Animals

1. Pies

   Dog

   Usage

   "Ugryzł mnie pies" — a dog bit me. Polish gates often carry the sign "uwaga, zły pies", beware of the dog. The plural is "psy"

2. Kot

   Cat

   Usage

   If you react, say "jestem uczulony na koty" — a woman says "uczulona". The plural is "koty"

3. Ptak

   Bird

   Usage

   The general word. The Biebrza marshes are one of Europe's great birding sites; birdwatching is "obserwacja ptaków"

4. Ryba

   Fish

   Usage

   Live fish and the dish share the word. "Jestem uczulony na ryby" for an allergy. Carp, "karp", is the traditional Polish Christmas Eve dish

5. Koń

   Horse

   Usage

   Poland is famous for its Arabians and the Janów Podlaski stud. Horses also pull the carriages in Kraków's main square and in Zakopane. The plural is "konie"

6. Krowa

   Cow

   Usage

   Common on rural pastures. Beef is "wołowina". Said of a person "krowa" is an insult, so keep it for the animal

7. Świnia

   Pig

   Usage

   Pork, "wieprzowina", is at the heart of Polish cooking; "nie jem wieprzowiny" says you avoid it. Aimed at a person "świnia" is a strong insult, so keep it for the animal

8. Kura

   Hen

   Usage

   The live hen. On a menu the meat is "kurczak", a different word

9. Kaczka

   Duck

   Usage

   On park ponds and rivers. The Poznań speciality "kaczka z pyzami" is duck with potato dumplings

10. Koza

    Goat

    Usage

    Seen on farms and at petting farms. Goat cheese is "ser kozi"

11. Owca

    Sheep

    Usage

    The Podhale foothills of the Tatras are sheep country, and the smoked ewe's-milk cheese "oscypek" is the Zakopane speciality, grilled at street stalls. The plural is "owce"

12. Lis

    Fox

    Usage

    Found in woods and farmland all over Poland, usually glimpsed at dawn or dusk by the roadside, and increasingly on the edge of towns

13. Jeż

    Hedgehog

    Usage

    A nocturnal garden and park animal, and a protected species here. In autumn you see them fattening up for hibernation

14. Dzik

    Wild boar

    Usage

    Thick in Polish woodland, and groups regularly wander into Warsaw and Gdańsk neighbourhoods — a standing item in the local press. A hazard on roads at night; never feed or approach them. The plural is "dziki"

15. Jeleń

    Red deer

    Usage

    The big forest deer, and in the autumn rut ("rykowisko") people go out specially to hear them roar. In slang it also means a gullible mark, so do not aim it at a person

16. Sarna

    Roe deer

    Usage

    Smaller than the red deer and far more often seen, at the edge of fields and woods — the wild grazer you are most likely to meet in Poland. The plural is "sarny"

17. Żubr

    European bison

    Usage

    Poland's emblematic animal. Once extinct in the wild, it was brought back from captive stock in the Białowieża Forest, which now holds Europe's largest free-roaming herd. It names both a beer, Żubr, and a vodka, Żubrówka. Wild ones are enormous and dangerous — watch from a distance with a guide

18. Bocian

    Stork

    Usage

    Poland hosts something like a quarter of the world's white storks, and in the countryside every village has a great nest on a pole. They arrive in spring and leave at summer's end. Here too they bring the babies. The plural is "bociany"

19. Mewa

    Seagull

    Usage

    All along the Baltic coast — Gdańsk, Sopot, Gdynia. They will go for food on an outdoor table, so watch your plate. The plural is "mewy"

20. Gołąb

    Pigeon

    Usage

    In every market square. Kraków's legend has the birds in the main square as the souls of knights. The plural is "gołębie"

21. Wiewiórka

    Squirrel

    Usage

    The red squirrel, common even in city parks. Warsaw's Łazienki Park is known for how tame they are

22. Królik

    Rabbit

    Usage

    The rabbit, tame or burrowing. The long-eared hare of open fields is a separate word, "zając", and the one you more often see in the Polish countryside

23. Mysz

    Mouse

    Usage

    In a hotel: "w pokoju jest mysz". The computer mouse is the same word. The plural is "myszy"

24. Szczur

    Rat

    Usage

    Like English, Polish separates the mouse from the rat. Said of a person "szczur" means a traitor, so keep it for the animal

25. Nietoperz

    Bat

    Usage

    Out at dusk in summer. The limestone caves of the Kraków-Częstochowa upland are known hibernation sites. Never handle one

26. Wąż

    Snake

    Usage

    Poland's only venomous snake is the adder, "żmija zygzakowata", found in sunny upland and heath. The grass snake, "zaskroniec", with its yellow neck patches, is harmless. "Ugryzł mnie wąż" — a snake bit me

27. Jaszczurka

    Lizard

    Usage

    The small lizard basking on warm stones and sand, and quite harmless

28. Żaba

    Frog

    Usage

    Loud around the Masurian lakes on spring nights. The squat toad is a separate word, "ropucha". The convenience-store chain Żabka means "little frog"

29. Komar

    Mosquito

    Usage

    "Są komary" — there are mosquitoes; repellent is "środek na komary". Summer around the Masurian lakes and the Biebrza marshes is fierce, so come prepared if you are camping by water. The plural is "komary"

30. Mucha

    Fly

    Usage

    For flies landing on food at an outdoor table. The plural is "muchy"

31. Pszczoła

    Bee

    Usage

    If you are allergic, say "jestem uczulony na użądlenia pszczół". Honey is "miód", and Poland's beekeeping tradition also gives it the honey wine "miód pitny"

32. Osa

    Wasp

    Usage

    Late summer brings them to your drink and anything sweet on a terrace — never approach a nest. The bigger hornet is a separate word, "szerszeń". The plural is "osy"

33. Mrówka

    Ant

    Usage

    "W pokoju są mrówki" if they get into your room. Polish forests have wood-ant mounds over a metre high — they are protected, so leave them alone

34. Karaluch

    Cockroach

    Usage

    Tell reception "w pokoju jest karaluch". The Polish climate keeps them almost entirely indoors

35. Pająk

    Spider

    Usage

    Practically no Polish spider is a danger to people. In autumn the big ones come indoors

36. Kleszcz

    Tick

    Usage

    The insect to take seriously in Poland: ticks carry Lyme disease ("borelioza") and tick-borne encephalitis, for which a vaccine exists. Always check yourself after walking in woods or grass. If bitten, say "ugryzł mnie kleszcz"; pharmacies sell removal tools. The plural is "kleszcze"

37. Meduza

    Jellyfish

    Usage

    Seen on Baltic beaches in summer. The common one on the Polish coast is the moon jelly, whose sting is weak, but do not pick them up. If stung, say "poparzyła mnie meduza"

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