ура́
urá
The Russian expression for "yay" is ура́ (urá).
ура́ is used to express joy, excitement or triumph, acting as the closest equivalent to the English "yay" or "hooray".
Meaning: an expression of happiness (intj)
Which one should you use?
While ура́ is a general expression of happiness, the informal expression уии can also be used to mean "woohoo" or "yippee".
How do you pronounce it?
urá
When do people say it?
In a Russian military context, ура́ is the standard shout used by soldiers during a charge or to show collective enthusiasm.
Did you know?
- Despite its common use today, some linguists suggest ура́ may have been borrowed from the Turkic 'urā', which referred to a call to assemble or attack.
- Russian has a specific concept called ура́-патриотизм, which refers to a blind, loud and uncritical form of patriotism.
- Using ура́ to celebrate a very small, trivial personal win can sometimes sound ironically dramatic or even sarcastic to a native speaker.
Examples in context
- Ура́, мы победили!Ura, my pobedili!Yay, we won!
- Ура́, завтра выходной!Ura, zavtra vykhodnoy!Yay, tomorrow is a day off!
- Ура́, лето наконец-то пришло!Ura, leto nakonets-to prishlo!Yay, summer has finally arrived!
Example conversation
Anastasia and Sergey are celebrating getting a promotion.
- Анастасия AnastasiaСергей, у нас отличные новости!Sergey, u nas otlichnye novosti!Sergey, we have great news!
- Сергей SergeyЧто случилось, Анастасия?Chto sluchilos, Anastasiya?What happened, Anastasia?
- Анастасия AnastasiaУра́, нам повысили зарплату!Ura, nam povysili zarplatu!Yay, we got a raise!
- Сергей SergeyЭто просто замечательно!Eto prosto zamechatel'no!That is simply wonderful!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “yay” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
