5 strange words used in Belgium

If you're Belgian, you're probably enjoying your summer holiday trying to get a tan on the beach of Knokke or camping in shorts in the Ardennes... and maybe you're playing crosswords or scrabbles. Here is a list of words that you will probably never use in these games but that are entirely part of our culture!

Zinneke
People living in Brussels like to call themselves zinneke, which in the local dialect means "mongrel, crossbred dog". Brussels being the place in Belgium with the most diversified population (Arabs, Turks, Congolese, Chinese...) and where people often don't identify to either Walloons or Flemish, this nickname is often used to designate the inhabitants in a cute way. Apparently, it comes from the name of a river in Brussels, the Senne/Zenne and its old tributaries called zennekes/zinnekes. Some crossbred dogs (or cats, it's not very clear...) used to wander around these little tributaries, so that the name was given to them, and later, as a generalisation, to people with multiple origins. This word is probably the best one to describe Brussels' identity and its people are very proud of it. This year on 10th May, the city of Brussels organised its annual Zinneke Parade, with people wearing strange (surrealist?) disguises and a competition of the best crossbred dogs!

Peculiar characters from the Zinneke Parade

Kot
This word you will see on a lot of windows with the mention TE HUUR / À LOUER "to hire". Kot is an original Flemish word referring to a small, rudimentary space. For example, a small place in which fries are sold is called a frietkot. The word was adopted in the student slang to designate constricted attic rooms for students (basically the place where Harry Potter lives!). But don't worry if you're looking for a room, nowadays, it doesn't have a pejorative meaning and it simply means a student room or flat share... Little tip for anyone using the word: the plural form in French is "kots" but not in Flemish, in which they say "koten". Keep that in mind, because if you say "kots" to a Flemish, they will understand "vomit!" (kotsen = "to vomit").

Nond*dju
Please try not to use this swear word too often, as people can feel offended if you use it (especially religious ones). The word "nondidju" (or "nondidjo") is actually three words "non di Dju" that were agglutinated, meaning "name of God" (nom de Dieu in French). It is often cited by Walloons as one of the most Walloon words ever. It can be used to show anger or surprise. I've recently discovered that the word was also used by Flemish (and some Dutch people as well) in dialects, so that if you use it anywhere in Belgium, people will understand that you're whether angry or surprised!...


Amai
This exclamation is used both by Flemish people and by French-speakers living in Brussels. In general, it also means some sort of surprise and could be translated in English by "oh my god". A lot of theories have been given to explain where this expression comes from. Some say that it's an old form of "ah mij" (oh me) that has developped in a weird way, other say it's Portuguese "ah, Mãe de Deus" (oh Mother of God), introduced by Portuguese Jews fleeing from their country after the Reconquista and the later Spanish occupation of it. Or it might simply be English "oh my"... Anyway, although it is understood in the whole country, this expression is not really used in Wallonia, where the Walloon word oufti (literally: "phew you") is used.

Crapaude
This strange word is the name given to a girlfriend in the Liège dialect of Walloon. It is not largely used by people anymore, because it sounds a bit too funny and girlfriends probably wouldn't like it. Its meaning in French is "female toad" (crapaud = toad)! Now you get it... By the way, I think the male version of it is labrador, certainly cuter than a toad!

 There are plenty of crapaudes in the pond!

Do you know any other surprising word from Belgium? Leave it in a comment!