What Does “Bruh” Mean? History, Usage, and Examples

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Unlock the versatility of this brotherly interjection
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You’ve heard "dude," you’ve heard "bro," but what’s this “bruh” that’s been going around? “Bruh” is a slang term for “brother” that got popularized in the early 2000s, and it’s used everywhere. You got a problem with something? “Bruh.” Something good happened? “Bruh!” Just saw your friend on the bus? “Hey, bruh.” If you’re looking to decipher a text or just trying to add some slang to your vocab, we’ve got everything you need. Keep reading to learn all about the word “bruh.”

Things You Should Know

  • "Bruh” is a shortened form of “brother” and you can use it to address your friends and express emotions like exasperation, joy, and disbelief.
  • People use “bruh” to replace interjections like “wow,” “seriously,” “yay,” “no way,” and “c’mon.”
  • You can call anyone of any gender “bruh,” just as long as they’re okay with it.
Section 1 of 4:

What does “bruh” mean?

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    “Bruh,” like bro, is another shortened way to say “brother.” When you’re paling around with your friends or sending the first text of the day, “bruh” is a familial name to call your friend.
    • "What’s up, bruh?”
    • "How you feeling today, bruh?”
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    Although “bruh” started out as a way to address a friend (and not your brother, surprisingly enough), it has morphed into a word that shows shock and displeasure. People use “bruh,” usually in a negative way, in place of “Are you serious?” [1]
    • "I broke your phone, bro.” “BRUH what???”
    • "Did you hear this class has two finals?” “Bruh.”
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    Sometimes people speak without really thinking, and while it’s good to show grace to our fellow man, there are some things you can’t let by without a reaction. If someone asks: “What day is the 4th of July?” you might hear a “bruh” slipping out of your mouth. [2]
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    “Bruh” is an interjection, and is super versatile. You can say “bruh” when you’re mad at someone, but it makes just as much sense to add it to a celebratory text.
    • "Dude I just won the lottery!” “Bruh no way!!”
    • "Bruh” can be used to show basically any emphatic emotion, that is to say, it can replace interjections like “wow,” “yay,” “aw,” “sick,” “no,” and “c’mon.”
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Section 2 of 4:

When to Use “Bruh”

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    Some use cases for “bruh” are just like “dude.” If someone texts you “hey dude” shoot them back a “what’s up, bruh?”
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    It’s good to let people know how you feel, even when you’re disappointed in them. To be a little more chill, hit them with a “bruh” instead of “I can’t believe you would do that.”
    • "I locked my keys in the car.” “Bruh…how are we gonna get home??”
    • "I accidentally left the front door open last night.” “Bruh. So that’s where the moths are from.”
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    Sometimes people need a nudge to reflect on what they’ve just said. If your friend is asking a question that answers itself or saying something sketchy, you can let them know by saying “...bruh.”
    • So I think Christmas is going to fall on the 25th this year.” “Bruh, what?”
    • "How do you get to Austin from Texas?” “Bruh Austin is in Texas.”
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    A “bruh moment” is any time you see something funny, embarrassing, shocking, cool, disgusting, exciting, etc., and you say “bruh.” It’s pretty versatile, so unless things are too serious (think needing to give your condolences to someone) you can safely use “bruh” to express how you feel.
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Section 3 of 4:

What does it mean when a girl says “bruh?”

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    When a girl calls you “bruh,” she means it like “friend” or “homie.” She’s addressing you as a friend, just like you’d address her. She also could be using it to express exasperation or disbelief, as “bruh" doesn't need to refer to someone as much as “dude” or “bro” do. [3]
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    Calling a girl “bruh” doesn’t mean you see her as a man, just that you’re close and comfortable with her in a similar way to your guy friends. “Bruh girls” are associated with casual clothes, a good sense of humor, and tomboyness.
    • Not everyone likes being called “bruh”, but as long as you’re using it with close friends and are open to feedback—"hey, don’t call me “bruh”"—you’re okay.
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    A “bruh girl” is usually considered to be tomboy-like or to have masculine interests, but they aren’t defined around men. Women can use “bruh” together, and often do! Think of the people playing for a women’s rugby team—those guys seem like “bruhs”, right? [4]
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Section 4 of 4:

Origin of “Bruh”

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    Black Americans first started using “bruh" way back in the 1890s (some say 1850s) as an honorific. [5] Calling people other than your family “brother” or “sister” has been a way to express familiarity for centuries, and in different dialects “brother” was shortened to “bruh.”
    • Other honorifics, like Mrs. and Mr., are a little more formal than the original “bruh.” Its familiarity puts it closer to words like “sis” and “sweetie”.
    • You’d use “Bruh” just like Mr., so “Bruh Jackie” instead of “Mr. Jackie.”
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    The Holy Grail of all slang sites started featuring “bruh” in the early 2000s, around the time the word started being associated with fratty college guys. Far from its origins, “bruh” began summoning images of beer pong and salmon shorts.
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    Two pieces of media shot “bruh” into stardom. The first, a picture of NBA player John Wall with the word “BRUH” on the bottom, was used to convey that “are you serious right now?” energy. [6] The second, the word “bruh" dubbed over a video of high school basketballer Tony Farmer fainting started an entire “bruh” trend on Vine.
    • Bruh's usage as an exasperated phrase stems from these reaction videos. It became a funny way to say “Are you kidding me right now?” that’s a little less aggressive.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://linguaholic.com/linguablog/bruh-moment/
      2. ↑ https://linguaholic.com/linguablog/bruh-moment/
      3. ↑ https://stayhipp.com/news/what-is-a-bruh-girl-girls-who-say-bruh/
      4. ↑ https://stayhipp.com/news/what-is-a-bruh-girl-girls-who-say-bruh/
      5. ↑ https://wildezine.com/4160/ssfs-community/bro-vs-bruh-a-sandy-spring-sociolinguistic-study/
      6. ↑ https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/bruh

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