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Slang from Russia

babki (бабки)

Money (colloquial, plural of "grandmother," but used for money).

🔥 88 upvotes

baldet (балдеть)

To chill out; to enjoy oneself thoroughly; to be delighted.

🔥 73 upvotes

ban (бан)

A ban from a group, forum, or game (from the English "ban").

bespredel (беспредел)

Lawlessness; utter chaos; extreme disorder.

🔥 52 upvotes

bez bazaru (без базару)

No problem; no doubt (literally "without talk").

🔥 97 upvotes

blin (блин)

Damn! Shoot! (literally "pancake," used as a mild expletive).

🔥 58 upvotes

blyat (блять)

damn (very common expletive, highly informal).

brend (бренд)

A brand; used to describe branded or designer clothing.

butylka (бутылка)

Bottle (often used in the context of alcohol).

chmishnik (чмырик)

A contemptible or pathetic person online (can be a troll or annoying user).

chmo (чмо)

Loser; nobody; contemptible person (highly derogatory).

chuvak (чувак)

Dude; guy; chap (masculine, informal).

🔥 61 upvotes

davai (давай)

Come on; lets go; give it (informal, versatile).

devushka/paren (девушка/парень)

Girlfriend/boyfriend (literally "girl" / "guy," commonly used for partners).

durak (дурак)

Fool; idiot (very common and widely used).

ekzamen (экзамен)

Exam (standard term, widely used).

figovo (фигово)

Badly; awfully; crappy (informal adverb).

gnida (гнида)

Nit; despicable person (implies someone small and irritating).

gulyash (гуляш)

Goulash; often a hearty, simple meal common in cafeterias or home cooking.

gulyat (гулять)

To hang out; to party (literally "to walk").

kaif (кайф)

Pleasure; high; enjoyment (from Arabic).

kak dela? (как дела?)

How are things? How are you? (informal greeting).

kapyets (капец)

Damn it! The end! Disaster! (informal, strong expletive implying major trouble).

khalyava (халява)

Something free; a freebie; easy money.

kipel (кипел)

Furious; boiling with anger (masculine, past tense of "to boil").

kleit (клеить)

To hit on; to pick up (literally "to glue").

kozyol (козёл)

Goat; used to call someone a jerk or a betrayer (mildly offensive).

kruto (круто)

Cool; awesome (literally "steep").

krysha (крыша)

Roof; also means "sanity" or "mind" (e.g., "krysha poekhala" - lost ones mind).

ladno (ладно)

Okay; fine; alright (acknowledgment/agreement).

liknut (ликнуть)

To like a post on social media (from English "like").

loshara (лошара)

A fool or loser (can be used to insult someone online).

losharik (лошарик)

A simpleton; a naive or silly person (from "loshad" - horse).

🔥 92 upvotes

lyubov-morkov (любовь-морковь)

Love-carrot (playful, somewhat sarcastic term for love, especially superficial or cheesy love).

ment (мент)

Cop; policeman (derogatory/slang).

modnik/modnitsa (модник/модница)

A person who is a trendy or fashion-conscious follower of trends.

na fige (на фиге)

Why (the hell)?; what for? (informal, slightly rude).

nalakalsya (налакался)

Got drunk (derogatory, like an animal drinking).

navalyalsya (навалялся)

Got wasted; got very drunk (colloquial, masculine past tense).

normalno (нормально)

Normal; okay; fine (used informally to mean "good" or "everythings alright").

otkosiť (откосить)

To dodge; to skip (e.g., military service, class).

otpad (отпад)

Awesome; amazing; a sensation (literally "falling off").

para (пара)

A pair; two consecutive classes (e.g., "three pairs" for six hours of classes).

patsanski (пацански)

In a lad-like manner; cool, like a true guy (often associated with certain subcultures).

🔥 65 upvotes

patsan (пацан)

Young lad; dude (informal, often for younger males).

🔥 88 upvotes

pelmeni (пельмени)

Dumplings, often eaten quickly or as a simple meal (can be bought frozen and cooked).

podarok (подарок)

Gift; present (can be used sarcastically for something bad/unwanted).

ponyal (понял)

Understood; got it (informal, masculine past tense).

pozhrať (пожрать)

To grub; to gobble down food (vulgar/very informal way to say "to eat").

problema (проблема)

Problem; issue (standard, but very common in slang contexts).

🔥 60 upvotes

pyanyi (пьяный)

Drunk (standard term, but widely used informally).

razvod (развод)

Scam; rip-off (also means "divorce").

sharik (шарик)

Ball (often used to refer to a head, e.g., "brain").

shashlik (шашлык)

Skewered and grilled meat (similar to kebab), very popular comfort food.

shaurma (шаурма)

Shawarma (very popular street food/takeaway, often a late-night snack).

shmotki (шмотки)

Clothes; gear (informal, often implying a lot of clothes).

sipyachiy (сипящий)

Hoarse; husky (can indirectly imply being drunk due to voice changes).

spisat (списать)

To cheat (on a test); to copy (from another student or notes).

stilyaga (стиляга)

A style-conscious person from the 1950s/60s, a term for a fashionable person today.

strela (стрела)

A meeting, often informal and sometimes for a serious discussion (literally "arrow").

🔥 85 upvotes

svidanie (свидание)

A date (romantic meeting - standard, but commonly used informally).

tema (тема)

Topic; theme; also, something cool or relevant (e.g., "Eto tema!" - Thats the thing!).

🔥 64 upvotes

troika (тройка)

A "C" grade (literally "three," as in a 3 out of 5 grading system).

tupoi (тупой)

Stupid; dull-witted (masculine).

tushkan (тушкан)

Fool; idiot (from "tushkanchik" - jerboa, a small rodent).

tusovka (тусовка)

Party; gathering; hangout (often a regular one).

🔥 85 upvotes

vdrabgan (вдрызг)

Completely drunk; smashed (adverb, often used with "pyan" - drunk).

vklyuchalsya (включался)

Got drunk; "turned on" (informal, often implying becoming more active due to alcohol).

vlyubitsya (влюбиться)

To fall in love (standard, but fundamental to dating terms).

zachet (зачёт)

Credit; pass (a pass/fail test or a course completion).

zaichik (зайчик)

Bunny (can be used sarcastically as an insult for someone weak or easily scared).

zalipnut (залипнуть)

To get stuck (on something); to become engrossed; to zone out.

🔥 76 upvotes

zalyot (залёт)

A blunder; a serious mistake (often implying getting into trouble).

zavist (зависть)

Envy; jealousy (often used informally as "I am envious of that").

zhest (жесть)

Hardcore; tough; horrifying (literally "tin," implies extreme situation).

zhopny (жопный)

Ass-related; very bad; crappy (from "zhopa" - ass, vulgar).

zhralovka (жраловка)

Food; grub (informal, often implying cheap or readily available food).

zubrit (зубрить)

To cram; to mug up (informal, often implies rote memorization).