What does “говно” mean in English?
It means 'shit' and can refer to something of poor quality or contemptible. It's a straightforward insult or expression of disdain.
Literally “excrement”
It's used similarly to 'shit' in English, often as an exclamation or to describe something subpar. It's less harsh than some stronger Russian swear words, making it more versatile in casual conversation.
Take it with you
Wear it. Stick it. Drink from it.
Put говно on a mug, a T-shirt or a sticker as Swear Atlas stamp artwork. You'll finish your order with Zazzle, our print partner — they handle payment, printing and delivery.
Adult/mature product · 18+. Purchases, delivery, returns and support are provided by Zazzle, not Swear Atlas. Availability is subject to Zazzle's policies.
Related Russian words
дерьмо
3/5 · Vulgardermo
This means 'shit' or 'crap', and can also refer to something worthless. It's used in both literal and figurative contexts.
срать
3/5 · Vulgarsrat
This means to shit, used as a vulgar verb in everyday language. It literally translates to 'defecate.'
говнище
3/5 · Vulgargovnishche
It means something really awful or terrible, often used for emphasis. Literally, it translates to 'big shit.'
дерьмовый
3/5 · Vulgardermovy
It describes something as bad, lousy, or worthless. The literal translation relates to the quality of being 'shitty.'
About this data
Swear Atlas is a source-attested, AI-curated reference — not a native-speaker-certified dictionary. Meanings and the 1–5 Burn Rating are approximate editorial assessments that vary with context, region, tone and speaker. Inclusion of a word does not constitute endorsement of its use.
The literal gloss is a short editorial translation to show word-for-word sense, not an etymological claim.
“Sounds like” is an English-friendly approximation of how the word sounds, not an authoritative pronunciation. Where shown, the romanisation is a conventional Latin-script transliteration of the original spelling.
Term attested via LDNOOBW, 4troDev/profanity.csv, Viddexa SafeText (CC-BY-4.0, MIT). Editorial content © Swear Atlas.