Russian · Insults
Козёл!
kozyol
kah-ZYOL · /kɐˈzʲɵl/
Bastard / jerk / scumbag
3/5 Watch your audience
genuinely rude; friends only, never at work
Literally
"Male goat"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
Deceptively heavy. To a driver or a lousy ex it means jerk/bastard — but be warned: in prison slang "kozyol" is one of the gravest labels (a collaborator/ lowest caste), so among certain men it's fighting words far beyond its barnyard face value. Feminine "koza" is much lighter, a silly-girl tease.
Heard in the wild
Он бросил её с ребёнком — вот козёл.
He left her with the kid — what a bastard.
Where it lands
Russia (universal); loaded in prison/street contexts
Quick answers
- What does "Козёл!" mean?
- In Russian, "Козёл!" means "Bastard / jerk / scumbag". Literally it's "Male goat". Deceptively heavy. To a driver or a lousy ex it means jerk/bastard — but be warned: in prison slang "kozyol" is one of the gravest labels (a collaborator/ lowest caste), so among certain men it's fighting words far beyond its barnyard face value. Feminine "koza" is much lighter, a silly-girl tease.
- Is "Козёл!" 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 "Козёл!"?
- Say it "kah-ZYOL" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: kɐˈzʲɵl.
Related in Russian
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