How to Say “Shut Up” in Russian

Ways to say it

These terms are used to command someone to stop talking or making noise. Depending on the form chosen, the tone can range from a polite request for silence to a highly aggressive or vulgar insult. In informal settings among friends, заткни́сь can even be used humorously.

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase закро́й рот literally means "shut (your) mouth".

Which one should you use?

The forms differ primarily in their level of aggression and the number of people being addressed. заткни́сь is more aggressive and rude than the more neutral command замолчи́. While замолчи́ is a neutral way to say be quiet, заткни́сь is a forceful "shut up". Additionally, закро́й пизда́к is a highly vulgar slang expression meaning "shut your trap" or "shut your gob".

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

Russian offers a wide spectrum of formality for this request. To be polite and formal, you can use замолчи́те or the phrase Пожалуйста, умолкните (please, be quiet). For a simple, direct, but informal way to say shut up, you can use Молчи. The term заткни́сь is informal and forceful, while закро́й пизда́к is impolite and uses profanity.

Related words

Enclose (a person, animal or thing) in a room or other place so that it cannot leave (verb): запере́ть.

Intransitive: to stop talking or making noise (verb): заткну́ться.

How does it change in a sentence?

Imperative forms change based on whether you are addressing one person or multiple people, or whether you are being formal. замолчи́ and закро́й рот are singular forms. Their plural or formal counterparts are замолчи́те, заткни́тесь and закро́йте рот.

How do you pronounce it?

zatknísʹ

When do people say it?

To ask someone to lower their voice or stop speaking in a less aggressive way, speakers often use the word Тише, which means "quieter".