Russian · Exclamations
Ничего себе!
nichego sebe
nee-chee-VO see-BYE · /nʲɪt͡ɕɪˈvo sʲɪˈbʲe/
Wow! / No way! / Holy cow!
1/5 Grandma-safe
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"Nothing to oneself"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
The go-to clean expression of amazement — good or bad. Locals often clip it to "nichos'" or stretch it to "nichego sebe" with the stress sliding around for effect. Perfectly polite; the astonishment word you can use with anyone.
Heard in the wild
Ничего себе, ты пробежал марафон?
Wow, you ran a marathon?
Where it lands
Russia (universal)
Quick answers
- What does "Ничего себе!" mean?
- In Russian, "Ничего себе!" means "Wow! / No way! / Holy cow!". Literally it's "Nothing to oneself". The go-to clean expression of amazement — good or bad. Locals often clip it to "nichos'" or stretch it to "nichego sebe" with the stress sliding around for effect. Perfectly polite; the astonishment word you can use with anyone.
- Is "Ничего себе!" 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 "Ничего себе!"?
- Say it "nee-chee-VO see-BYE" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: nʲɪt͡ɕɪˈvo sʲɪˈbʲe.
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! Ни фига! ni figa nee fee-GAH No way! / Nothing at all! / Like hell!
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.'
- Portuguese Caramba! Wow! / Geez! / Holy cow!
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