General concepts

• Пов / рил

The term POV, or “point of view,” hardly needs explaining these days – though it has indeed (in both English and Russian usage) evolved into something more like “imagine yourself in this situation” rather than a literal perspective from someone’s eyes.

In Russian online vernacular, it has experienced a further evolution in the form of не ПОВ, а рил (“not POV, but real”), creating a wonderful wordplay on the words “real” and “reel” (as in, a short online video). Its meaning? That whatever you’re talking about isn't just relatable, but super relatable – and based on a true experience!

• База

This one is adapted from the English term based, which should be familiar to most terminally-online users; the catch, however, is that unlike the aforementioned adjective, the Russian word база (baza – “basis, foundation”) is, in fact, a noun! Still, the meaning stays the same – an undeniably true fact or an admirable action.

• Краш

In the case of краш (crush), this expression has undergone the least amount of change – referring to someone the speaker has a deep, unyielding admiration for. Interestingly, it doesn’t always need to refer to an object of romantic interest; it may well be a personal idol, too. Since the Russian language features grammatical genders, you may also encounter the pairing of краш and крашиха (crushikha) for male and female versions, correspondingly, as well as the verb вкрашиться (vcrushitsya – “to acquire a crush on someone”).

• Рофл

Now here’s a word with real staying power! Рофл (Rofl) is, of course, derived from the old-school online acronym ROFL (Rolling On the Floor, Laughing), which traces back to the early ‘00s (if not before).

In contemporary Russian slang, it functions as a noun, meaning “a hilarious situation or action/prank.” Take note of the verbs рофлить (roflit’ – “to pull a ROFL”) and выкупить рофл (vykupit’ rofl – “to get the joke”; lit. – “to buy into the ROFL”).

People

• Нормис

Everyone wants to feel a little special, which is why one of the worst things to be described as is “normie,” or, in Russian Gen-Z slang, нормис (normis). You might notice the extra letter at the end there – that’s because, in a sort of mirrored bliny/blinis situation, the plural has been adopted as the singular! So, if you ever need to describe a whole group of people whose tastes are clearly more mainstream than yours, you’ll need to make use of нормисы (normisy).

• Токсик / комфортик

In yet another case of grammatical shift, the English adjective has become a Russian noun: a токсик (toksik) is simply someone who is too manipulative, cranky, or otherwise unpleasant to be around. What’s cool is that the term has eventually birthed a counterpart – комфортик (komfortik) – meaning someone whose mere presence creates a warm and friendly atmosphere.

Gaming-inspired terms

• Ультануть

Sometimes you need a word to emphasize the impressive impact of someone’s actions, and ультануть (ultanut’) is just that word. The verb stems from ульта (ulta), a Russian gaming term for “ultimate ability,” and can refer to deeds both good and bad – as long as they seem to exceed the person’s own abilities. In English, the closest parallel might be “to do a number on.”

• Имба

Another term with long staying power, имба (imba) started out long ago as Russian gaming slang for a weapon, ability, or character that’s just too imbalanced (see also: OP / overpowered). After finally making it into mainstream lingo, it has taken on a more general meaning – “something that’s cool and superior to all alternatives.” There’s also an accompanying adjective: имбовый (imbovy).

Are there any other Russian slang words you’re curious to learn about – or can’t quite figure out the meaning of? Share your suggestions with us on social media (VK / Telegram) and we’ll feature them in a future article. 

For more tips for Russian language learners, check out our Speak Like a Russian series. And for further insights into the subject, use the Russian language tag.