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Sense of humour in the Netherlands

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Bhavna

Hello everyone,

Should we set out to explore Dutch’s culture through its sense of humour? Indeed, if one is planning to settle in the country, it is best to understand the cultural codes governing humour in order to avoid any faux-pas.

What is special about the sense of humour in the Netherlands?

Is it acceptable to joke about any situations?

What is typically funny and what is absolutely not funny?

Are there any popular comedians in the Netherlands and how would one be able to discover them (stand-up shows, festivals, internet, etc.)?

What is the funniest joke you have heard in the Netherlands?

Please share your experience,

Bhavna

See also

Living in the Netherlands: the expat guideUK bank account and BrexitHow RNI - BSN worksCost of living in the Netherlands in 2025Biometrics data
Ramses K.

Yes we Dutch have an excellent sense of humour  :D

Popular comedians are Hans Teeuwen, Najib Amhali, Jochem Meijer, Herman Finkers and Javier Guzman.

Clip about our humor

Cynic

LOL - as an outsider (in that I'm not Dutch, but have a large extended Dutch family), I can confirm that the Dutch do have a sense of humour, but it is weird and I can understand why some people take exception to it.  My favourite Dutch comedian is André van Duin, I still sing his Pizza song as I drive about the place.

As for the video clip; my wife used to speak English with an American accent, mainly because she picked it up from watching US TV programmes as a kid; I made it my life's work to change that and pretty much succeeded, then we moved to Yorkshire and she now speaks English with a Yorkshire accent.  But it gets worse, much worse, my kids are all fluent in Dutch, but they speak it with a Yorkshire accent, that is really funny.

Pdludwig

Yes the Dutch have a good sense of humour but they don’t have any sense of what is politically correct. It can be cringe worthy and bordering on outright racism. Sometimes reminds me of the British politically incorrect 1960’s

Articles to help you in your expat project in the Netherlands

All of the Netherlands's guide articles