Written by: Milica Bokšan
You have probably heard and maybe already experienced how challenging it could be to learn Serbian.
So, why not take a little break and learn some funny Serbian words?
Grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation – these are all important parts when you start learning a new language.
But let’s make a little turnaround and have some fun trying to understand these 10 funny Serbian words!
#1 Funny Serbian Words: Skarabudžiti
When we talked about untranslatable Serbian words, we mentioned this masterpiece of Serbian language. 😁
Skarabudžiti means to rush something, to do something just for the sake of doing it. There’s no effort when you skarabudžiš something.
For example:
– Kako si ovo složio odeću? I dalje sve ispada iz ormana. Baš si skarabudžio. ( = How did you fold your clothes? Everything keeps falling out of the closet. You just skarabudžio everything.)
#2 Funny Serbian Words: Smrdibuba
Smrdibuba has a literal English translation, it’s stinkbug (the Latin name is Pentatomidae).
These are annoying little bugs (or not so little, depending on how much you dislike them) that leave a stinky trail if you try to crush them.
They persistently want to enter your home and thus become a synonym for boredom.
You can say to someone:
– Dosadan si kao smrdibuba. ( = You are annoying as a stinkbug) and everyone would understand what you meant.
#3 Funny Serbian Words: Leblebije
Leblebije means chickpeas in Serbian!
This funny word sounds really weird not only for our students but also for the Serbian native speakers!
Many people have trouble pronouncing it. I am guessing you as well?
#4 Funny Serbian Words: Bućkuriš
This is a derogatory term, but also a funny name, for dishes that are made from ingredients that don’t go together.
When you eat something that you don’t like, you can say:
– Šta mi je trebalo da pojedem ovaj bućkuriš?! ( = What made me eat this bućkuriš?!)
Tip: Do you have trouble pronouncing Serbian Ć or Č? Read one of our previous blog posts.
#5 Funny Serbian Words: Kikiriki
Kikiriki means peanut in Serbian, so the meaning of this word is not funny per se.
But for most of our students, it sounds funny! Especially because in many languages, it is the same word used to denominate the sound a rooster makes. Is it the same in your language? 😀
#6 Funny Serbian Words: Zjale
Zjale is usually used in the Serbian phrase ‘Hvatati zjale‘, similar to the English ‘He/She’s lollygagging’.
It means that someone is fooling around and wasting time by doing nothing.
For example, parents can use it to show their dissatisfaction with how their kids spend the day.
For example:
– Šta radi tvoj sin po ceo dan? (= What does your son do all day?)
– Mani ga, eno ga hvata zjale. (= He’s just lollygaging.)
#7 Funny Serbian Words: Bubašvaba
This is a Serbian word for cockroach. When you know the meaning of it in English, it doesn’t sound funny anymore.
But this word is composed of buba, which means a bug, and švaba, which is a derogatory word used to call Germans (the word Švaba was especially used during World War II).
There is a similar bug to bubašvaba and it is called bubarusa, roughly translated as the Russian bug.
Why did Serbs choose these funny words for these unpleasant bugs, nobody knows. We can only suspect why. 🙂
#8 Funny Serbian Words: Pundravci
Although pundravci ( = pinworms) really exist and they are a type of parasite, here we will present them in a metaphorical sense.
When someone is restless or hyperactive, unable to keep their place, in Serbian, we can often hear the following:
– Šta je s njim, on se stalno vrpolji? ( = What’s wrong with him? He’s always fidgeting.)
– Da, spopali su ga pundravci. ( = Yes, pinworms have got him.)
#Funny Serbian Words: Papučar
In Serbian, calling someone papučar or papuča ( = slipper) means you want to mock him.
Mocking is when a man listens to his wife’s every order. This term is creatively derived from the explanation that papučar acts like he is ‘beneath a woman’s slipper.’
The conversation between neglected friends goes something like this:
– Gde je Branko? ( = Where is Branko?)
– Opet sa devojkom. (He is with his girlfriend again.)
– I danas? ( = Today again?)
– Da. ( = Yes.)
– Kakav papučar! (What a papučar!)
#10 Funny Serbian Words: Čučavac
Čučavac (= squatting pan) is an old alternative to the standard toilet. It is actually a toilet built into the bathroom floor.
It was used in facilities with a high frequency of use, public toilets, primarily due to simple maintenance and hygiene.
This type of toilet is almost no longer installed in bathrooms. But, you can sometimes be unpleasantly surprised when you travel and make a pause at one of the roadside gas stations in Serbia or the region. 😀
Although it seems very unhygienic, it is actually more hygienic than classic toilets. You literally squat over the toilet without touching it so you do not come into contact with bacteria.
Squatting is in Serbian translated as čučanje, hence the name čučavac.
#11 Funny Serbian Words: ’Ono za muve’
Did you know that there is one thing in the Serbian language that supposedly has over 130 synonyms?
It is a plastic little thing people use to chase away or kill flies, mosquitoes and other insects.
There’s no explanation why this thing has so many names. For some reason, almost every Serbian house has its own name for this item.
Here are some of them:
- muvara
- muvoubica
- loparica
- peckalica
- muhalica
- muhohvat
- tepaljka
- muvotep
Conclusion
Serbian is an old and rich language, so you can hear many more funny Serbian words when you listen to the locals.
We mentioned here some of the most popular ones. Some of them are funny because of their meaning or pronunciation.
If you try to use some of them when communicating with Serbian natives, you will surely surprise them and make both of you laugh.
You don’t have to wait to come to Serbia to start talking with the natives! You can schedule your online Serbian lessons right now.