слово на букву н
slovo na bukvu n
The English phrase "n word" is translated into Russian as слово на букву н (slovo na bukvu n).
This phrase is used in Russian-speaking media and social discourse as a direct functional equivalent to the English euphemism to avoid pronouncing the slur itself.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of слово (word), на (on/starting with), букву (the letter) and н (n).
How does it change in a sentence?
The word букву is in the accusative case because it follows the preposition на in this specific construction indicating a characteristic.
How do you pronounce it?
slovo na bukvu n
Did you know?
- Because the Russian alphabet uses the Cyrillic 'н' (which looks like the Latin 'H'), a Russian speaker might accidentally misinterpret the phrase if they are not familiar with how the sounds are mapped between the two alphabets.
- In Russian social media and blogs, users sometimes replace the letter н with a symbol or a dot to further distance themselves from the taboo.
- While the phrase 'слово на букву н' is used to translate the Western concept, the historical context of racial discourse in Russia is quite different, meaning the phrase often feels like a direct import from American media rather than a native Russian idiom.
Examples in context
- Он не должен был использовать это слово на букву н.On ne dolzhen byl ispol'zovat' eto slovo na bukvu n.He should not have used that n word.
- В этом фильме есть грубое слово на букву н.V etom fil'me yest' gruboye slovo na bukvu n.There is a rude n word in this movie.
- Я не хочу произносить это слово на букву н.Ya ne khochu proiznosit' eto slovo na bukvu n.I don't want to pronounce that n word.
Example conversation
Alexander and Olga are discussing a news report about a controversial social media post.
- Александр AleksandrТы видела этот пост в интернете?Ty videla etot post v internete?Did you see that post on the internet?
- Ольга OlgaДа, там было ужасное слово на букву н.Da, tam bylo uzhasnoye slovo na bukvu n.Yes, there was a horrible n word there.
- Александр AleksandrЭто действительно было очень грубо.Eto deystvitel'no bylo ochen' grubo.That was really very rude.
- Ольга OlgaСогласна, такое поведение недопустимо.Soglasna, takoye povedeniye nedopustimo.I agree, such behavior is unacceptable.
