If you spend time in Brussels or Flanders, sooner or later you’ll hear the word “brol.” It’s one of those wonderfully flexible Belgian words that can mean a lot depending on the situation.
At its core, brol refers to junk, mess, or clutter — anything that’s disorganised, cheap, or of little value.
You might hear someone complain: “Wat een brol!” (What a mess!), or describe a flimsy gadget as “pure brol.”
It can be about a chaotic pile of stuff at home, a broken-down machine, or even a badly organised event. The beauty of brol is in its casual, dismissive tone; it says “this isn’t worth much” without needing further explanation.
But brol also has a softer, almost affectionate side. In Brussels slang, it can mean “stuff” in general: “Al mijn brol ligt in die kast” (All my stuff is in that cupboard). It’s not always negative, sometimes it’s just a way of talking about everyday odds and ends.
Like many Belgian words, brol carries more than its dictionary meaning. It reflects a down-to-earth attitude: practical, a little ironic, and never taking things too seriously.
Next time you stumble across a drawer full of random things you’ll never use but can’t throw away, congratulations, you’ve found your brol!
See all our previous ‘Belgian word of the day’ features here.
