Russian
10 Russian swear words you'll actually hear
A traveller's shortlist of Russian expletives, insults and exclamations — what they mean, and how strong they are.
Every language swears differently. This guide collects 10 Russian expressions you're genuinely likely to hear — from mild exclamations to properly strong stuff — and explains what each one actually means, not just its dictionary translation.
Burn Ratings are an approximate, cross-language heuristic. Context, region, tone and who's speaking all change how a word lands. Treat these as a guide, not gospel.
- 1пукать 1/5 · Mild
pukat
Literally “fart”. Mild or childish verb for farting. Usually weaker than пердеть.
Full entry → - 2дурак 2/5 · Coarse
durak
Literally “fool”. Insult meaning idiot or fool. Can be mild teasing or direct contempt.
Full entry → - 3едрить колотить 2/5 · Coarse
yedrit kolotit
Euphemistic comic exclamation of surprise or frustration. Less explicit than full mat.
Full entry → - 4идиот 2/5 · Coarse
idiot
Literally “idiot”. Direct insult for a fool. Not a clinical assessment.
Full entry → - 5лох 2/5 · Coarse
lokh
Insult for a sucker or gullible loser. Informal, often about being deceived.
Full entry → - 6на фиг 2/5 · Coarse
na fig
Milder dismissal or intensifier roughly like to hell with it. A euphemistic construction.
Full entry → - 7бздеть 3/5 · Vulgar
bzdet
Literally “fart”. Coarse verb also used figuratively for being afraid. Meaning depends on context.
Full entry → - 8говнище 3/5 · Vulgar
govnishche
Literally “big shit”. Emphatic vulgar word for something awful. Augmentative with a conventional evaluative use.
Full entry → - 9говно 3/5 · Vulgar
govno
Literally “excrement”. Shit; something of poor quality or contemptible. Less taboo than the strongest mat roots for many speakers.
Full entry → - 10говно собачье 3/5 · Vulgar
govno sobachye
Literally “dog shit”. Vulgar dismissal of something as worthless. Literal sense also possible.
Full entry →