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Russian · The Basics

До хрена

do khrena

dah khree-NAH · /dɐ xrʲɪˈna/

A shitload / a hell of a lot / way too much

3/5 Watch your audience

genuinely rude; friends only, never at work

Literally

"Up to the horseradish"

Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.

How to use it

"Khren" (horseradish) is the mid-tier euphemism for "khuy" — coarser than "fig," softer than the real thing. "Do khrena" means a huge amount, often of something unwelcome (a bill, a queue, work). "Ni khrena" is its opposite — nothing at all. Bar-register, not for the in-laws.

Heard in the wild

Тут работы до хрена, за день не успеем.

There's a hell of a lot of work here, we won't finish in a day.

Where it lands

Russia (universal)

Quick answers

What does "До хрена" mean?
In Russian, "До хрена" means "A shitload / a hell of a lot / way too much". Literally it's "Up to the horseradish". "Khren" (horseradish) is the mid-tier euphemism for "khuy" — coarser than "fig," softer than the real thing. "Do khrena" means a huge amount, often of something unwelcome (a bill, a queue, work). "Ni khrena" is its opposite — nothing at all. Bar-register, not for the in-laws.
Is "До хрена" offensive?
It's genuinely rude — a 3/5 (Watch your audience) on the Punch-o-Meter. Fine among friends, never at work or with people you've just met.
How do you pronounce "До хрена"?
Say it "dah khree-NAH" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: dɐ xrʲɪˈna.

Related in Russian

Блин! blin BLEEN Damn! / Darn! / Shoot! Чёрт! chyort CHORT Damn! / Hell! Чёрт возьми! chyort voz'mi CHORT vahz-MEE Damn it! / For God's sake! Зараза! zaraza zah-RAH-zah You pest! / Damn you! (affectionate-rough) Ё-моё! yo-moyo YO mah-YO Oh boy! / Geez! / Good grief! Ёлки-палки! yolki-palki YOL-kee PAHL-kee Good grief! / For heaven's sake!

The same idea, elsewhere

Via concepts like "Outrageously expensive".

how to say "Outrageously expensive" →how to say "What a mess" →

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