{"id":64566,"date":"2018-11-14T20:12:45","date_gmt":"2018-11-15T01:12:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/untranslatable-russian-words\/"},"modified":"2025-02-22T04:22:35","modified_gmt":"2025-02-22T09:22:35","slug":"untranslatable-russian-words","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/russian\/untranslatable-russian-words\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Untranslatable Russian Words and What They Mean"},"content":{"rendered":"

As a product of its environment, Russia has quite a few words and phrases<\/a> that don’t have a direct translation into English. For instance, there’s a different Russian word for every possible type of snow and rainstorm<\/a> imaginable.<\/p>\n

There are also a few words in Russian for things that simply don’t exist anywhere else<\/strong>, like \u0441\u0430\u043c\u043e\u0432\u0430\u0440, which is a metal teapot of sorts, usually ornate. Other words are hard to pin down because their definitions rely too much on connotation<\/strong>, like the Russian \u0434\u0430\u0447\u0430, which can be roughly translated as “country house” but has a much deeper meaning for Russians<\/a> as a historic national phenomenon.<\/p>\n

Check out 15 untranslatable Russian words and concepts below that will teach you about the culture of Russia, the history of the language and the values that Russians hold dear enough that they require words of their own<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Russian Words Without an English Equivalent<\/h2>\n

Below are some words that have an equivalent concept in English, but no single word to refer to it.<\/p>\n

\u043f\u043e\u0447\u0435\u043c\u0443\u0447\u043a\u0430<\/h3>\n

Someone who asks a lot of questions.<\/strong> Think of a toddler constantly asking “\u043f\u043e\u0447\u0435\u043c\u0443?” (“Why?”).<\/p>\n

You might also hear words like \u043d\u0435\u0437\u043d\u0430\u0439\u043a\u0430<\/strong> (know-nothing), from the phrase \u043d\u0435 \u0437\u043d\u0430\u044e (I don’t know).<\/p>\n

\u043b\u0438\u0441\u0442\u043e\u043f\u0430\u0434<\/h3>\n

The falling of leaves in autumn<\/strong>, like snowfall (\u0441\u043d\u0435\u0433\u043e\u043f\u0430\u0434).<\/p>\n

This one comes from the words for \u043b\u0438\u0441\u0442<\/strong> (leaf) and \u043f\u0430\u0434\u0430\u0442\u044c<\/strong> (to fall).<\/p>\n

\u0431\u0430\u044e\u043a\u0430\u0442\u044c<\/h3>\n

To put a baby down to sleep while singing to them.<\/strong> English has similar words\u2014to lull, to rock\u2014but no single term that so nicely sums up the concept.<\/p>\n

This Russian lullaby uses a variation of the term:\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/lite-youtube><\/p>\n

\u0443\u0441\u043f\u0435\u0432\u0430\u0442\u044c<\/h3>\n

Many Russians are baffled by the fact that English doesn’t have a single word for this concept: to make it on time, or to have enough time to do something<\/strong>. This one word covers both definitions in a neat package:<\/p>\n

\u042f \u0443\u0441\u043f\u0435\u043b\u0430 \u043d\u0430 \u0440\u0430\u0431\u043e\u0442\u0443. \u2014 I made it on time to work.
\n\u042f \u0443\u0441\u043f\u0435\u043b\u0430 \u043f\u043e\u0440\u0430\u0431\u043e\u0442\u0430\u0442\u044c. \u2014 I had enough time to work.<\/p>\n

\u0441\u0443\u0442\u043a\u0438<\/h3>\n

While English has the word “day,” there’s no version of this Russian word, which refers to “a 24-hour period.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u043d\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0433\u043e \u0441\u0435\u0431\u0435<\/h3>\n

Many terms in Russian that express awe are idioms that don’t translate literally, but they all have different levels of excitement and meaning.<\/p>\n

For instance, the phrase “\u043d\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0433\u043e \u0441\u0435\u0431\u0435!” literally means “nothing for myself!” but is used as a way of saying “I can’t believe it!”<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here are some other fun ways to show how amazed you are at something:<\/p>\n

\u0412\u043e\u0442 \u044d\u0442\u043e \u0434\u0430!<\/strong> \u2014 Wow! (Literally: “Here this yes!”)<\/p>\n

\u041d\u0430\u0434\u043e \u0436\u0435!<\/strong> \u2014 Wow! (Literally: “It’s needed!”)<\/p>\n

\u0414\u0430 \u0442\u044b \u0447\u0442\u043e!<\/strong> \u2014 Wow, I don’t believe you! (Literally: “Yes you that!”)<\/p>\n

Russian Concepts That Don’t Exist in English<\/h2>\n

These words are so uniquely Russian, that the very concepts they refer to don’t even exist in English.<\/p>\n

\u0442\u043e\u0441\u043a\u0430<\/h3>\n

You might see \u0442\u043e\u0441\u043a\u0430 translated as “boredom”<\/strong> or “melancholy.”<\/strong> Some dictionaries equate it to “yearning.”<\/strong> It means all of this and more.<\/p>\n

The word isn’t used that often in everyday life, but has been used in Russian literature to describe that “\u0417\u0430\u0433\u0430\u0434\u043e\u0447\u043d\u0430\u044f \u0440\u0443\u0441\u0441\u043a\u0430\u044f \u0434\u0443\u0448\u0430” (“mysterious Russian soul”).<\/p>\n

Take it from \u0412\u043b\u0430\u0434\u0438\u043c\u0438\u0440 \u0412. \u041d\u0430\u0431\u043e\u043a\u043e\u0432 (Vladimir Nabokov), a great Russian writer, who described the word as such<\/a>:<\/p>\n

“At its deepest and most painful, it is a sensation of great spiritual anguish, often without any specific cause. At less morbid levels it is a dull ache of the soul, a longing with nothing to long for, a sick pining, a vague restlessness, mental throes, yearning. In particular cases it may be the desire for somebody or something specific, nostalgia, love-sickness. At the lowest level it grades into ennui, boredom…\u201d<\/p>\n

A bit heavy, no? Let\u2019s lighten things up a bit!<\/p>\n

\u043d\u0435\u0434\u043e\u043f\u0435\u0440\u0435\u043f\u0438\u043b\u200b<\/h3>\n

\u043d\u0435\u0434\u043e\u043f\u0435\u0440\u0435\u043f\u0438\u043b\u200b literally translates to “underdrunk” or “not drunk enough.”\u00a0It refers to a state of being where you’ve drunk a lot but not as much as you could (or wanted to).<\/strong> The word has a wistful tone, implying that you wish you’d drunk more.<\/p>\n

So if you’re out at a bar and the barista cuts you off, you can say, “\u041d\u043e \u044f \u0436\u0435 \u043d\u0435\u0434\u043e\u043f\u0435\u0440\u0435\u043f\u0438\u043b!” (“But I haven’t yet drank as much as I can!”)<\/p>\n

If you have a mild hangover but not the terrible bout you were expecting, you might say, “\u041a\u0430\u0436\u0435\u0442\u0441\u044f \u044f \u0432\u0447\u0435\u0440\u0430 \u043d\u0435\u0434\u043e\u043f\u0435\u0440\u0435\u043f\u0438\u043b” (“It looks like I didn’t drink to my limit yesterday”).<\/p>\n

Russian has a few other drinking words that don’t have an English equivalent:<\/p>\n

\u0437\u0430\u043f\u043e\u0439<\/strong> \u2014 a drinking binge that usually extends beyond a few days<\/p>\n

\u043e\u043f\u043e\u0445\u043c\u0435\u043b\u0438\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f<\/strong> \u2014 to drink a bit more on the day after you drank too much (about the same meaning as the expression “hair of the dog”)<\/p>\n

\u0445\u0430\u043c\u0441\u0442\u0432\u043e<\/h3>\n

This word can be very roughly translated to “boorishness” or “audacity,” but honestly, neither come close to the full meaning. It refers to the insolence or the rudeness of someone who doesn’t follow societal rules<\/strong>. You might say that it’s like “being cheeky,” but in a more severe sense.<\/p>\n

The Russian culture has historically praised proper manners and good-naturedness, so it follows that they have a word for someone who’s poorly behaved toward others.<\/p>\n

In fact, the language has a number of similar words that likewise don’t have true translations (though we’ll give approximate equivalents below):<\/p>\n

\u043d\u0430\u0433\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044c<\/strong> \u2014 impudence
\n\u0433\u0440\u0443\u0431\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044c<\/strong> \u2014 rudeness in a rough sort of way
\n\u043d\u0430\u0445\u0430\u043b\u044c\u0441\u0442\u0432\u043e<\/strong> \u2014 impertinence, having nerve or gall<\/p>\n

\u0440\u0430\u0441\u043f\u0443\u0442\u0438\u0446\u0430<\/h3>\n

Here’s a case of a word that doesn’t have a translation simply because it describes something that doesn’t exist in English.<\/p>\n

The \u0440\u0430\u0441\u043f\u0443\u0442\u0438\u0446\u0430 is a season of bad roads<\/strong>, a time during spring and fall when the snow and rain are so bad that they render unpaved roads practically impassable.<\/p>\n

Some have surmised that the word has something to do with \u0420\u0430\u0441\u043f\u0443\u0442\u0438\u043d (Rasputin), but the real origin is more useful for the language learner: it comes from the root \u043f\u0443\u0442\u044c<\/strong> (road) and the prefix \u0440\u0430\u0441-<\/strong>\u00a0(like the English “dis”). In other words, to “disroad”!<\/p>\n

\u0430\u0432\u043e\u0441\u044c<\/h3>\n

Although \u0430\u0432\u043e\u0441\u044c can be said to mean “maybe” (or more literally, “may be”), the word has a more in-depth meaning as well.<\/p>\n

The concept of \u0430\u0432\u043e\u0441\u044c is more like a blind belief that things will work out<\/strong>. It represents the optimistic hope that luck will be on your side. You can use it as a strange mix of “hopefully” and “have faith”:<\/p>\n

\u0410\u0432\u043e\u0441\u044c \u0411\u043e\u0433 \u043f\u043e\u043c\u043e\u0436\u0435\u0442. \u2014 Hopefully\/I have faith that God will help.<\/p>\n

\u0410\u0432\u043e\u0441\u044c \u0442\u044b \u043d\u0430\u0439\u0434\u0435\u0448\u044c \u0447\u0442\u043e \u0438\u0449\u0435\u0448\u044c. \u2014 Hopefully\/I have faith that you’ll find what you’re looking for.<\/p>\n

\u041d\u0430\u0434\u0435\u0435\u043c\u0441\u044f \u043d\u0430 \u0430\u0432\u043e\u0441\u044c. \u2014 Let’s hope\/put our faith in luck.<\/p>\n

You can also use the phrase “\u043d\u0430 \u0430\u0432\u043e\u0441\u044c<\/strong>,” which is actually closest in translation to a well-known Spanish saying: “Que ser\u00e1, ser\u00e1” <\/em>or “What will be, will be.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u0432\u0441\u0442\u0440\u0435\u043f\u0435\u043d\u0443\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f<\/h3>\n

This wonderful word<\/a> is similar to the English word “rouse<\/strong>,” as in “rouse yourself from sleep.” And “flutter<\/strong>,” as in “a bird fluttering its wings.” And “beat<\/strong>,” as in “a heart beating faster.” And…I’ll stop there.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So much meaning packed into one word! Although it’s mostly used in poetry, like in the timeless Russian poetry of\u00a0Afanasy Fet<\/a> (\u0410\u0444\u0430\u043d\u0430\u0441\u0438\u0439 \u0424\u0435\u0442), this word is a perfect example of the versatile nature of the Russian language.<\/p>\n

It comes from the root word \u0442\u0440\u0435\u043f\u0435\u0442<\/strong> (thrill or awe), and is often used to refer to nature or humans (leaves can flutter and rouse themselves).<\/p>\n

Another word with a similar concept is \u043e\u0436\u0438\u0432\u0438\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f<\/strong>, which means to “liven up,” or, literally, to “bring life to yourself.”<\/p>\n

\u0433\u0440\u043e\u0437\u043d\u044b\u0439<\/h3>\n

You might not realize it, but you already know this word. Remember Ivan the Terrible? In Russian, he’s \u0418\u0432\u0430\u043d \u0413\u0440\u043e\u0437\u043d\u044b\u0439!<\/p>\n

Although it’s translated as “terrible,” \u0433\u0440\u043e\u0437\u043d\u044b\u0439 is closer in meaning to “threatening” or “overbearing.”<\/strong> The moniker wasn’t given to Ivan for his terrible deeds, but rather his fearsome nature.<\/p>\n

The root of the word, \u0433\u0440\u043e\u0437<\/strong>, means (loosely) “horror”\u2014and is, incidentally, also the root of the word \u0433\u0440\u043e\u0437\u0430 (thunder)! Personally, I think Ivan the Thunderous is much more menacing.<\/p>\n

\u0441\u043e\u0432\u0435\u0441\u0442\u044c<\/h3>\n

We’re paying another visit to the mysterious Russian soul in this entry, with the word \u0441\u043e\u0432\u0435\u0441\u0442\u044c\u2014which is a sort of combination of conscience and morals<\/strong>, all rolled into one word.<\/p>\n

Depending on the phrase, this word translates in slightly different ways to English:<\/p>\n

\u0438\u043c\u0435\u0439 \u0441\u043e\u0432\u0435\u0441\u0442\u044c<\/strong> \u2014 “have some shame”<\/p>\n

\u0441\u043e\u0432\u0435\u0441\u0442\u044c \u0438\u043c\u0435\u0435\u0448\u044c?<\/strong> \u2014 “Do you have a moral compass?”<\/p>\n

\u0447\u0438\u0441\u0442\u0430\u044f \u0441\u043e\u0432\u0435\u0441\u0442\u044c<\/strong> \u2014 “a clear conscience”<\/p>\n

\u0443\u0433\u0440\u044b\u0437\u0435\u043d\u0438\u044f \u0441\u043e\u0432\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0438<\/strong> \u2014 “something eating at your conscience” (literally: “gnawings of conscience”)<\/p>\n

But in a nutshell, \u0441\u043e\u0432\u0435\u0441\u0442\u044c is the feeling of being expected to follow social morals<\/strong>, an intrinsic duty to have a conscience by human nature (rather than by law or through learning).<\/p>\n

\u0443\u0434\u0430\u0440\u043d\u0438\u043a<\/h3>\n

You might recognize the root this word derives from \u0443\u0434\u0430\u0440<\/strong> (a hit). Naturally, \u0443\u0434\u0430\u0440\u043d\u0438\u043a can be used literally to mean drummer, the hammer of a gun or a hammer<\/strong> in general (and various other things related to hitting).<\/p>\n

But in a broader sense, \u0443\u0434\u0430\u0440\u043d\u0438\u043a is also a model worker, an upstanding employee<\/strong> who’s used as an example for other workers for how they should behave.<\/p>\n

This word has historic origins<\/a>, dating back to Soviet-era Russia to hyper-productive workers called “shock workers.” The idea was that by elevating hard workers to a position of national importance, other citizens would follow their example.<\/p>\n

Although the word isn’t used often today in this sense, it’s an important part of Russian history, and you’ll still occasionally hear it live on through the phrase “\u0443\u0434\u0430\u0440\u043d\u044b\u0439 \u0442\u0440\u0443\u0434”<\/strong> (“shock work”), which refers to extremely hard or productive labor.<\/p>\n

How to Learn Untranslatable Russian Words<\/h2>\n

There are plenty of ways to discover these wonderful Russian-specific words, but one of the best is by listening to Russian speakers do their thing. An immersion-based program like FluentU<\/a> can help you with this.\u00a0

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

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