Portuguese · The Basics
Caramba!
kah-RAHM-bah · /ka.ˈɾɐ̃.ba/
Wow! / Geez! / Holy cow!
1/5 Grandma-safe
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"(nonsense minced oath)"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
A minced oath — the clean stand-in for "caralho" when you feel the urge but keep it family-friendly. Pure surprise, good or bad. Chico Bento cartoon energy. "Caramba!" at a fireworks show, "caramba…" at a shocking price. Totally safe; your host mom uses it.
Heard in the wild
Caramba, você cresceu desde a última vez!
Wow, you've grown since last time!
Where it lands
Brazil (universal).
Quick answers
- What does "Caramba!" mean?
- In Portuguese, "Caramba!" means "Wow! / Geez! / Holy cow!". Literally it's "(nonsense minced oath)". A minced oath — the clean stand-in for "caralho" when you feel the urge but keep it family-friendly. Pure surprise, good or bad. Chico Bento cartoon energy. "Caramba!" at a fireworks show, "caramba…" at a shocking price. Totally safe; your host mom uses it.
- Is "Caramba!" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 1/5 (Grandma-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. mild, playful; fine on daytime TV.
- How do you pronounce "Caramba!"?
- Say it "kah-RAHM-bah" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ka.ˈɾɐ̃.ba.
Related in Portuguese
Porra! POH-hah Damn! / Fuck! — but mostly used as pure punctuation Caralho! kah-RAH-lyoo Fuck! / Hell! — exclamation and all-purpose intensifier Cacete! kah-SEH-chee Damn! / Bloody hell! — also 'a ton' as 'pra cacete' Nossa! NOH-sah Oh my! / Wow! / Geez! Que sacanagem! sah-kah-NAH-zhang That's so unfair! / What a low blow! Que porra é essa? keh POH-hah eh EH-sah What the fuck is this? / What the hell is going on?
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "Unbelievable".
- French Oh la vache ! Holy cow! / Wow! / Whoa!
- German Verdammt nochmal! God damn it! / For crying out loud!
- Greek έλα ρε Come on! / No way! / You're kidding — disbelief, protest, or delight depending on tone.
- Italian Minchia! Holy shit! / Wow! / Damn!
- Japanese やばい Insane / crazy / no way — good OR bad, from context
- Korean 헐 Whoa / no way / I can't even — the all-purpose stunned noise.
- Polish masakra A disaster / unbelievable / total carnage — the all-purpose 'this is insane.'
- Russian Офигеть! Wow! / Holy cow! / No way!
Reviewed by native speakers. Rate it differently? Tell us what we got wrong.