັກ | Bak |
| Sister | ອີ່ | Ee |
The alternatives for brother, bak (ບັກ), and sister, ee (ອີ່), are more like titles. They are added before someone’s name to show that you are familiar with them (or don’t like them). For example, if you have a close friend named Fan (ຝັນ), you can call her Ee Fan (ອີ່ຝັນ) if you casually see her on the street – only if she’s okay with it, of course!
Rude Adjectives In Lao
These adjectives can be used to describe someone in an insulting way. If you want an easy way to make enemies, use these words below:
| English | Lao | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Stupid (person) | ບັກຄວາຍ/ອີ່ຄວາຍ | Bak khouay/Ee khouay |
| (You) animal | ອ້າຍສັດ/ອີ່ສັດ | Ay sat/Ee sat |
| (You) dog | ບັກໝາ/ອີ່ໝາ | Bak ma/Ee ma |
| Crazy (person) | ບັກບ້າ/ອີ່ບ້າ | Bak ba/Ee ba |
| B*tch (for women) | ອີ່ດອກ | Ee dok |
| Wh*re | ກາລີ | Ka li |
| Greedy/stingy | ຂີ້ຖີ່ | Khee tee |
| Lazy | ຂີ້ຄ້ານ | Khee khan |
Rude Words And Phrases In Lao
To add to your knowledge of the rudest pronouns and adjectives, here are some generally rude words and phrases in Lao:
| English | Lao | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| To eat | ເເດກ | Daek |
| Penis | ໂຄຍ/ຫໍາ | Khoy/Ham |
| Vagina | ຫີ | Hee |
| Sh*t/Bullsh*t | ຂີ້ | Khee |
| To have sex (informal) | ສີ້ | See |
| F*ck you | ບັກຫ່າມຶງ/ອີ່ຫ່າມຶງ | Buk ha mung/Ee ha mung |
Rude Loanwords From Thai
Since Lao has the same grammatical structure as Thai, most Thai swear words can be combined with Lao sentences. In addition, the Thai and Lao languages already share a lot of the same swear words as they are a part of the same language family, so they’re not too hard to learn together.
Over time, modern Thai slang terms were added as loanwords in Lao, with the only difference being that they’ve been adapted to Lao’s six tones. See some of them below!
| English | Lao | Lao Pronunciation | Thai | Thai Pronunciation | Thai Sound |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damn | ຈິບຫາຍ | Chip hay | ฉิบหาย | Chìp hǎai | |
| F*ck | ເຍັດ | Yet | เย็ด | Yét | |
| Motherf*cker | ເຍັດເເມ້ | Yet mae | เย็ดแม่ | Yét mɛ̂ɛ | |
| F*ck you | ອ້າຍເຫ້ຍ/ອີ່ເຫ້ຍ | Ay hia/Ee hia | ไอ้เหี้ย/อีเหี้ย | âi hîa/ii hîa |
Check out the Ling app if you’d like to learn more Lao vocabulary and phrases!
How Do You Say “Swear Word” In Lao?
“Swear word” in the Lao language translates to kham nyap (ຄໍາຫຍາບ). Kham (ຄໍາ) meaning word and nyap (ຫຍາບ) meaning profanity. To refer to profane language in general, you can say phasa nyapkhay (ພາສາຫຍາບຄາຍ), where phasa (ພາສາ) means language and nyapkhay (ຫຍາບຄາຍ) being the long form of profanity.
Frequently Asked Questions About Lao Swear Words
What Does Noi Mean In Lao?
Noi, or noy (ນ້ອຍ) is a general adjective meaning small in Lao and makes up a large part of Lao slang. For example, they’re used in the informal nicknames bak noy (ບັກນ້ອຍ) or ee noy (ອີ່ນ້ອຍ) meaning small guy and small girl, respectively.
What Does Ham Noi Mean In Lao?
Also a swear word existing in Thai, ham noi (ຫໍານ້ອຍ, ham noy) is an insult meaning small penis. Ham (ຫໍາ) is a slang term for penis, and noy (ນ້ອຍ) is an adjective meaning small. You may commonly hear this being used among male siblings or friends to tease one another.
Do Lao People Swear A Lot?
In general, Lao culture is quite casual, informal, and easy-going. However, Lao people are very courteous and polite when talking to strangers or guests. Swearing is generally frowned upon when speaking around children or the elderly, but among friends and family, it’s totally fine to let loose.
Practice Lao Swear Words At Your Own Risk!
Unless you’re itching for a fight, only practice using these Lao swear words among your close friends. We’d hate to be the reason why you end up in the hospital. Whenever you use any of these rude Lao pronouns, Lao adjectives, or Lao loanwords, always be mindful of those around you; you don’t want to give off a bad impression in public.
A good rule of thumb when using Lao swear words is to, well, try not to use them at all. If you do want to sound less uptight with friends, work up to it in this order:
- Start with the informal pronouns, kou (ກູ) and mung (ມຶງ)
- Move on to the rude adjectives once those land in the right contexts
- Leave the Thai loanwords until last, and only among close friends
With great power comes even greater responsibility.
With great power comes even greater responsibility. Good luck, and have fun with these Lao swear words today!
Learn Lao With Ling
Swear words are the fun end of a language, but they only land if the rest of your Lao is there too. Ling builds that part in short daily lessons.
- Flashcards with images, translations and native speaker audio
- Writing lessons that take the Lao script stroke by stroke
- Dialog, for interactive conversation practice
- Audio at normal and slow speed, word by word
- A review that brings back the words you miss
Start learning the Lao language today, with a 7-day free trial to look around first.
