One game, many names
Burrec mos u zemëro, Mensch ärgere Dich nicht, Čovječe ne ljuti se and Kızma Birader are the same game. It was created in Germany in 1907–1908 by Josef Friedrich Schmidt, based on the English game Ludo, which in turn comes from the Indian game Pachisi. Most countries kept the German joke in the name: "Man, don't get angry".
The name in different languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Albanian | Burrec mos u zemëro | “Little man, don't get angry” |
| German | Mensch ärgere Dich nicht | “Man, don't get annoyed” |
| Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin | Čovječe, ne ljuti se | “Man, don't get angry” |
| Serbian | Не љути се, човече (Ne ljuti se, čoveče) | “Don't get angry, man” |
| Macedonian | Не лути се, човеку | “Don't get angry, man” |
| Bulgarian | Не се сърди, човече | “Don't be cross, man” |
| Slovenian | Človek, ne jezi se | “Man, don't get angry” |
| Czech | Člověče, nezlob se! | “Man, don't get angry” |
| Slovak | Človeče, nehnevaj sa | “Man, don't get angry” |
| Polish | Chińczyk | “The Chinese one” |
| Hungarian | Ki nevet a végén? | “Who laughs last?” |
| Romanian | Nu te supăra, frate | “Don't get upset, brother” |
| Greek | Γκρινιάρης | “The grumbler” |
| Turkish | Kızma Birader | “Don't get angry, brother” |
| Italian | Non t'arrabbiare | “Don't get angry” |
| Dutch | Mens erger je niet! | “Man, don't get annoyed” |
| Swedish | Fia | — |
Where the game comes from
Pachisi, a cross-and-circle race game, has been played in India for centuries. A simplified version was patented in England in 1896 as Ludo. Around 1907–1908, Josef Friedrich Schmidt in Munich made his own version and called it Mensch ärgere Dich nicht; it was first published in 1910, mass-produced from 1914, and has sold some 70 million copies. From Germany it spread across Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans, mostly keeping its name in translation, which is how it became Burrec mos u zemëro in Albanian.
Close relatives
| Game | Where | Main differences |
|---|---|---|
| Mensch ärgere Dich nicht / Burrec mos u zemëro | Germany, Central Europe, Balkans | 40-field track, no safe fields, no blockades, a 6 to come out |
| Ludo | UK, India, Africa, worldwide apps | 52-square cross track, safe squares, often a bonus roll for captures |
| Parcheesi / Parchís | USA / Spain | Two dice, safe spaces, blockades with two pawns |
| Sorry! | USA, UK | Cards instead of dice, slides and swaps |
| Pachisi | India | The ancestor: cowrie shells instead of dice, a cross-shaped board |
Burrec mos u zemëro on this site follows the German board and rules. Read them on the rules page (or in Albanian).
Whatever you call it at home, play it here.
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