Hungarian slang you should know!

Slang words appear in all languages around the world. These words are more widely used in verbal communication, as opposed to writing. In the majority of cases, they are viewed as rather informal, sometimes even vulgar. While there are words that we should outright avoid (whether it is slang or not), slang words are not all harmful. Let us take a look at the unique slang vocabulary of the Hungarian language!

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Why use slang?

A study by OpenLearn gives us some insight into why people use slang in general. Instead of the exchange of information, slang serves social purposes. From going against established authority, identifying as a member of a certain group, or simply making a conversation less formal, slang has a variety of uses. By far the strongest power of slang lies in its ability to connect a group of people more closely. This is exactly why young people, in need of solid human connections, tend to use slang more freely among each other. From this, we may also see why slang changes so rapidly. New generations will replace old slang terms with their new ones, kind of like fashion!

“Like stylish clothing and modes of popular entertainment, effective slang must be new, appealing, and able to gain acceptance in a group quickly. Nothing is worse in a group than old slang.” – says author Tom McArthur.

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Hungarian slang adopted directly from English

With the advent of the internet, many youngsters in Hungary learn and share slang expressions that derive from the English language. More specifically, content creators share these new-found expressions on their social media platforms. This makes it possible for slang to spread more efficiently, says CsaládiNet. Let us take a look at such examples! Some of these words are pronounced the same way as in English. Some take up a more Hungarian way of pronunciation.

• Chill – same as in English, to relax
• Crushol – to be attracted to someone
• Cringe – something embarrassing
• Epik – from “epic,” meaning cool
• Face – short for Facebook
• Fake – something that is clearly not real
• Fullos – from “full,” meaning good, perfect
• Kopizik –  from “copy” to act like someone 
• Kúl – from “cool”
• Nopp – from “nope”
• Péeles – from “please”

Hungarian slang terms

Now, let us look at some creative uses of the Hungarian language. These expressions originate from Hungarian and are a bit more difficult to understand and use.

• agyagagyú – literally: clay-brained, a simple-minded person
• bejött – literally: it came in, to take a quick liking to something or someone
• cinkes – something really embarrassing
• felejtős – if something failed to make an impact
• fikázás – to degrade something
• húzós – any situation that is likely to be difficult
• kaller – used to refer to public transport ticket control staff
• kamu – fake
• parázni – to worry about something or someone 
• pikk-pakk – instantly, without any mistake
• sasol – to pay close attention to something