говно (govno)
What does говно (govno) mean? говно (govno) is a Russian strong that translates to “shit / crap” in English.
Literal Translation
shit / excrement
Meaning & Usage
"shit / crap"
Feces; something of poor quality; bad situation.
Examples in the Wild
Это полное говно. (Eto polnoye govno.) - This is complete shit.
When to Use It
Context
- Informal settings where profanity is accepted
- Expressing strong frustration or emphasis
Avoid
- Professional or formal settings
- Around elders or authority figures
- Job interviews, meetings, or customer-facing situations
Cultural Context
Unlike English, говно is NOT considered mat (obscenity) and is milder. In Russian culture, sexual taboos far outweigh scatological ones. 'Говно' can be used in mixed company and even appears in literature. Means literal feces or metaphorical worthlessness ('это говно' = this is shit/crap). The derivative 'говнюк' means a contemptible person. Can be used as exclamation but less emphatic than mat words. Acceptable in many informal contexts where mat would be shocking.
More in Russian 🇷🇺
View all →сука (suka)
“bitch / traitor / snitch”
Bitch (female dog); treacherous person; prison informant.
ёпт (yopt)
“fuck / shit”
A truncated exclamation — essentially the first syllable of 'ёб твою мать' bitten off at the moment of impact. It's what comes out when you stub your toe and don't have time for the full phrase. Technically still мат, but its brevity makes it feel slightly milder — like how 'sh-' cut off is softer than 'shit.'
идиот (idiot)
“idiot”
Same word, same meaning, borrowed from Greek via French like its English counterpart. But in Russian it has a literary weight that the English version lacks — Dostoevsky's novel 'Идиот' (The Idiot, 1869) gave the word a philosophical dimension. Prince Myshkin is the 'idiot' — genuinely good in a world that considers goodness stupid.
пизда (pizda)
“cunt / pussy”
Female genitalia; second pillar of mat. Extremely taboo.
долбоёб (dolboyob)
“dumbfuck / moron / idiot”
Idiot; stupid person; someone who 'fucks logs' (долбить = to chop/peck).
ёбаный (yobanyy)
“fucking / goddamn”
The all-purpose Russian adjective for expressing frustration, derived from 'ебать.' It works exactly like English 'fucking' as a modifier — 'ёбаный компьютер' (fucking computer), 'ёбаный дождь' (fucking rain). The word itself has a satisfying three-syllable weight that makes it feel more substantial than a quick exclamation.
кретин (kretin)
“cretin / moron”
Another medical-term-turned-insult, borrowed from French like its English equivalent. In Russian, it sits at roughly the same severity as 'дебил' but sounds slightly more educated — the kind of insult an academic uses when they want to call someone stupid without sounding low-class themselves.
ебало (yebalo)
“mug / ugly face”
An extremely vulgar word for someone's face or mouth. 'Закрой ебало' (shut your fuck-hole) is a maximally aggressive way to tell someone to shut up. The word reduces a human face to its crudest possible function. It's not creative — it's a blunt instrument.