Russian · Exclamations
Боже мой!
bozhe moy
BOH-zheh MOY · /ˈboʐɨ moj/
Oh my God! / Good heavens!
1/5 Grandma-safe
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"My God"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
Exactly "oh my God" — surprise, dismay, relief. Fully respectable across all ages and settings; even the pious use it freely. "Gospodi" (Lord) and "o Bozhe" are interchangeable. Not remotely a curse, just the classic exclamation.
Heard in the wild
Боже мой, как ты вырос!
Oh my God, how you've grown!
Where it lands
Russia (universal)
Quick answers
- What does "Боже мой!" mean?
- In Russian, "Боже мой!" means "Oh my God! / Good heavens!". Literally it's "My God". Exactly "oh my God" — surprise, dismay, relief. Fully respectable across all ages and settings; even the pious use it freely. "Gospodi" (Lord) and "o Bozhe" are interchangeable. Not remotely a curse, just the classic exclamation.
- Is "Боже мой!" 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 "Боже мой!"?
- Say it "BOH-zheh MOY" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ˈboʐɨ moj.
Related in Russian
Блин! blin BLEEN Damn! / Darn! / Shoot! Чёрт! chyort CHORT Damn! / Hell! 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! Офигеть! ofiget' ah-fee-GYET Wow! / Holy cow! / No way! Капец! kapets kah-PYETS That's it, it's over / Damn / Whoa
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