Renata Ilitsky Last updated: 35 Most Used Russian Slang Words (with Audio)
To learn real Russian, you have to learn the Russian that’s spoken on the street.
In short, you have to learn Russian slang!
Below are 35 of the very best and most widely-used Russian slang terms.
Contents
- 1. Хрен знает — Who knows?
- 2. Бабки — Money
- 3. Тусить — To hang out
- 4. Бомба — It’s the bomb!
- 5. Хавать — To eat
- 6. Всё ништяк — It’s all good
- 7. Чёрт — Shoot!
- 8. Чувак — Dude
- 9. Tёлка — Chick, gal
- 10. Америкос — American
- 11. Бухой / Бухая — Drunk
- 12. Грузить — To mentally overload
- 13. Дешёвка — To be cheap
- 14. Достал / Досталa — To annoy
- 15. Мне до лампочки/Мне до фонаря — I don’t care
- 16. Офигеть — No way!
- 17. Пошёл вон — Get lost!
- 18. Лажа — A screw-up, a failure
- 19. Кайф — Enjoyment, pleasure
- 20. Шарить — To understand, to know
- 21. Замутить — To arrange/to organize
- 22. Прикол — A joke
- 23. Зависать — To hang out or chill
- 24. Фигня — Nonsense
- 25. Задрот — Nerd
- 26. Отжигать — To party hard
- 27. Тормоз — Slowpoke
- 28. Стёб — Banter, teasing
- 29. Чё как?/Чё почём? — What’s up?
- 30. Круто — Cool, awesome
- 31. Угарный — Hilarious
- 32. Отпад — A blast
- 33. Отвечаю — I’m responsible
- 34. Перетирать — To talk over
- 35. Поехать кукухой — To go nuts
- Why Learn Russian Slang?
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1. Хрен знает — Who knows?
Literal definition: Horseradish knows.
Meaning: Who knows? (informal)
When you’re asked a question you simply don’t know the answer to, you can answer with this phrase. For example, the next time someone asks you what their dream really means, you might reply, “Хрен знает.”
However, note that хрен is a euphemism/replacement for a really bad swear word (referring to anatomy), so this phrase probably shouldn’t be used in polite or professional company. Think of it as on-par with “Who the hell knows?” or “Damned if I know” in English.
Хрен знает, какая погода будет завтра.
(Who knows what the weather will be like tomorrow.)
You can also check out this video to learn about most used words and phrases between friends in Russian:
2. Бабки — Money
Literal definition: Grandmas
Meaning: Money
The term бабки has two meanings in Russian—it can mean grandmas, from the word бабкa (grandma), but it’s also a slang term to describe money.
There are a few theories about the origin of this term, from a dice game involving horse joints to a 100-ruble bill bearing the image Yekaterina II, who was the grandmother of two Russian emperors and became known as “tsar’s granny.”
(Where can I find money?)
3. Тусить — To hang out
Literal definition: None
Meaning: To hang out, party
If Russians love anything, it’s having a good time. Anyone visiting Russia can see for themselves that Russians are often hanging out and partying in typical places, such as bars, restaurants and nightclubs.
However, it’s also not uncommon to see them dancing in public parks, drinking on street corners or bursting into song on a walk home.
Тусить is the perfect term to describe a Russian national pastime, as Russians love to get together with friends and loved ones to relax and have a great time.
(Are we going to hang out on Friday?)
4. Бомба — It’s the bomb!
Literal definition: Bomb
Meaning: The bomb, amazing
You can describe something as “great,” but when something or someone blows all of your expectations, you say that it’s a бомба. It’s similar to the way it’s used in English.
(This restaurant is the bomb!)
Я встретил такую женщину, просто бомба!
(I met a woman, she’s just the bomb!)
5. Хавать — To eat
Literal definition: None
Meaning: To eat (informal, rude)
Grub, chow down, pig out—we have tons of slang English terms to express a favorite activity—eating! In Russian, xавать is a rude-ish way of expressing this physical need.
(Let’s go eat.)
This word is also often used metaphorically to mean “to eat up” lies or false promises.
(The people eat it all up.)
6. Всё ништяк — It’s all good
Literal definition: None
Meaning: It’s all good
This term is so popular, it’s even included in the lyrics of a song called “Вокруг шум” (“Noise is Around”) by the group Каста (Kasta). If you haven’t heard Russian rap before, this is the perfect time!
The lyrics of the song include the following:
Вокруг шум. Пусть так. Ни кипешуй. Всё ништяк.
(Noise is around us. Let it be. Don’t worry. All is good.)
If someone asks you how you are, practice telling them all is okay by saying, “Всё ништяк!”
7. Чёрт — Shoot!
Literal definition: Devil
Meaning: Shoot!
This one is a milder version of a curse word you use when there’s a mishap. Whether you missed the bus, dropped and cracked your iPhone or overcooked your dinner—there’s always a reason to say, “Shoot!”
(Shoot, I dropped all of my food.)
8. Чувак — Dude
Literal definition: None
Meaning: Guy, dude
The term чувак (dude) is derived from the word чувиха (chick, gal) and dates back to the 1920s, when it was used to describe prostitutes. The word чувак went mainstream in the 1960s.
Чувак co мной вместе работает.
(The guy works with me.)
9. Tёлка — Chick, gal
Literal definition: A young female cow
Meaning: Chick, gal
In Russian, a slang word for a young woman is тёлка (chick, gal), and comes from agriculture, where it literally means “a young female cow”.
Tёлка возле меня в классе сидит.
(The gal sits next to me in class.)
10. Америкос — American
Literal definition: None
Meaning: American (informal, rude)
This rude term is used to describe the citizens of the U.S. It’s a combination of two different terms, Американец (American) and пиндос (no exact translation).
The term пиндос as a description for Americans has been traced to the late 1990s, when both American and Russian troops were fighting in Kosovo and both were critical toward each other in the press.
Combining пиндос and Американец has led to the widespread acceptance of the slang word Америкос to describe Americans. Both пиндос and Америкос have a negative connotation.
(An American is sitting next to us.)
11. Бухой / Бухая — Drunk
Literal definition: None
Meaning: Drunk
Russians love to drink, and there are a variety of terms to express drinking, such as бухать (to drink), бухнуть (to drink) and набухаться (to get drunk), as well as the terms listed above.
Бухой чувак пел песни в парке.
(A drunk guy sang songs in the park.)
Она согласилась со мной идти в кино, oна, наверное, бухая.
(She agreed to go to the movies with me, she must be drunk.)
12. Грузить — To mentally overload
Literal Definition: To load
Meaning: To overload someone mentally, to bore someone with excessive talking, to confuse someone
We’ve all been in a situation, whether in a group of friends, in class or at work, where another party talks incessantly and leaves us feeling mentally and emotionally overloaded.
Учитель так меня грузил, что у меня теперь голова болит.
(The teacher overloaded me so much that now I have a headache.)
13. Дешёвка — To be cheap
Literal definition: Something that’s cheap
Meaning: To be cheap
The word дешёвка originates from the Russian word дешёвый (cheap). It describes either an item that’s cheaply made and is a waste of money, or a steal!
(This toy is just cheaply made.)
Я купил мясо за 100 руб. Просто дешёвка!
(I bought meat for 100 rubles. It’s so cheap!)
14. Достал / Досталa — To annoy
Literal definition: Reached over and got
Meaning: To annoy
In Russian, to say that someone annoyed or irritated you, you would say they “got” you, to put it literally, or got to you.
Мама звонила 3 раза сегодня, достала меня.
(Mom called three times today, she is annoying me.)
Он всегда рассказывает скучные истории, достал уже.
(He always tells boring stories, he is annoying me.)
15. Мне до лампочки/Мне до фонаря — I don’t care
Literal definition: To me to light bulb/ to me to torch
Meaning: I don’t care
When you really want to stress that you don’t care about something or don’t find it interesting or relevant, this is a great way to express yourself.
Мне до лампочки, позвонишь ты мне или нет.
(I don’t care if you call or not.)
16. Офигеть — No way!
Literal definition: None
Meaning: Can’t believe it/wow/no way (informal)
We all know that cultures adopt words and phrases from other languages. Such is the case with this slang term. It all started with the German-derived word фиг, which is a milder English F-word, but still a bit rude.
That evolved into the Russian word фига, which despite not having a direct translation is the basis for a whole variety of Russian slang terms.
Офигеть is one you may hear to describe a situation where something unbelievable has happened.
Ты можешь поверить, что я только что выиграл миллион долларов?
(Can you believe I just won a million dollars?)
(No freakin’ way!)
You can actually hear this word in use in the dub of the funny trailer for the movie “Downsizing” on FluentU, a language learning platform that uses authentic content.
Find movie trailers and clips, music videos, vlogs and other native content, as well as transcripts, word lists, flashcards, personalized quizzes and more.
There are at least two other great examples of Russian slang in natural use in this video alone. And you can save them all as flashcards just by clicking on the word or phrase in the subtitles.
From there you can even see how the word appears in other videos as well as read or listen to example sentences.
17. Пошёл вон — Get lost!
Literal definition: Go away
Meaning: Get lost, go away (rude)
When you can’t stand someone’s presence, you can use the phrase пошёл вон to express your desire for them to leave.
It’s a more direct way of saying “get lost” and you can use it in moments of frustration or annoyance to express yourself.
Мне надо поработать, так что пошёл вон!
(I need to work, so get lost!)
Keep in mind that this expression is quite straightforward and can be considered impolite. Reserve it for situations where you’re comfortable using strong language or when the context allows for a more casual tone.
18. Лажа — A screw-up, a failure
Literal definition: None
Meaning: A screw-up, a failure
In Russian, when you experience moments of failure or mistakes, you can use the term лажа to describe the situation. It’s a great way to acknowledge that you messed-up without being overly formal.
Это была настоящая лажа, прости.
(This was a real screw-up, sorry.)
Next time you find yourself in a small blunder or a significant mishap, calling it лажа adds a touch of understanding and lightness to the situation, making it easier to move forward.
19. Кайф — Enjoyment, pleasure
Literal definition: None
Meaning: Enjoyment, pleasure
Russians have a knack for expressing their satisfaction, and кайф is the go-to term for describing a state of pure enjoyment or pleasure! It’s often used to convey the delight derived from various activities.
(This movie is pure enjoyment!)
Whether you’re savoring delicious food, enjoying a good book, or experiencing any other form of pleasure, кайф encapsulates that feeling of contentment.
20. Шарить — To understand, to know
Literal definition: None
Meaning: To understand, to know (slang)
When you’re in the know or have a deep understanding of something, you can use шарить to express your comprehension. It’s a great word to use in informal conversations with your Russian speaking friends.
(Do you understand this issue?)
This slang term adds a touch of familiarity to the fact that you’re knowledgeable about a particular subject. Use it when discussing topics in a relaxed and informal setting.
21. Замутить — To arrange/to organize
Literal definition: None
Meaning: To arrange, to organize (informal) or to start a romantic relationship
When you’re planning to set up an event or make something happen, замутить is the perfect slang term to use. In Russian, you can use it in informal situations like catching up with your friends.
Давай замутим вечеринку на выходных!
(Let’s organize a party this weekend!)
22. Прикол — A joke
Literal definition: None
Meaning: A joke, something funny or also “the kicker”, “the deal”
In Russia, when you want to refer to a humorous situation, joke, or anything amusing, use the term прикол. It’s a casual and common way to describe something funny.
Ты видел его новое видео? Полный прикол!
(Have you seen his new video? It’s hilarious!)
(What’s the deal with him?)
Знаешь, в чём прикол? Он со мной даже не поздоровался.
(You know what the deal is? He didn’t even greet me.)
Но вот в чём прикол: ты можешь получить второй бесплатно.
(But here’s the kicker: you can get a second one for free.)
Go ahead and use this word to share a laugh with friends or comment on amusing situations in a laid-back manner.
23. Зависать — To hang out or chill
Literal definition: None
Meaning: To hang out, to chill
When you want to hang out together with your friends, use зависать. It’s a great way of inviting someone to spend time together without a specific plan.
Давай зависнем вечером, ничего не планируя.
(Let’s just hang out in the evening with no plans.)
This term is ideal for informal settings and emphasizes the laid-back nature of spending time together.
24. Фигня — Nonsense
Literal definition: None
Meaning: Nonsense, something insignificant
When you want to dismiss something as trivial or unimportant, фигня is the word to use. It’s a casual way to express that something is not worth serious consideration.
Не обращай внимания, это всего лишь фигня.
(Don’t pay attention, it’s just nonsense.)
25. Задрот — Nerd
Literal definition: None
Meaning: Nerd, someone overly dedicated to a hobby (offensive)
In Russia, people use задрот to refer to someone who may be considered a bit of a geek. Although it can be used to describe someone who is passionate about a particular hobby or activity, задрот is an offensive word so keep it in mind.
Он настоящий задрот по компьютерным играм.
(He’s a real nerd when it comes to computer games.)
This term can be used playfully but often carries a negative meaning, depending on the context.
26. Отжигать — To party hard
Literal definition: None
Meaning: To party hard, to have a blast
When you want to describe having a great and fun time at a party or event, отжигать is the word to use! Отжигать is all about dancing, celebrating, and generally enjoying yourself!
На вчерашней вечеринке мы отжигали до утра!
(We partied hard until morning at yesterday’s party!)
This term is perfect for sharing exciting experiences or expressing enthusiasm about a lively event.
27. Тормоз — Slowpoke
Literal definition: Brake
Meaning: Slowpoke, someone slow or annoying
When you want to playfully tease someone for being slow or annoying in Russian, тормоз is the slang term to use. It’s a light-hearted way to poke fun at someone’s pace or behavior.
Почему ты такой тормоз сегодня?
(Why are you such a slowpoke today?)
Make sure that you use this term among friends in a teasing and friendly manner.
28. Стёб — Banter, teasing
Literal definition: None
Meaning: Banter, teasing
When friends engage in playful teasing or banter, you can use the term стёб to describe something funny and humorous!
(I’m sick of your banter already.)
29. Чё как?/Чё почём? — What’s up?
Literal definition: What how?/What how much?
Meaning: What’s up or what are you up to?
When you want to check in with someone casually or ask about their plans, you can use the phrase “Чё как?” or “Чё почём?” It’s a friendly way to ask what someone is doing or how they’re doing.
(Hey! What’s up?)
This phrase adds a touch of informality to your conversation, making it suitable for chatting with friends or acquaintances.
30. Круто — Cool, awesome
Literal definition: Cool
Meaning: Cool, awesome
When you want to express admiration or approval for something, use the word “Круто.” In Russian, it’s a versatile slang term that you can use to describe anything from a great idea to an impressive achievement.
Твой новый проект просто круто выглядит!
(Your new project looks really cool!)
31. Угарный — Hilarious
Literal definition: To suffer from carbon monoxide intoxication
Meaning: Hilarious
When something is incredibly funny, you can describe it as угарный. Originally, it derived from the word угорать, which means to suffer from carbon monoxide intoxication.
Since people can act erratically after smelling carbon monoxide, Russians probably started to use this term as a slang to express amusement and laughter.
You can also say “как угорелый” (like the one who inhaled carbon monoxide) to talk about someone acting crazy.
(That joke was hilarious!)
32. Отпад — A blast
Literal definition: Falling off
Meaning: A blast, fantastic
Отпад is a common way to express that something is fantastic or amazing. Russians use it to express excitement and enjoyment.
Этот концерт был просто отпад!
(This concert was a blast!)
33. Отвечаю — I’m responsible
Literal definition: Answering
Meaning: I’m responsible
When you want to emphasize the truthfulness of what you’re saying, отвечаю is the phrase to use.
(This is true, I’m responsible!)
34. Перетирать — To talk over
Literal definition: Rubbing over
Meaning: To talk over
When you want to talk things over with someone, перетирать is a slang word Russians use to describe the action of discussing something.
Не переживай, сейчас мы всё перетрём.
(Don’t talk over, let others speak.)
35. Поехать кукухой — To go nuts
Literal definition: To go cuckoo
Meaning: To go nuts
When someone is acting irrationally or losing their mind, поехать кукухой is the slang expression to convey that they are going crazy.
Не обращай внимания, он поехал кукухой.
(Don’t pay attention, he’s going nuts.)
Why Learn Russian Slang?
Aside from upping your cool factor, there are a number of benefits Russian learners can enjoy by adding slang to their vocabulary.
- Going beyond the textbook: Learning slang helps you understand and use informal, everyday Russian as it’s spoken by today’s native speakers. Plus, knowing the situations where this slang is used gives you deeper insights into Russian culture.
- Enjoy Russian entertainment to the fullest: Without slang, you’ll be missing key components of contemporary Russian movies, hit music and the latest books. Learning the basics of slang will boost your understanding of all the best Russian entertainment.
- Have some fun! As in any language, slang words and phrases in Russian often have strange or nonsensical meanings when translated literally. Comparing the literal and figurative meanings adds some fun to your language studies.
You can impress Russian speakers by showing off your Russian skills with these slang words.
Now go out there and practice!
