cudzych

Cudzy is a Polish adjective meaning belonging to someone else, i.e., not one’s own, and, in a broader sense, foreign or unfamiliar to the speaker’s experience. It is used to describe objects, actions, or ideas that are associated with others rather than with the speaker or their group. The word often carries a nuance of detachment or concern with propriety, as in not interfering with what is not one’s own.

The form cudzych is the genitive plural of cudzy. It is used when the noun it modifies is in the genitive plural, or in certain constructions that require genitive. For example: nie dotykaj cudzych rzeczy (don’t touch other people’s things); opinie cudzych ludzi (the opinions of other people); zwyczaje cudzych krajów (the customs of other countries). Because cudzy is an adjective, it agrees with the noun in gender, number, and case, with cudzych specifically marking genitive plural.

Etymology traces cudzy to the native Polish root meaning foreign or other, related to terms such as cudzoziemiec (foreigner). The form cudzy is widely used in standard Polish and appears in literary and colloquial registers. The word can carry neutral to slightly pejorative connotations, depending on context, typically conveying something that does not pertain to the speaker or their in-group.

See also: obcy, własny, cudzoziemiec.