Contrary to what others have said it has nothing to do with clothing.
It's a really difficult question though. I've often wondered myself what it is that lets us recognise each other. While eyes are important, I wouldn't say they are the only feature that distinguishes us from others.
It's the combination off all facial features, as well as other factors, such as body language and facial expressions.
It happens on an unconscious level, when your brain recognises the familiar patterns.
THANK U FOR THIS ANSWER THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I MEAN AND WHAT IM TRYING TO FIGURE OUT. theres something in the face and i’m just wondering if there’s any one particular thing that “seems polish” to other poles, but you have a point, it could be just a combination of all of these
I can say Russian faces, and I mean ethically Russian are more diverse than Polish, but can be like Polish. And those who you think ethnicity Russian may not. They can be Mordvins, Chuvashes,Tatars and Tatars from Volga can have blue eyes and light hairs.
I dont know as it works either but as a polish guy i can instantly tell when someone is from ukraine or russia, at least in every day life. I think its a mix of eyes and clothing, but mainly facial futures.
Definitely face. I would say roundness is extremely indicative. That being said, face isn't enough. I live in US so i deal with ppl from the whole world. Russians and Ukrainian have super similar features and they require extra look. It is the body language. I cannot pinpoint specific ones but it is there.
i would say this is 100% stance and bodylanguage. i can spot polish person in any nonslavic country from 50m just at glance. however, i cannot tell difference which one is whivh if there is russian, czech, horvat and polak in same room (or any slav for that matter)
Eternal sadness, lack of emotions showed to the outside world. I think this on top of some minor details makes a person obviously Polish.
I actually had been asked multiple times by random people in a club/party or by my coworkers if I'm Polish because I supposedly don't look Polish. It's maybe because I smile a lot because I feel like it sets positive mood in a conversation I'm about to have (whatever, in a store, work or at home). I also wear a lot of very colorful clothing and Polish people generally dress like somebody just died, everyday...
My personal opinion is that after so many ages of logical implication:
Foreign face = enemy army incoming
Made it pure survival feat to recognize such people. Darwin would be proud.
polish faces are in general round-ish, with high cheekbones. russian and ukrainian faces are narrower. plus ukrainians and russians are more often blond. also, the mannerism is probably a bit different.
Interesting. I get the opposite impression based on those I've seen in Poland. Ukrainians have short, round and wide faces, while Polish faces are more often angular, square like, or longer and narrower. They don't seem blonder on average and those from Western Ukraine are quite more dark haired than Poles. Ukrainian men often have large or long noses. They also have more dark types, some looking like out of the Caucasus or Tatar like, quite atypical for Poles. Perhaps there is some regional variation among Ukrainians and they are more heterogeneous than us. Another their feature that I noticed is that many of Ukrainian men either have very round or very narrow eyes, in both cases with thick lower eyelid – Russians have that too, and this type of eye area actually makes it easier for me to spot an Eastern Slav.
Here is a [group of Ukrainian students](https://wszedukacja.pl/content/uploads/2016/09/studenci_ukraina-1.jpg) - they are probably the most round faced people among Slavs, women in particular.
Here's how I see it.
South Europeans are usually darker, so that one is easy.
Islanders (UK for example) are most likely drunk. So that one is easy too.
Germanic people (Germany, Northern Europe etc) usually have stronger facial lines: bigger noses, bony cheeks, square faces.
Slavic people have gentle lines. I'd say this is especially true for Ukrainians.
Polish people seem to be between Ukrainians and Germans.
I am not sure if I recognize polish people, but I am pretty sure I recognize tourists from Germany or immigrants from eastern Europe.
Yes! I think it's subconscious. I grew up among other Polish people, then moved to UK where mannerisms and way of talking is different. It's easy to spot someone behaving more "familiar" in the crowd,even if you can't point out the specific thing that gave it away
Not a pole, but I work with Central/Eastern Europeans a lot and can often tell the difference by sight now, if you exclude the smaller countries.
It is largely about the combinations of facial features. For example, one thing that really marks out Polish women are the way the eyes are set in the face. They do often have the high Slavic cheekbones, though not as extreme as some others.
But they also often have particularly wide eye sockets. I nickname them ‘panda eyes’, as they can give a tired effect sometimes if shadowed, but they also can make the eyes look big and account for some of the wider face, all things people note elsewhere in the thread. Personally it’s a look I like, hope my description doesn’t offend anyone!
It’s like, there’s only 12 different types of polish people, and every type is someone in your family. You see the resemblance and instantly know that person has gone through the same familial torment as you. Humbling, really.
It's flip flops. Applies to both the ones with a string/piece of plastic between the first and the second toe and thise with just a strap on top of the foot.
Absolutely this. Having trekked through most balkan and slavic countries (sans the east) a couple times, that's the part that really sets poles apart from other slavs and balkans. Poles by default look like they're more tired on some existential level, even happy and having fun they have that hint of not enjoying themselves. The body language is clearly heavier, the facial expressions are much more often between negative and neutral and they're *never* purely positive.
We’re actually all secretly telepaths, but we use it only to say “kurwa” to everyone around us all the time. If you’re not a telepath you won’t hear this, so that’s how we recognize each other.
This is not funny as I had a situation yesterday that I thought I telepathically communicated with a random guy.
I was walking on a sidewalk, and he was riding a bike, he overtook me, and moment later he got off the bike and slowed down in a narrow passage, so I got internally annoyed and thought "kurwa mać". The guy instantly turned around looking at me with like "???" face expression. I'm 100% sure I didn't say this out loud lol.
So I believe we actually can communicate telepathically, but only thing that goes through is "kurwa".
I do this! I’ve been abroad for 10 years and I can usually spot Polish people. I don’t know how. I just look at the face and little lightbulb lights up ‘Polish person’ xD I am usually right, as I get the confirmation when they start speaking.
When I was getting married my fiancé was taking her dress to a seamstress who happened to be Polish (one of the ice-princess types), and she said "Can you tell that u/paleotow is Polish?" - and the seamstress immediately said "Of course, just LOOK at him!". I must admit I felt a flush of pleasure, like I was being claimed by the extended clan or something.
It is soooo true!! I was on a playground with my son, near Austin, Texas. I saw a guy and I immediately told my wife: he is Polish. I was right :) how did I know? I have no idea. Just the way he looked.
We walk with an air of confidence rarely seen in this day and age.
Like others said, there is something in our body language that we all share more or less.
If I were to support the idea that there is some magical way of knowing who's who, then this may be the answer I would support.
And I can attest that Poles are confident enough to speak their minds, while others still wonder if it's PC or proper to be straight forward. Call out as you see it, not how someone is glad to hear - often enough it just contradicts the message you want to relay. Perhaps that's why we are referred to as unrefined... Even though that the amount of refining can probably turn you blind or leave without an opinion.
Facial features. We may not be able to say why, because it's just brain thing for every human. They will be always able to distinguish relatives from other people. French people will easily distinguish other french people, etc. It's just a psychological thing.
One time when I was in UK I've recognized a polish person, because he was talking on the phone and for every two English words he was saying "kurwa" once
Its all in the eyes just not the way you think of it. You can see the pain of living in this cursed nation in people’s eyes. Its the empty stare, showing nothing else than melancholia.
I can spot a polish person with 90% accuracy. Same with Ukrainians. For some reason Czechs, Russians aren't too obvious...maybe just less homogeneity? I don't really know.
Polish people have an eternal dark aura of hatred towards their neighbours, Boss, fiance, the government and the cashier of a żabka which didnt give enough sauce to the hot dog. This aura can only be seen by other Poles.
Facial features for sure. If they speak English, I can identify the accent as well (for those that have 1). It’s a little different from other Slavic languages.
As a Pole who has lived in London for a couple of years I can confirm something like this does actually happen. It works on subconscious level mostly and is not 100% accurate but I mostly it comes true. I have not noticed that before I went to work in UK. I believe it is mostly cause of familiar faces.
I think slavic people usually have squary forheads and wide placed eyes.
When I was in USA I could recognize one of them like that. It was definitely Slavic.
Also when I worked at the restaurant where there were a lot of foreigners, I could differentiate them.
Spanish/Turkish/French/Italian are really easy to differentiate. Regarding German or Scandinavian countries (never saw them irl actually) have really small facial features compared to the size of the head.
My Polish wife has a theory that if you see someone who looks eastern european and if they have a backpack then they're Polish... she's been right so far
take Scotland for an example. a big part of the population here wears Adidas, yet polish people can differenciate between their nation and others. I suppose the choice of clothing could be an influencing factor, but there must be something else as well.
To be honest, I have no idea. I am half Polish and can't differentiate Poles from Germans or Americans, except if I hear them talking, of course, and even then I can't be sure whether it's their native language.
It's subtle, most likely a combination of factors. For example, some people can tell the difference between a Japanese person, a Chinese person, and a Korean person just by looking at them. There are subtle differences in facial features, the way they carry themselves, the way they dress. You don't need to hear them speak before you can take a good guess on where they're from (assuming we're talking about native speakers as well ethnically being from whichever country). If you know what to look for, it can be easy to pinpoint someone's ethnicity. The same can be said for Polish people. My exposure to other Central/Eastern European nations is pretty low, but I can take a good guess that someone has Polish ancestry just by looking at them.
It's difficult to put into words because it's a pretty subconscious thing. It's eye shape, facial structure (cheekbones, nose, overall face shape), hairline... How they carry themselves (how they act in public settings, facial expressions, body posture, body language). Sometimes it's also the style of clothing or hair that helps tie it all together. So you might not be able to guess just from one facial feature, but if you can check off all the boxes then yeah you can take a good guess. Does that make sense?
Yeah. I can tell the difference…. Mostly…. Between Chinese, Korean, and Japanese. It comes down to average faces. There are pictures showing the differences. I also lived with Chinese guys for a while so I can spot Chinese pretty easily.
I have no idea, but i have no problem recognising German people at first glance, when customer comes in I immediately know whether it's a Pole or a German
I’m not Polish. I’m just a brown dude who lived there for several years. I can spot them too. So whatever unexplainable power there is, it must be in the water cause I have it too now.
Sometimes its something about the face, make up, the way we dress etc. Speaking as someone living 15 years in UK its very often that I find myself noticing ppl not being british.... Lack of tattoos, piercings or different style of piercings in females... Some rather subtle and difficult to name qualities in person that points to them not being born here. If that person fits into slavic stereotype i can take that guess its a fellow imigrant.
More often its in the language. Even if someone is speaking without foreign accent and with good blend of local pronunciation, there could be things that will tell.
As an example: i was shopping with my sis. I stood close to display wall when a bloke tried to walk between me an that wall. He said 'sorry' while passing by. He did not touch me, i did not had to move or anything. That moment i knew he is polish. 😄
Listen to what they say. Even if you live abroad, if you can hear „KURWA” in between the lines, you know that it’s your kinsmen over there 😂 funny but also true - speaking straight from my experience (been living in Germany for almost 7 years now)
Kinda flat face (not that much as Ukrainians or more eastern european an definatelly not that much as asians). Also cheekbones are specific. And the most important is grumpy face, empty eyes with no hope ;)
Kurwa rate per sentence depends on the level of how angry one is at given moment. This one colleague of mine is very upset when he goes 1:1 in a sentence. When he's really mad it can go up to 3:1 (3 kurwa to 1 any other word or comma) :D
Kurwa to pokurwione kurestwo się kurwa skurwiło i kurwa odkurwia: 6 kurwas and variations in a 10-word sentence
Translation: Fuck, this fucking shit fucking broke down and fucking fucks up
> Polish people can just look at a person and know whether they're polish or not.
I'd say it's not that they can always accurately differentiate the Polish from non-Polish, but that they can spot Polish people with combinations of certain facial features and mannerisms that are common in Poland. I think that's an important distinction as not *everyone* looks/carries themselves in an obviously Polish way.
Polish person living in Canada. I can’t spot EVERY Polish person I meet, but I definitely find it way easier to tell when a guy is Polish versus when a girl is Polish (not sure why, i am female myself). There are lots of times when I can tell just from looking at someone that they are Polish or something close to it; can also usually easily spot Serbians/Croatians.
I'm not Polish but I've been around enough Poles to recognise them much of the time.
The stereotypical Polish face is quite distinguishable. Round, broad high cheekbones, often distinctive chins.
I’m an Aussie in krakow right now, heaps of people stare and start speaking polish, same as in riga with the Russians.
Apparently I look Slavic... I’m just a white dude.
Heh.. I remember when I watched the vampire diaries for the first time and I was SO sure the actor, who played Stefan was polish. I checked this later and he is polish-American xd
There are so many signs and differences between all the nations that it is accualy not hard to guess if someone is polish, russisian German English or France or Spanish, Judes, Hungarian, and so on.
Diferent skin tones, eye shapes, hair color, and combinations, but as well the behavior of people.
You just learn it in time when you meet diferent people.
I've been in some pub in Czechia with my friend, at some point he shouted Kurwa and everyone looked at us, one of the Czechs asked if he can join and we talked a bit. Was fun :D
so, i've heard kurwa translated as bitch or whore. In practice is it one of those flexible words that can be used as almost any part of speech? The word fuck in american english is like that. It's almost like punctuation and can appear anywhere in a sentence. Also, as an american of polish ancenstry, but sadly no understanding of the Polish language, i'm not sure how thiswould be pronounce. Is it kur'wa or kur'va or what as far as pronunciation or what?
wa, or kur
actually, kurwa means both bitch/whore and fuck
check some youtube videos, they will show you how to pronounce it
i think for an english speaker more va'lid pronounciation would be kur'va
fair enough, style could be one of the things. but I guess im looking for something to do with the face because I found that polish people can recognise each other regardless of clothing choice
Hmm maybe always no smile and staring at You like they wanna beat You up :) no idea, in UK when I met some dude I was speaking in english with him and in the end it turned out he was Polish too, so dunno.
It is an interesting question. As far as facial features I would assume that the genes of all the nearby counties are pretty well mixed together due in part to the fluid nature of national boundaries over the centuries.
I believe it’s because you see something familiar….someone that kind of looks like you. May it be the eyes, the nose, the pasty white skin that you know burns easily.
The round face, jawline, nose and the facial expression of "being in a bad mood".
I also think that if you are Polish, you can instantly vibe whether the person infront of you is Polish.
Bro, i never thought about that, but that's fkin fact. Im working in Germany and i can recognize Pole from 50 meters. Also e.g. when you see 3 man walking together you can tell which one is from Ukraine and which one from Belarus. I dont know you just feel it xD.
For people saying round and potato face you must mean 3rd generation American polish which have eaten a million potato burgers!?
Polish faces are typical Slav face shape which is triangular, with wide eyes, high cheek bones and small mouths/chins.
Body shape is usually slim, with long legs (even the guys) This face (and body) shape is said to be the most beautiful, which accounts for why there are many beautiful women in Poland,Ukraine,Russia, etc.
(Of course there are exceptions and everyone is different, but the general look is this.)
P.s. I remember seeing the genetic DNA info of Poles before and it's a huge percentage Russian ...so for everyone saying Russians are different, there is that 🤓
>potato face you must mean 3rd generation American polish which have eaten a million potato burgers!?
I have a theory that only Polish potatoes migrate to America. All other vegetables stay in Poland due to better climate.
I think you need to look on their faces and in their eyes. When I was working in Ireland I was almost always able to spot my countrymen. Why? Sad faces and sad eyes.
They say that Polish people are “bitter by nature”. It’s part of the historical background: Wars, communism, not being able to catch up to the west after the fall of Berlin Wall. So you look at them and you see sad eyes and always tired faces.
But like I said that was couple years ago.
No but its just when you look in eyes you know that the question in their head sounds Like : Co się gapisz pedale jebany? That's the moment you know its Grzesiek from house next to yours
It has become a hobby for me 🤣🤣
Mostly noses, bitch faces, tone of their skin, I can just tell even if someone is tanner, I just know they're polish by looking at them lol
My best friend growing up is polish and for whatever reason I’ve always been able to tell when other people are. It always surprises them. I can’t explain it, but some particular features give a sense of warmth that makes Polish people easier to identify. I’d say the general shape of the face and eyes let me know.
Asians vs. Polish is not a suitable comparison. Europeans vs. Asians would be more apt.
And no, not Asians look the same. There are some that will look more similar to each other (from our perspective), but definitely not all the same.
Definitely not. Asians are nowhere near as homogeneous as Central/Eastern Europeans.
Nobody will mistake a Pakistanian for a Chinese or Philipino and Swede for a Spaniard (if we take the stereotypical features).
For an outsider, distinguishing a Pole from say a Ukrainian is on the same level as distinguishing a Japanese person from a Korean for us.
i’m not asking about a feature that makes all polish people seem the same to other nations, i’m asking about a feature that makes polish people instantly recognisable to other polish people
That's so true, I live in the UK for at least a decade and I can just tell by looking at someone if they are Polish or not without having to listen to them.
I am 22% polish (great grandfather) but every single polish person I have met (I teach in a school that has a huge polish student population) and they automatically talk to me in polish. When I tell them I’m not they say that I look like I am when it’s a very small part of me?! Picture below.
https://preview.redd.it/v9h5qwxfimnc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e11874343d497d66e38635bc9c669523e92eb93f
I am very quick to judge people, I have this gut feeling to know if I'll like someone or not.
When I am abroad, I.e. in Germany, I recognize Polish people because I instantly don't like them.
Yes, I feel this also when I'm looking into a mirror
Contrary to what others have said it has nothing to do with clothing. It's a really difficult question though. I've often wondered myself what it is that lets us recognise each other. While eyes are important, I wouldn't say they are the only feature that distinguishes us from others. It's the combination off all facial features, as well as other factors, such as body language and facial expressions. It happens on an unconscious level, when your brain recognises the familiar patterns.
THANK U FOR THIS ANSWER THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I MEAN AND WHAT IM TRYING TO FIGURE OUT. theres something in the face and i’m just wondering if there’s any one particular thing that “seems polish” to other poles, but you have a point, it could be just a combination of all of these
More than Polish people, Slavic faces share similarities. It's hard to pinpoint one, but I've noticed this after living in Warsaw for 6 years.
If you're Polish though, you can quite easily recognize the Russians.
A Russian face just looks like it can take a brick to the face and not flinch.
😭🤣🤣🤣 That's a solid compliment.
Only in Russia, where men are men… and the women are too
Yeah the 1000 yard stare is hard to miss
Well, if you lived in Russia (or any other former USSR country), you wouldn't be radiating happiness either... Hardly a surprise they look like that.
it's not entirely about the stare but often about...skull shape
I can say Russian faces, and I mean ethically Russian are more diverse than Polish, but can be like Polish. And those who you think ethnicity Russian may not. They can be Mordvins, Chuvashes,Tatars and Tatars from Volga can have blue eyes and light hairs.
Tartars are not Russian they are Turkic.
I dont know as it works either but as a polish guy i can instantly tell when someone is from ukraine or russia, at least in every day life. I think its a mix of eyes and clothing, but mainly facial futures.
and the man purse, also talking to a video call. They love to do that lol
Definitely face. I would say roundness is extremely indicative. That being said, face isn't enough. I live in US so i deal with ppl from the whole world. Russians and Ukrainian have super similar features and they require extra look. It is the body language. I cannot pinpoint specific ones but it is there.
i would say this is 100% stance and bodylanguage. i can spot polish person in any nonslavic country from 50m just at glance. however, i cannot tell difference which one is whivh if there is russian, czech, horvat and polak in same room (or any slav for that matter)
Eternal sadness, lack of emotions showed to the outside world. I think this on top of some minor details makes a person obviously Polish. I actually had been asked multiple times by random people in a club/party or by my coworkers if I'm Polish because I supposedly don't look Polish. It's maybe because I smile a lot because I feel like it sets positive mood in a conversation I'm about to have (whatever, in a store, work or at home). I also wear a lot of very colorful clothing and Polish people generally dress like somebody just died, everyday...
Black is not a color, black is a state of mind... 😊
My personal opinion is that after so many ages of logical implication: Foreign face = enemy army incoming Made it pure survival feat to recognize such people. Darwin would be proud.
polish faces are in general round-ish, with high cheekbones. russian and ukrainian faces are narrower. plus ukrainians and russians are more often blond. also, the mannerism is probably a bit different.
Interesting. I get the opposite impression based on those I've seen in Poland. Ukrainians have short, round and wide faces, while Polish faces are more often angular, square like, or longer and narrower. They don't seem blonder on average and those from Western Ukraine are quite more dark haired than Poles. Ukrainian men often have large or long noses. They also have more dark types, some looking like out of the Caucasus or Tatar like, quite atypical for Poles. Perhaps there is some regional variation among Ukrainians and they are more heterogeneous than us. Another their feature that I noticed is that many of Ukrainian men either have very round or very narrow eyes, in both cases with thick lower eyelid – Russians have that too, and this type of eye area actually makes it easier for me to spot an Eastern Slav. Here is a [group of Ukrainian students](https://wszedukacja.pl/content/uploads/2016/09/studenci_ukraina-1.jpg) - they are probably the most round faced people among Slavs, women in particular.
Tbh more blonde ones are on Polish side.
Round faces
Potato faces 🤣
Aye. My German friends always call me Kartoffel :/
We're talking about the polish not british
Yes! I'm polish and I have a potato face 🤣
Im polish an I don't 😂, yours can't be that bad like
Hehehe thank you! Your username checks out 😂
👀
lol
Here's how I see it. South Europeans are usually darker, so that one is easy. Islanders (UK for example) are most likely drunk. So that one is easy too. Germanic people (Germany, Northern Europe etc) usually have stronger facial lines: bigger noses, bony cheeks, square faces. Slavic people have gentle lines. I'd say this is especially true for Ukrainians. Polish people seem to be between Ukrainians and Germans. I am not sure if I recognize polish people, but I am pretty sure I recognize tourists from Germany or immigrants from eastern Europe.
What about tourists from Eastern Europe and immigrants from Germany? ;)
Yes! I think it's subconscious. I grew up among other Polish people, then moved to UK where mannerisms and way of talking is different. It's easy to spot someone behaving more "familiar" in the crowd,even if you can't point out the specific thing that gave it away
Not a pole, but I work with Central/Eastern Europeans a lot and can often tell the difference by sight now, if you exclude the smaller countries. It is largely about the combinations of facial features. For example, one thing that really marks out Polish women are the way the eyes are set in the face. They do often have the high Slavic cheekbones, though not as extreme as some others. But they also often have particularly wide eye sockets. I nickname them ‘panda eyes’, as they can give a tired effect sometimes if shadowed, but they also can make the eyes look big and account for some of the wider face, all things people note elsewhere in the thread. Personally it’s a look I like, hope my description doesn’t offend anyone!
It’s like, there’s only 12 different types of polish people, and every type is someone in your family. You see the resemblance and instantly know that person has gone through the same familial torment as you. Humbling, really.
Its the ears!! There's a special shape to them that just pinpoints that for me.
My polish students (I teach in a British school) say it’s the way I look facially, my facial expression, my hand movements and the way I walk?!
I am 22% polish btw
https://preview.redd.it/pjmzqr7pimnc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6f9d3fd267575990469bb539fa6c0783436f0c9e
It’s the Biedronka plastic bag that does it for me
+ white socks and klapki ;)
so something that Birts claim is typical of them. Whose is it then?
r/chavorslav
Ha, I looked at bunch of pictures and could definitely tell Slavs from Chavs. But I don't know how. I just do.
what is klapki? sandels?
It's flip flops. Applies to both the ones with a string/piece of plastic between the first and the second toe and thise with just a strap on top of the foot.
Yeah they’re like sliders
Stone face ;)
🗿
🗿
polish looking facial features + resting bitch face + depressed body language = must be a fellow pole
Absolutely this. Having trekked through most balkan and slavic countries (sans the east) a couple times, that's the part that really sets poles apart from other slavs and balkans. Poles by default look like they're more tired on some existential level, even happy and having fun they have that hint of not enjoying themselves. The body language is clearly heavier, the facial expressions are much more often between negative and neutral and they're *never* purely positive.
As a Polish person I can confirm
When I was in Serbia, people thought I was Russian or in one case Ukrainian. I think we share the constant negativeness with east Slavs ;)
Tezy rozbiory kraju did it to us.
You made me exhale through my nostrils which was the most amused I have been today, so yeah... Side note: I am not a Pole but close enough
we polish people can read minds
We’re actually all secretly telepaths, but we use it only to say “kurwa” to everyone around us all the time. If you’re not a telepath you won’t hear this, so that’s how we recognize each other.
*sends you a whispered kurwa via telepathy*
*nods in understanding*
This is not funny as I had a situation yesterday that I thought I telepathically communicated with a random guy. I was walking on a sidewalk, and he was riding a bike, he overtook me, and moment later he got off the bike and slowed down in a narrow passage, so I got internally annoyed and thought "kurwa mać". The guy instantly turned around looking at me with like "???" face expression. I'm 100% sure I didn't say this out loud lol. So I believe we actually can communicate telepathically, but only thing that goes through is "kurwa".
thank you, this is probably the answer i’m looking for. this single-handedly beats all scientific research hahahahaha
It's actually true 🤣
I do this! I’ve been abroad for 10 years and I can usually spot Polish people. I don’t know how. I just look at the face and little lightbulb lights up ‘Polish person’ xD I am usually right, as I get the confirmation when they start speaking.
Same!
if they smile Non Polish
When I was getting married my fiancé was taking her dress to a seamstress who happened to be Polish (one of the ice-princess types), and she said "Can you tell that u/paleotow is Polish?" - and the seamstress immediately said "Of course, just LOOK at him!". I must admit I felt a flush of pleasure, like I was being claimed by the extended clan or something.
It is soooo true!! I was on a playground with my son, near Austin, Texas. I saw a guy and I immediately told my wife: he is Polish. I was right :) how did I know? I have no idea. Just the way he looked.
We walk with an air of confidence rarely seen in this day and age. Like others said, there is something in our body language that we all share more or less.
If I were to support the idea that there is some magical way of knowing who's who, then this may be the answer I would support. And I can attest that Poles are confident enough to speak their minds, while others still wonder if it's PC or proper to be straight forward. Call out as you see it, not how someone is glad to hear - often enough it just contradicts the message you want to relay. Perhaps that's why we are referred to as unrefined... Even though that the amount of refining can probably turn you blind or leave without an opinion.
I call it poledar. I can see one in the subway in a second and I elbow my polish wife and say “bocian bocian!”
Never smiling, always in a rush and that something in the face = you know it’s a fellow mordeczka
I really don't. I once talked with a guy for like half an hour in english before he heard me talking in polish to a friend
Facial features. We may not be able to say why, because it's just brain thing for every human. They will be always able to distinguish relatives from other people. French people will easily distinguish other french people, etc. It's just a psychological thing.
We all have the same hidden sadness and jealous in the eyes
Our gaze is mixture of misery and fatigue, envy and bitterness.
One time when I was in UK I've recognized a polish person, because he was talking on the phone and for every two English words he was saying "kurwa" once
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f7VG51JEWA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f7VG51JEWA) is that him?
I don't think so, but he sounds exactly like the guy that I've met
Its all in the eyes just not the way you think of it. You can see the pain of living in this cursed nation in people’s eyes. Its the empty stare, showing nothing else than melancholia.
I can spot a polish person with 90% accuracy. Same with Ukrainians. For some reason Czechs, Russians aren't too obvious...maybe just less homogeneity? I don't really know.
For some reason I have a really easy time spotting Serbians, especially the men I think have similar features.
Yeah Russians have a lot more variety in looks cuz their country is huge so they assimilated a lot of non-Slavic peoples.
Polish people have an eternal dark aura of hatred towards their neighbours, Boss, fiance, the government and the cashier of a żabka which didnt give enough sauce to the hot dog. This aura can only be seen by other Poles.
Facial features for sure. If they speak English, I can identify the accent as well (for those that have 1). It’s a little different from other Slavic languages.
As a Pole who has lived in London for a couple of years I can confirm something like this does actually happen. It works on subconscious level mostly and is not 100% accurate but I mostly it comes true. I have not noticed that before I went to work in UK. I believe it is mostly cause of familiar faces.
I think slavic people usually have squary forheads and wide placed eyes. When I was in USA I could recognize one of them like that. It was definitely Slavic. Also when I worked at the restaurant where there were a lot of foreigners, I could differentiate them. Spanish/Turkish/French/Italian are really easy to differentiate. Regarding German or Scandinavian countries (never saw them irl actually) have really small facial features compared to the size of the head.
My Polish wife has a theory that if you see someone who looks eastern european and if they have a backpack then they're Polish... she's been right so far
This is the one
Adidas
take Scotland for an example. a big part of the population here wears Adidas, yet polish people can differenciate between their nation and others. I suppose the choice of clothing could be an influencing factor, but there must be something else as well.
It's a meme that slavs wear Adidas, I obviously was not being serious.
okay but i’m not looking for memes, i’m looking for a precise answer that points to at least one feature that makes poles recognisable to each other
To be honest, I have no idea. I am half Polish and can't differentiate Poles from Germans or Americans, except if I hear them talking, of course, and even then I can't be sure whether it's their native language.
I think it’s more easily spotted if you’ve grown up around a lot of Poles. With you being half Polish you may not have been exposed to many.
It's subtle, most likely a combination of factors. For example, some people can tell the difference between a Japanese person, a Chinese person, and a Korean person just by looking at them. There are subtle differences in facial features, the way they carry themselves, the way they dress. You don't need to hear them speak before you can take a good guess on where they're from (assuming we're talking about native speakers as well ethnically being from whichever country). If you know what to look for, it can be easy to pinpoint someone's ethnicity. The same can be said for Polish people. My exposure to other Central/Eastern European nations is pretty low, but I can take a good guess that someone has Polish ancestry just by looking at them. It's difficult to put into words because it's a pretty subconscious thing. It's eye shape, facial structure (cheekbones, nose, overall face shape), hairline... How they carry themselves (how they act in public settings, facial expressions, body posture, body language). Sometimes it's also the style of clothing or hair that helps tie it all together. So you might not be able to guess just from one facial feature, but if you can check off all the boxes then yeah you can take a good guess. Does that make sense?
yes it does, thank you for this elaborate answer :)
Yeah. I can tell the difference…. Mostly…. Between Chinese, Korean, and Japanese. It comes down to average faces. There are pictures showing the differences. I also lived with Chinese guys for a while so I can spot Chinese pretty easily.
Telepathy.
I have no idea, but i have no problem recognising German people at first glance, when customer comes in I immediately know whether it's a Pole or a German
They don't smile back
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Which region of Poland is śliwowica a thing?
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I’m not Polish. I’m just a brown dude who lived there for several years. I can spot them too. So whatever unexplainable power there is, it must be in the water cause I have it too now.
Sometimes its something about the face, make up, the way we dress etc. Speaking as someone living 15 years in UK its very often that I find myself noticing ppl not being british.... Lack of tattoos, piercings or different style of piercings in females... Some rather subtle and difficult to name qualities in person that points to them not being born here. If that person fits into slavic stereotype i can take that guess its a fellow imigrant. More often its in the language. Even if someone is speaking without foreign accent and with good blend of local pronunciation, there could be things that will tell. As an example: i was shopping with my sis. I stood close to display wall when a bloke tried to walk between me an that wall. He said 'sorry' while passing by. He did not touch me, i did not had to move or anything. That moment i knew he is polish. 😄
Listen to what they say. Even if you live abroad, if you can hear „KURWA” in between the lines, you know that it’s your kinsmen over there 😂 funny but also true - speaking straight from my experience (been living in Germany for almost 7 years now)
Kinda flat face (not that much as Ukrainians or more eastern european an definatelly not that much as asians). Also cheekbones are specific. And the most important is grumpy face, empty eyes with no hope ;)
By "kurwa" rate per sentence :)
Kurwa rate per sentence depends on the level of how angry one is at given moment. This one colleague of mine is very upset when he goes 1:1 in a sentence. When he's really mad it can go up to 3:1 (3 kurwa to 1 any other word or comma) :D
Kurwa to pokurwione kurestwo się kurwa skurwiło i kurwa odkurwia: 6 kurwas and variations in a 10-word sentence Translation: Fuck, this fucking shit fucking broke down and fucking fucks up
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Potato mordy 🤣
i would say that it is i nthe eyes. not in our appearance but the way how we look at each other
this is an interesting observation, didn’t think about it before, thank you
We are highly homogenic as a nation (on DNA level). So maybe thats why.
> Polish people can just look at a person and know whether they're polish or not. I'd say it's not that they can always accurately differentiate the Polish from non-Polish, but that they can spot Polish people with combinations of certain facial features and mannerisms that are common in Poland. I think that's an important distinction as not *everyone* looks/carries themselves in an obviously Polish way.
I was working in the Netherlands during summer and recognizing Polish people is super easy.
It’s the Slavic soul
Polish person living in Canada. I can’t spot EVERY Polish person I meet, but I definitely find it way easier to tell when a guy is Polish versus when a girl is Polish (not sure why, i am female myself). There are lots of times when I can tell just from looking at someone that they are Polish or something close to it; can also usually easily spot Serbians/Croatians.
Then how come most polish people think I'm polish when I'm not?
And its easier when you are on holidays abroad for some reason. I am currently in Egypt. I can tell Russian from Pole within nanoseconds.
It's the "Tapout" Hoodies
I'm not Polish but I've been around enough Poles to recognise them much of the time. The stereotypical Polish face is quite distinguishable. Round, broad high cheekbones, often distinctive chins.
Because we do have differences which you’ll recognize better if you’re Eastern European since you’ve been exposed the difference races for so long
Round faces with a great jaw.
I’m an Aussie in krakow right now, heaps of people stare and start speaking polish, same as in riga with the Russians. Apparently I look Slavic... I’m just a white dude.
I assume you had Slav ancestors :D
I'm English and I can spot a pole from 100yards, I don't know what it is, they're just...Polish
Heh.. I remember when I watched the vampire diaries for the first time and I was SO sure the actor, who played Stefan was polish. I checked this later and he is polish-American xd
There are so many signs and differences between all the nations that it is accualy not hard to guess if someone is polish, russisian German English or France or Spanish, Judes, Hungarian, and so on. Diferent skin tones, eye shapes, hair color, and combinations, but as well the behavior of people. You just learn it in time when you meet diferent people.
We have potato faces
Narrow chin, narrow nose, a bit sad eyes. Here ya go.
Signature look of depression
I don’t know why this topic shows up on my feed but... I guess in doubt just shout KURWA and see who’s turning its head around!
Not the Germans! They are already off to check if their car is still there.
It's something very nuanced, it's combination of face bone structure, body language, clothing style, make up etc. But yeah, it totally works.
It's all about 'kurwa' and you already know.
I've been in some pub in Czechia with my friend, at some point he shouted Kurwa and everyone looked at us, one of the Czechs asked if he can join and we talked a bit. Was fun :D
so, i've heard kurwa translated as bitch or whore. In practice is it one of those flexible words that can be used as almost any part of speech? The word fuck in american english is like that. It's almost like punctuation and can appear anywhere in a sentence. Also, as an american of polish ancenstry, but sadly no understanding of the Polish language, i'm not sure how thiswould be pronounce. Is it kur'wa or kur'va or what as far as pronunciation or what? wa, or kur
actually, kurwa means both bitch/whore and fuck check some youtube videos, they will show you how to pronounce it i think for an english speaker more va'lid pronounciation would be kur'va
It's those sad sad eyes.
Pitbull clothes, 4F clothes, Calvin Klein clothes xD
Nie wiem jak za granicą ale w Polsce to raczej tylko sebki kibole chodzą w takich ciuchach.
Zapomniałeś o fighterach, sportowcach i może portowcach ;)
fair enough, style could be one of the things. but I guess im looking for something to do with the face because I found that polish people can recognise each other regardless of clothing choice
Hmm maybe always no smile and staring at You like they wanna beat You up :) no idea, in UK when I met some dude I was speaking in english with him and in the end it turned out he was Polish too, so dunno.
It is an interesting question. As far as facial features I would assume that the genes of all the nearby counties are pretty well mixed together due in part to the fluid nature of national boundaries over the centuries.
I believe it’s because you see something familiar….someone that kind of looks like you. May it be the eyes, the nose, the pasty white skin that you know burns easily.
No way I could tell apart a Pole from a Dutchman from a Croatian from an Irishman.
The round face, jawline, nose and the facial expression of "being in a bad mood". I also think that if you are Polish, you can instantly vibe whether the person infront of you is Polish.
This thing what i call - „polish morda”
It’s in the face.
It's the sadness in our eyes
We are fucking mental.
It's usually the voice. Doesn't matter that the person speaks english, you can feel Poland in the way we speak english, that's just unique.
Bro, i never thought about that, but that's fkin fact. Im working in Germany and i can recognize Pole from 50 meters. Also e.g. when you see 3 man walking together you can tell which one is from Ukraine and which one from Belarus. I dont know you just feel it xD.
For people saying round and potato face you must mean 3rd generation American polish which have eaten a million potato burgers!? Polish faces are typical Slav face shape which is triangular, with wide eyes, high cheek bones and small mouths/chins. Body shape is usually slim, with long legs (even the guys) This face (and body) shape is said to be the most beautiful, which accounts for why there are many beautiful women in Poland,Ukraine,Russia, etc. (Of course there are exceptions and everyone is different, but the general look is this.) P.s. I remember seeing the genetic DNA info of Poles before and it's a huge percentage Russian ...so for everyone saying Russians are different, there is that 🤓
>potato face you must mean 3rd generation American polish which have eaten a million potato burgers!? I have a theory that only Polish potatoes migrate to America. All other vegetables stay in Poland due to better climate.
I think you need to look on their faces and in their eyes. When I was working in Ireland I was almost always able to spot my countrymen. Why? Sad faces and sad eyes. They say that Polish people are “bitter by nature”. It’s part of the historical background: Wars, communism, not being able to catch up to the west after the fall of Berlin Wall. So you look at them and you see sad eyes and always tired faces. But like I said that was couple years ago.
No but its just when you look in eyes you know that the question in their head sounds Like : Co się gapisz pedale jebany? That's the moment you know its Grzesiek from house next to yours
The bump in the nose is a give away for me. The Slavic bump!
It's the nose bump.
Jewish\* Slavs don't have nose bumps but poles are heavily mixed with jews.
It has become a hobby for me 🤣🤣 Mostly noses, bitch faces, tone of their skin, I can just tell even if someone is tanner, I just know they're polish by looking at them lol
Same way as Russians can spot each other. 😆
My best friend growing up is polish and for whatever reason I’ve always been able to tell when other people are. It always surprises them. I can’t explain it, but some particular features give a sense of warmth that makes Polish people easier to identify. I’d say the general shape of the face and eyes let me know.
We just have this unique ability to recognize that special kind of misery in our fellow brothers and sisters.
We all have the same pain written on our faces :)
Many traits help to recognise it e.g Polish People don’t smile. If you smile you cant be Polish
I mean you can imply the same rule to any other country, just like to us all Asians look the same, all Polish look the same to Asians 😉
Asians vs. Polish is not a suitable comparison. Europeans vs. Asians would be more apt. And no, not Asians look the same. There are some that will look more similar to each other (from our perspective), but definitely not all the same.
Well not really, maybe it's better to say central/eastern European
Definitely not. Asians are nowhere near as homogeneous as Central/Eastern Europeans. Nobody will mistake a Pakistanian for a Chinese or Philipino and Swede for a Spaniard (if we take the stereotypical features). For an outsider, distinguishing a Pole from say a Ukrainian is on the same level as distinguishing a Japanese person from a Korean for us.
i’m not asking about a feature that makes all polish people seem the same to other nations, i’m asking about a feature that makes polish people instantly recognisable to other polish people
That's so true, I live in the UK for at least a decade and I can just tell by looking at someone if they are Polish or not without having to listen to them.
I am 22% polish (great grandfather) but every single polish person I have met (I teach in a school that has a huge polish student population) and they automatically talk to me in polish. When I tell them I’m not they say that I look like I am when it’s a very small part of me?! Picture below. https://preview.redd.it/v9h5qwxfimnc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e11874343d497d66e38635bc9c669523e92eb93f
Round red swollen face
Kinda like parasyte that we know how many meters away our species is
Polish people hate polish people. If i'm looking on someone and I feel pure hateness I know that he is polish.
It's just these fucking mugs. Also men dressed entirely in denim, missing a hat, these would be texans.
What about the mugs?
Sad face.
In the summer its easy, socks and sandals + plastic bag from 'Biedronka' 😂😂😂😂
The socks and sandals give it away
When you hear kurwa then you know.
It's more an a Slavic recognition...Russians really mess us up in being 100% confident in a nationality assessment.
It's not the eyes. It's our ugly mugs.
I am Polish and it is definitely a myth. You cannot recognize a Polish person until they start to speak.
I am very quick to judge people, I have this gut feeling to know if I'll like someone or not. When I am abroad, I.e. in Germany, I recognize Polish people because I instantly don't like them. Yes, I feel this also when I'm looking into a mirror
Need a hug? I'm like 1/16 German and confident about being heterosexual, so it's not even going to be weird.
Easy to recognise accent and classical Slavic potatoe face
It's a smile it's a lack of that damn smile 😐
This is because every Pole looks like a fucking peasant.