Before we begin, don’t worry – there aren’t any F words in this blog. In fact, none of the profanities we have in Welsh are as offensive and inappropriate as the English ones in terms of how they’re used and perceived socially.
Although we do have profanity in Welsh, a lot of them are interchangeable based on the context. For example, you’ll hear them used in any usual context where one might swear, but you may also hear them being used to describe a child or animal, and as terms of endearment between friends.
But there’s one pattern you’ll notice with most Welsh profanities that sets them apart from the English ones – they’re all biblical references.
So why is that?
It’s no coincidence that experts believe the survival of the Welsh language can be pinpointed to one event – William Morgan translating the Old Testament in the 1580s. At a time where religion was an integral part of education, the wider community and day to day life, having a Welsh bible played an essential role for the people of Wales when it came to maintaining the spoken and written language because they didn’t have to depend on the English version.
What this meant for the language going forward was that religion was a fundamental aspect of how it developed and survived over time – not just linguistically, but culturally, too. With Welsh being seen as the ‘poor man’s’ language due to Wales increasing its political relationship with England (which eventually led to Welsh being banned in school with the introduction of the Welsh Not), it found its refuge within Christianity – apart from it being spoken within the home, the church was the main place where the Welsh language could be spoken.
Because of this, the language hasn’t modernised like English has. If you’re already learning Welsh, you’ll know that it’s a traditional language with some very old fashioned elements – and this is very much reflected in how we tell people to bugger off!
Diawl
Literally meaning ‘devil’, diawl is a noun which is often used to call someone who’s mischievous, cheeky or unruly. In the North West, you may also hear diawch, and in the South this can change to jawch.
The most common way to hear this is ‘be ddiawl?’ (literally translates to ‘what the devil?’). Another way to hear this word would be dos i’r diawl, which literally translates to ‘go to the devil’, but is actually used as ‘bugger off’ (or its other stronger counterparts). If you’re watching crime or thriller Welsh shows as a means of familiarising yourself with the language, you may already be familiar with these ones.
Although it can be used in your usual profanity context, diawl can also be used in a more lighthearted context. For example, if you have a friend who’s made a fool of themselves, you could call them a diawl gwirion (foolish devil), or maybe if your dog’s been barking all day at the neighbours, you could say that he’s been a diawl bach (small devil).
Uffern
If we’re really splitting hairs, I’d say that uffern is stronger than diawl in how it’s used. Literally meaning ‘hell’, uffern can be categorised in two ways in terms of its pronunciation. If someone is talking about hell in a religious context, you’ll hear uffern. But if someone uses it as a profanity, you’ll hear uffar in the North, and yffach in the South. Common ways of hearing these include Lle uffar/yffach…? (where the hell?), Be uffar/yffach…? (what the hell?) and so on, but this is where things get a bit confusing.
In terms of comparing the intensity of the above examples to English swearing, I would say that lle uffar/yffach aligns with where the f***, whereas it’s lle ddiawl that would align with where the hell in regards to its usage and its weight. It might be due to the fact that uffar/yffach will often have a vocal oomph to how it’s pronounced. This is the perfect example of the complexities of trying to literally translate something based on cultural contexts.
In the North, it can also be used after an insult, for example ffŵl uffar, and in both the North and South it can be used to replace ‘very’, for example yffach o sioe (hell of a show), and uffar o foi (hell of a bloke).
Ar f’enaid i
A shortened form of ar fy enaid i, this phrase literally translates to upon my soul. It may be easy to guess from its meaning that this phrase is similar to ‘good grief’ or ‘oh my god’; used often as an expression of slight shock or disappointment. Although it’s nowhere near as strong as uffern and diafol in terms of how it’s used and perceived socially, ar f’enaid i is still considered to be a Welsh profanity – so make sure you don’t use it in a church or chapel!
Arglwydd and Rargian
This example will be split into two. Arglwydd literally means ‘lord’, and can be used as arglwydd just on its own, and arglwydd mawr (literally meaning ‘large lord’ but is used as ‘dear lord’ or ‘good lord’).
Although rargian (or its original form, ‘yr argian’) isn’t technically considered a word, it’s understood by many to have developed from the word arglwydd. The reason for it not being recorded as a word or phrase is unknown, though we can deduce that it’s an example of a surviving vocal word that’s only ever been used in informal conversation or in an argument of sorts, and thus never appeared in any formal texts. Used also as rargian fawr (large lord) and rargian dafydd (lord David), it further supports that rargian derives from the word arglwydd.
Both of these are commonly used when someone’s frustrated or in shock.
Iesgobanwl
A combination of the words Yr esgob annwyl (which translates to ‘dear bishop’), iesgobanwl is more commonly heard in the North and is used more as an expression of shock, but can also be used to express frustration as well. You may also hear simply iesgob as a shortened version, which can be used in the same context.
Iesu and Duw
These two are grouped together as there are so many variations to be had within them. With Iesu meaning Jesus (and Iesu Grist meaning Jesus Christ) and Duw to mean God, both can be used separately in the same way as they’d be used in English. However, they both also take several different forms as well, all of which can be used as an expression of shock or frustration, or otherwise meaning ‘goodness gracious’ and so on: Duwadd annwyl / Duwadd anwl (literally meaning ‘dear god’), Iesu mawr (big Jesus), Iesu Gwyn (white/pure Jesus), Duw Duw (God God), and Iesu Bach (small Jesus). As with all the other examples in this blog, make sure you don’t use them in a religious setting!
When I was a child, it was common knowledge that you shouldn’t say any of the above in any religious setting at all, and especially not in school. And although over the years I’ve heard them in heated arguments, under someone’s breath in frustration or in between tears of sadness, I’ve also heard them through laughter in a pub, in a warm embrace between good friends and in the comforting of a loved one.
It’s difficult to say how and when these should be used, as although they are considered profanities, they simply cannot be compared to their English counterparts. The truth is, they’re used all the time, and nowadays, instances where people get offended by these profanities are few and far in between.
