бо́же мій
bóže mij
The English phrase "oh my God" can be translated into Ukrainian as бо́же мій (bóže mij). Wiktionary also lists о бо́же мій (o bóže mij) and о бо́же (o bóže).
Meaning: excitement or shock (intj)
Ways to say it
| Ukrainian | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| бо́же мій | bóže mij |
| о бо́же мій | o bóže mij |
| о бо́же | o bóže |
This phrase can be used to express shock, surprise or even exasperation, similar to the English "oh my God".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of бо́же (god, vocative case) and мій (my).
Which one should you use?
Adding the particle о (oh) at the beginning makes the exclamation more emphatic than just saying бо́же мій. You may also use the shorter version о бо́же.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word for 'god' is in the vocative case, which is used when addressing someone or something directly.
How do you pronounce it?
bóže mij
Did you know?
- The word мій descends from the Proto-Indo-European root *móyos, making it a distant cousin to the English word 'my'.
- When used to express annoyance, the phrase бо́же мій is often accompanied by a characteristic gesture of throwing one hand up or slapping the forehead.
- The word бо́же is in the vocative case, a grammatical feature used for direct addresses that has disappeared from most other Slavic languages like Russian.
Examples in context
- О Боже! Я не міг уявити, що це можливо!Oh my God! I couldn't imagine this was possible!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “oh my God” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries мій, CC BY-SA 4.0.
