Krew nie woda
Listen
What it means
Literally “blood is not water.” Means family ties are strong and binding — you can’t simply ignore or abandon your own blood. “Blood is thicker than water.”
Vocabulary
- krew — blood
- woda — water
Grammar note
A simple nominal sentence — 'krew' (nominative) + 'nie' + 'woda' (nominative predicate).
Cultural context
Family loyalty is a cornerstone of Polish culture — this phrase is invoked to justify helping relatives even when it's inconvenient.
Beginner
Noticed a typo, a wrong translation, or anything that doesn't look right? We'd love to fix it — just let us know via the contact page. Thank you!
More Polish idioms
- Literally "one's whole life flew past before the eyes," this phrase describes the vivid, involuntary …
- Literally "for an example," na przykład is the standard Polish phrase for "for example" or "for …
- Literally "in the last/recent times," ostatnimi czasy is a common temporal phrase meaning "lately," …
- Literally "in the manner of Judas," this adverb describes acting in a treacherous, backstabbing way …