Russian · The Basics
Ё-моё!
yo-moyo
YO mah-YO · /jɵ mɐˈjɵ/
Oh boy! / Geez! / Good grief!
1/5 Grandma-safe
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"Mine-oh-mine (nonsense rhyme on 'yo')"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
A rhyming minced oath built on the "yo" sound that starts a lot of mat — the brain reaches for "yob..." and swerves into harmless nonsense at the last second. Reads as slightly folksy, a bit dad-ish. Totally safe.
Heard in the wild
Ё-моё, ты видел эту цену?
Good grief, did you see that price?
Where it lands
Russia (universal)
Quick answers
- What does "Ё-моё!" mean?
- In Russian, "Ё-моё!" means "Oh boy! / Geez! / Good grief!". Literally it's "Mine-oh-mine (nonsense rhyme on 'yo')". A rhyming minced oath built on the "yo" sound that starts a lot of mat — the brain reaches for "yob..." and swerves into harmless nonsense at the last second. Reads as slightly folksy, a bit dad-ish. Totally safe.
- Is "Ё-моё!" 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 "Ё-моё!"?
- Say it "YO mah-YO" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: jɵ mɐˈjɵ.
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) Ёлки-палки! yolki-palki YOL-kee PAHL-kee Good grief! / For heaven's sake! Офигеть! ofiget' ah-fee-GYET Wow! / Holy cow! / No way!
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