Funniest word in russian

Funny Russian Phrases

Did you know that Russian is the 8th most spoken language in the world with around 166 million native speakers?

Many people believe Russian to be one of the toughest languages to learn. Yet, whether it has to do with the many remakes of Anna Karenina or with the ubiquitous presence of Saint Basil’s Cathedral in the popular imagination, millions of people around the world are keen to learn this language.

The “Great and Mighty” Russian Language

Why might you want to learn Russian? Russia is the largest country in the world and hence brings forth enormous business opportunities. If you have business ties in Russia, knowledge of this language can help in forging stronger bonds.

Historically Russia has played a major role in world events, and it still does.

Russian literary history is also one of the richest with notable Russian writers like Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Tolstoy, and Turgenev being read in translation all over the world. With mastery of the Russian language, you will be able to access the classics in the original.

Finally, Russian is a very beautiful and rich language. Native speakers call their language “great and mighty,” thanks to a Russian writer – I.S. Turgenev.

To help you in the quest of learning Russian language, how about starting somewhere fun? Below are some amusing Russian phrases. 😀

Russian Sayings

The Russian language incorporates many idioms and sayings to express a piece of wisdom or an outlook about life. Many Russians wouldn’t lose a chance to throw in an expression in any situation that comes up that can lend itself to the resuscitation of an idiom. For the novice learners, some of the Russian language phrases may sound hilarious when translated. Test my theory with these:

1. Блин (blin)

This is a Russian word that literally means a pancake and is used to express strong negative emotions in place of a curse word. Using this phrase is a polite way to express annoyance, disappointment, surprise, etc. Blin!

2. Да нет, наверное (da net, navernoye)

This is a famous Russian expression, one which can be quite confusing for foreigners. It translates to “Yes no, probably,” however, make no mistake and don’t hold your breath–the actual meaning is “Probably no.”

3. После дождичка в четверг (posle dozhdichka v chetverg)

This is another saying which means “Never.” But it literally translates to “After a rain on Thursday.”

Когда рак на горе свистнет has also the same meaning and is translated as “When a crayfish whistles on the mountain.” The meaning of both phrases is based on broken logic–the crayfish cannot whistle, and there might be no rain on Thursday at all. Therefore, both expressions are used to describe events that are most likely never going to come to pass. Pretty colorful, right?

4. Гвоздь программы (gvozd’ programmi)

This phrase has a funny translation: “The nail of the program.” Russians use this expression to describe something or someone that was the highlight of the show. Reminiscent of how in English, youngsters would say–so-and-so nailed it!

People believe that the expression stems from the 1889 World Fair in Paris. The schedule of this fair coincided with the opening ceremony of the great Eiffel Tower (to many, Eiffel Tower looked like a nail at that time). The phrase was probably coined by the media, created a sensation, and gave birth to this crisp expression.

5. Конь не валялся (kon’ ne valyalsya)

“A horse did not roll around,” the said phrase means that the things that should have been done are not even started yet.

The Russian peasants had a habit of giving some time for the horses to lie down before starting work. In due time, the horses would stretch their muscles. Hence, the delay in starting work gave rise to this expression.

6. Разуй глаза! (razyi glaza)

Russians use body features especially eyes to describe several situations. Literally, this saying means to take off your eyes. However, in Russian it is used to tell someone to pay attention or bringing to notice of something behind the scene. People use this phrase as the equivalent of, “Don’t you see what’s going around? Use your eyes!”

7. Дарёному коню в зубы не смотрят (daryonomu konyu v zubi ne smotriat)

This phrase translates to a familiar saying, “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”

Horses’ teeth tell a lot about their age and checking its teeth is especially important before buying a horse. The idiom implies: Don’t find fault in the gift, take whatever it is and be grateful (because you’re getting a gift, not buying a horse).

8. Яблоку негде упасть (yabloku negde upast’)

“There is no place for an apple to fall down.” The actual meaning of the phrase is that there is no space or the place is full.

9. Ни в зуб ногой (ni v zub nogoi)

The phrase translates to “Not in one tooth with a foot.” As the imagery would suggest, it describes a sense of being gauche, of not knowing anything about a particular matter. 

10. Что-то с чем-то (shto-to s chem-to)

This is an indicative phrase for something remarkable. Russians use this phrase to express that something is outstanding or superlative.

Russia is known for its long dreary winters and the gloomy views of some of its most popular novelists. What we skip seeing in the cliché is the humor and wit buried in Russian everyday expressions. Idioms are always important for learning any language because they give us a rather precious glimpse into how a tradition of sayings passed down makes for an outlook in life. And in the “outlook” reflected in some of these funny Russian phrases, you find a good dose of humor and humility.

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Colloquialisms and funny sayings make up a significant part of the Russian language and culture. Old Soviet comedies and jokes have provided a lot of material for some of these sayings, while others originate in modern popular culture and even in classic literature. Russians often shorten their sayings and expect others to understand what they mean, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself missing whole layers of meaning when you don’t know a particular saying.

In this article, you will learn some of the most popular Russian colloquialisms and funny turns of phrase so you can take part in Russian conversations like a pro.

Seemingly bizarre and alien letters, complex verb conjugations and a slew of consonant letters – even those who are fluent sometimes find their tongue tied.

The Russian language has 33 letters and even more sounds. In addition, letters are pronounced differently than written. Which words are most difficult even for those who speak Russian well? Try to pronounce these!

Linguistic nightmares

Pronouncing the letter ы [y] is a nightmare for foreigners. How to do it correctly? Smile and put your finger parallel to your lips and then pronounce и [e]. When foreigners try to pronounce something with this sound they often make other letters softer, for example, they say мишь instead of мышь. Some describe this as the sound a person makes when kicked in the stomach.

“The hardest words for me are actually short ones with non-English sounds; for example, сыр [cheese], is quite hard to pronounce correctly,” said UK-based editor Thomas Hodson.

Russia Beyond editors Peggy Lohse (Germany) and Lucia Bellinello (Italy) mentioned пыль [dust] as difficult words. UK-based editor Nick Holdsworth said the hardest word for him is бык[bull]. “That ‘uykh’ sound always comes out as ‘bik.’”

The letters ж [zh], ш [sh], щ [shch], and ч [ch] are also hard to pronounce. What’s even funnier is that they often come in a group. A hard ш sounds like a snake’s hiss. The sound ч is soft and dull, as in the word “chance.” A hard щ is a combination of ш and ч [try to say: “shchi”]. The letter ж makes a sound thatreminds one of buzzing bees.

For example: соотвествующие[relevant], and защищать[to defend]. “The letter щ is difficult for us, and here you have two so close!” said U.S.-based editor and journalist John Varoli.

“I had a lot of trouble with достопримечательности [sights] because it’s so long,” said Eva Hofman, a Dutch journalist.

Мужчина [man] – comes out as “мущщина,” shared Lucia. “When I want to order fresh juice, it’s a challenge because in Russian it’s called свежевыжатый.”

Russia Beyond journalist Tim Kirby gave these examples: штукатурка [plaster], Хрущёв [Khrushchev, the Soviet leader in 1953-1964], Шарикоподшипниковская улица [Sharikopodshipnikovskaya Street, which means Ball Bearing Street].

Sometimes the names of Russian streets can raise questions. “When I studied at the Centre for International Education in Moscow, the building was located on Kржижановского [Krzhyzhanovsky] Street, which made it difficult to ask for directions,” recalled Thomas. [Gleb Krzyzanovsky was a Soviet scientist with Polish roots].

We need more consonants!

“It’s a horror when there are a lot of consonants in a word,” said Lucia. For example, Краснопресненская [Krasnopresnenskaya is the name of the Moscow metro station, which derives from the Presnya River.]

Tim added more such names: Большой Спасоглинищевский переулок [Big Spasoglinischevsky Lane, named after the Church of the Transfiguration on Glinischi. Glinischi was the medieval name of that area, deriving came from the word “clay”]. Улица 1905 года [The Street of 1905] takes a while to pronounce – “Ulitsa tysyacha devyatsot pyatogo goda.”

Among difficult words Tim also listed здравствуйте [hello], спровоцировать [provoke], квалификационный [qualifying], and отрапортовал [report].

Sometimes it’s hard to understand the idea of the soft sign letter, ь, and the hard sign, ъ, such as here: вольноопределяющийся [volunteer soldier in Tsarist Russia], and используемые [used]. “The letterь confuses me,” said John.

“Words that start with two of the same letters freak me out,” added John. Like ввод [enter]. 

Joe Cresente, a U.S. based writer and director of content creation at COLAB, agreed: “I often get into trouble when I try to read nouns out loud with 4+ syllables too quickly, such as неодушевлённость[inanimation], or переосвидетельствующимися [re-examining].”

“For me, as with German, all words with hard л [l] are complicated,” said Peggy. “Like: лук [onion], and ложка [spoon]. “I also trained for a long time to say среднестатистический [average].” 

“And when talking, I’m always afraid to mix up the accent in words where it is VERY important to get it correct,” added Peggy. 

Like: мукА [flour] – мУка [sorrow]; or писАть [to write] – пИсать [to pee]. 

“I always get tongue-tied when I try to say самостоятельно[myself]. It’s more psychological than anything else,” noted Ajay Kamalakaran, author of Globetrotting for Love and Other Stories from Sakhalin Island.

“Yesterday I changed the fluorescent lights in my kitchen and realized I can’t pronounce the Russian version – флуоресцентный,”shared Thomas.

Well, if it’s any consolation, some of these words can sometimes be very difficult even for Russians.

Read more:

Here’s what you can learn about bizarre Russian life from textbooks

Myths and realities about how to speak with Russians on the phone

Why Russians throw pearls to pigs

10 Russian words impossible to translate into English

What do Russians mean when they say ‘yes, no, maybe’ all at the same time?

Why is the Russian language so difficult?

If using any of Russia Beyond’s content, partly or in full, always provide an active hyperlink to the original material.

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What are the main reasons to learn Russian?

Learning Russian is a great brain exercise! Even if the alphabet is different from that in English, the Russian words are pronounced exactly as they are written in most of the cases, which makes things easier! Russian is the perfect language for those who are passionate about travelling. Some basic Russian will help you find the way or order something in a Russian speaking country. Russian culture is very different and fascinating at the same time! If you will learn Russian in advance, you will have the opportunity to speak to locals and discover their culture from within. Russian literature is very famous worldwide! Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Pushkin… these are just some of the authors of brilliant novels. Learn Russian and you’ll discover why is this language so special!

Learn some funny Russian phrases

This is the perfect lesson for those who want to know some basic Russian. This flashcard lesson will introduce you to some common Russian idioms, whose meaning is very different from what you suppose. These funny Russian sayings will be useful to understand the natives and to learn to speak as they do. With the use of these Russian sayings, you will realize that the word grandmother in Russian has another unexpected meaning Also, the Russian phrases will explain what does blin mean in Russian. One of these cool idioms will help you understand the rak meaning. These Russian expressions include sayings that don’t make sense if you translate them literally but have an interesting meaning if you use them as the natives do. Learn these Russian idioms and funny Russian phrases to impress the locals with your knowledge! Use these common Russian phrases and the fun Russian idioms next time you visit Russia! To learn more about the Russian culture, take a look at our other Russian lessons, for example, the Russian food you need to try lesson will introduce you to some of the masterpieces of the Russian cuisine!

Funny Russian words

Learning some funny Russian words will definitely help you break the ice and make native speakers impressed. You can also simply study funny Russian words to broaden your horizons and get a new perspective on language. Don’t hesitate, «Take the feet in the hands and go» learn some amazing Russian expressions!