What does “brak” mean in Dutch?

Brak is the everyday Dutch word for feeling wrecked after too much drink — a scratchy throat, no voice, and a solemn vow never to drink again. Literally it means “brackish” or “briny” (that salty, stale taste is the clue), and it is used wherever English speakers might say “rough,” “hanging,” or simply “hungover.” It is casual spoken Dutch, common the morning after any big night out.

Dutch does have a more standard word for hangover — kater (literally “tomcat”) — but brak is the looser, more expressive option you hear in casual speech. It can work as an adjective (“ik ben zo brak”) or on its own as a shorthand verdict on the morning. In the clip, the speaker wakes up after New Year’s (oud en nieuw) with a raspy, broken voice and announces “Ik drink echt nooit meer” — the classic brak moment delivered with perfect comic self-pity.