Król jest nagi
Listen
What it means
“The king is naked.” Used when someone in power is exposed as having no real substance, competence, or moral authority, often after everyone has been pretending otherwise.
English equivalent
The emperor has no clothes.
Vocabulary
- król — king
- nagi — naked, bare
Grammar note
A simple nominative predicate construction. 'Nagi' agrees with 'król' in gender and number.
Cultural context
Directly references Hans Christian Andersen's tale, which entered Polish proverbial usage. Said when collective self-deception is finally broken.
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 proverbs
- "A stepmother, even if made of sugar, is always bitter." However kind she may be, a stepmother may …
- "For a wise head, two words are enough." A clever person needs only a short hint to understand. Long …
- "A Pole is wise after the damage is done." Poles, or people in general, often learn from mistakes …
- "The wise will accept advice; the fool will reject it with scorn." Wise people listen to advice, …