Portuguese · Frustration & Despair
Vai tomar no cu!
vye toh-MAR noo KOO · /vaj to.ˈmaʁ nu ˈku/
Go fuck yourself! / Fuck off! / Screw you!
4/5 Fighting words
aimed at a person, will start something
Literally
"Go take it in the ass"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
The blunt "fuck off," abbreviated "VTNC." Aimed at a person in real anger, or hurled at the TV/referee. Between very close friends it can be jokey ("vai tomar no cu, seu idiota" while laughing), but with strangers it's fighting words. The milder cousin is "vai à merda" ("go to hell").
Heard in the wild
Furou a fila e ainda xingou? Vai tomar no cu!
Cut the line and then cursed at me? Go fuck yourself!
Where it lands
Brazil (universal).
Quick answers
- What does "Vai tomar no cu!" mean?
- In Portuguese, "Vai tomar no cu!" means "Go fuck yourself! / Fuck off! / Screw you!". Literally it's "Go take it in the ass". The blunt "fuck off," abbreviated "VTNC." Aimed at a person in real anger, or hurled at the TV/referee. Between very close friends it can be jokey ("vai tomar no cu, seu idiota" while laughing), but with strangers it's fighting words. The milder cousin is "vai à merda" ("go to hell").
- Is "Vai tomar no cu!" offensive?
- Yes — very. It rates 4/5 on the Punch-o-Meter (Fighting words). aimed at a person, will start something. Read the usage note before you even think about it.
- How do you pronounce "Vai tomar no cu!"?
- Say it "vye toh-MAR noo KOO" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: vaj to.ˈmaʁ nu ˈku.
Related in Portuguese
Porra nenhuma! POH-hah neh-NYOO-mah Bullshit! / Like hell! / Not a damn thing Filho da puta FEE-lyoo dah POO-tah Son of a bitch / bastard Otário oh-TAH-ree-oo Sucker / gullible fool / mug Babaca bah-BAH-kah Jerk / idiot / asshole (mild) Corno KOR-noo Cuckold — a man whose partner cheats on him Vagabundo vah-gah-BOON-doo Bum / lowlife / good-for-nothing (f. 'vagabunda' = slut)
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "Screw you".
- French Enculé ! Motherf***er / bastard (one of the hardest personal insults)
- German Verpiss dich! Piss off! / Clear off (with force)!
- Greek άντε γαμήσου Go fuck yourself / get lost / piss off.
- Italian Vaffanculo! Fuck off! / Go to hell!
- Japanese クソ野郎 Piece of shit / shitty bastard
- Korean 개새끼 Son of a bitch / bastard — a real insult with no soft reading.
- Polish ty kurwo You whore / you bitch — the aimed kurwa, a different animal entirely.
- Russian Средний палец Screw you / the finger
Reviewed by native speakers. Rate it differently? Tell us what we got wrong.