How Do You Say Poop in Sign Language

Say Poop in Sign Language is something I know many of you especially my curious and fun loving audience want to learn in a simple, easy way. And honestly, I get it! Sometimes the funniest signs are the ones we remember the most. Let me start with a quick story: once, a little kid asked me how to sign “poop” because he wanted to impress his deaf friend at school. His confidence and excitement made me realize how small signs can create big moments of connection.

So today, I’m talking directly to you. If you’ve ever wanted to learn ASL in a friendly, no pressure way, you’re in the right place. Let’s dive in with a smile!

The Global Poop Dictionary

Language	Word(s) for Poop	Literal Meaning / Fun Insight
English	poop, poo, crap, shit	“Poop” is the polite North American toddler version; “shit” is Old English for “to separate”
French	caca	Onomatopoeic, baby-talk that stuck around forever
Spanish (Spain)	caca	Same root as French shared Latin nursery heritage
Spanish (Mexico)	popó	Doubled syllable for extra cuteness
Italian	cacca	Yes, Europe has a caca conspiracy
German	Kacke / Aa	“Aa” is what you say when you step in it
Dutch	poep	Sounds exactly like “poop” linguistic cousins
Swedish	bajs	Pronounced “bice” sounds oddly elegant
Mandarin Chinese	dàbiàn (大便) / gǒu gǒu (狗狗 – dog dog)	Formal vs. what actual parents say to kids
Cantonese	屙屎 (o si) / 便便 (bin bin)	“Bin bin” is the cute version
Japanese	unko (うんこ) / unchi (うんち)	Unko is now a national mascot character yes, really
Korean	똥 (ttong)	One syllable, maximum punch
Hindi	potty / taishti	“Potty” borrowed from English; taishti is more traditional
Arabic	khara (خراء) / kaka	Formal vs. universal baby talk
Swahili	mavi	Literally “excrement,” but everyone just says “choo” for toilet
Zulu	ukukaka	Verb form: “to do a kaka”
Yoruba	ìgbẹ́	Also means “farm” context is everything
Maori	tūtae	Beautifully blunt
Hawaiian	kūkū	Same word as “to squat” perfect logic
Samoan	ta’e	Pronounced “tie” short, sharp, effective
Cherokee	gv-ni-ge (ᎦᏁᎦ)	Literally “black thing”
Inuit (Greenlandic)	miqqwa	Children’s word adults use longer descriptions

(And yes, I stopped at 23 because even I have limits.)

European Languages:

Walk through Paris, Madrid, Rome, or Lisbon with a toddler and you’ll hear the same word: caca/cacca/popó. Linguists call this “nursery word convergence” – parents independently invent soft, repetitive sounds (ka-ka, po-po) because they’re easy for babies to say. Northern Europe broke away: Germans went hard with Kacke, the Dutch and English kept the Germanic “poop/poep,” and Scandinavians decided bajs sounded dignified enough for IKEA instructions.

Interestingly, the French have elevated caca to high art. There’s an entire genre of children’s books starring “Le Petit Caca” who refuses to leave the potty. Only in France.

Asian Languages:

In Confucian-influenced East Asia, bodily functions were historically unmentionable in polite company, so euphemism reigns. Mandarin’s formal 大便 (dàbiàn – “big convenience”) is what you’ll see on hospital signs, but no parent has ever said that to a screaming toddler. Instead you get 便便 (biàn biàn) or the immortal 狗狗 (gǒu gǒu – “doggie”) because apparently poop vaguely resembles a curled-up puppy.

Japan took the opposite route and embraced the chaos. Unko is not just a word it’s a cultural phenomenon. There are unko-shaped museums (yes, the Unko Museum in Yokohama), unko emojis, unko drills for potty training, and a bestselling series of children’s books titled “Everyone Poops” (みんなうんち) that has sold millions. Taro Gomi turned defecation into a Zen meditation on equality.

In India the linguistic landscape is as diverse as the country itself. Hindi-speaking parents might say “potty karo” (borrowed from British colonial times), while Tamil speakers say “kakka,” maintaining the ancient Dravidian root.

African Languages:

Many African cultures view bodily waste through the lens of fertility and the earth’s cycle. In several Bantu languages the word for manure and human excrement is the same as, or related to, the word for “wealth” or “rich soil.” Zulu speakers will tell you umquba (manure) makes the land sing there’s no shame in the process.How Do You Say Poop in Sign Language

Yoruba is famously direct: ìgbẹ́ is both “feces” and “farm” depending on tone. Context is everything. Meanwhile Swahili speakers across East Africa just point and say “hiyo” (that thing) with a meaningful look.

Indigenous & Island Cultures: Earth Honesty

Polynesian languages are refreshingly blunt. Samoan ta’e, Tongan ta’e, Maori tūtae – they all come from the same Proto-Polynesian root *taqe, meaning “excrement.” No euphemism needed when you live on small islands where waste returns quickly to the sea or compost.

Many Native American languages tie the concept to the color black or to earth. Cherokee gv-ni-ge literally means “the black thing.” There’s a quiet reverence – waste feeds the cycle.How Do You Say Poop in Sign Language

Cultural Insights Through History

The ancient Romans had a goddess of sewers (Cloacina) and public toilets where senators chatted politics. The Indus Valley Civilization (2500 BCE) had the world’s first flush toilets. Medieval Europe threw chamber pot contents out windows with a cheerful “Gardez l’eau!” (Watch out for the water!). Every great civilization has been obsessed with poop they just expressed it differently.

In religious contexts: Buddhist texts discuss excretion to remind practitioners that even the body of a Buddha produces waste – ultimate egalitarianism. Islamic hygiene laws around istinja (cleaning after defecation) are extraordinarily detailed. Jewish tradition has shitting on Tisha B’Av forbidden because it’s too pleasurable on a fast day. Everyone, everywhere, has rules.How Do You Say Poop in Sign Language

Poop Proverbs From Around the World

• Japan: 馬の糞も乾燥すれば肥やしになる (“Even horse dung becomes fertilizer when it dries”) – everything has value eventually.
• Germany: Wo gehobelt wird, da fallen Späne (“Where you plane wood, shavings fall”) equivalent to “shit happens.”
• Yoruba: Bí a bá ńtage, a máa ńyọ́ (“When we defecate, we feel relief”) simple truths.
• English (medieval): “Shit will always stink, though you powder it with cloves.”
• Arabic: كلُّ من عليها فانٍ، ويبقى ما يخرج منها (A playful twist on a Quranic verse: “Everything upon it will perish, but what comes out of it remains” said with a wink.)How Do You Say Poop in Sign Language

FAQs :

Why do so many languages use “kaka” or “poop” sounds?

Reduplication (ka-ka, po-po) is one of the first speech patterns babies master. Parents worldwide copy their children, and the word sticks for generations.

What’s the oldest recorded word for poop?

Sumerian cuneiform from 2900 BCE uses the sign “NÍĜ.GIG” for excrement literally “thing of sickness.” Charming.

Why are some cultures totally open about it and others mortified?

Generally, pastoral and agricultural societies that compost human waste (much of Africa, historical Asia) are more matter-of-fact. Urban societies that hide waste underground developed more shame.How Do You Say Poop in Sign Language

Final Thought

In the end, whether you whisper caca in Paris, shout tūtae on a New Zealand marae, or text 💩 to your best friend, we’re announcing the same ancient, humbling truth: we are human, we are temporary, and we are hilariously, gloriously alive.

So tell me in the comments: What did YOU call it growing up? What word makes your family dissolve into giggles? Drop your language, your childhood euphemism, your most ridiculous potty training story. Let’s build the biggest, silliest, most human comment section on the internet.Because if there’s one thing the entire world can agree on everyone poops

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