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100 Essential Russian Words for Beginners

A first Russian conversation needs only a few words: здравствуйте (hello), спасибо (thank you), вода (water) and есть (to eat). Below are 100 beginner words in 9 groups — greetings & basics, people & family, everyday verbs, describing words, colors, numbers, time, food & drink and home — each with its English meaning and its pronunciation in Latin letters.

Key takeaways

  • Russian is written in the Latin alphabet, with letters and marks beyond plain a–z: о, т, е, а, и, as in до свидания (goodbye).
  • You can already count to three: один (one), два (two) and три (three).
  • Verbs follow a pattern: 14 of the 16 verbs here end in -ть, such as быть, иметь, делать.
St Basil's Cathedral on Red Square in Moscow in daylight
Photo: opsa

Greetings & basics

16 words
EnglishRussianPronunciationType
helloздравствуйтеzdravstvuyteinterjection
goodbyeдо свиданияdo svidaniyainterjection
yesдаdainterjection
noнетnetinterjection
pleaseпожалуйстаpozhaluystainterjection
thank youспасибоspasibointerjection
sorryпроститеprostiteinterjection
andиiconjunction
butноnoconjunction
orилиiliconjunction
becauseпотому чтоpotomu chtoconjunction
hereздесьzdesadverb
thereтамtamadverb
alwaysвсегдаvsegdaadverb
neverникогдаnikogdaadverb
togetherвместеvmesteadverb

People & family

14 words
EnglishRussianPronunciationType
manмужчинаmuzhchinanoun
womanженщинаzhenshchinanoun
boyмальчикmalchiknoun
girlдевочкаdevochkanoun
friendдругdrugnoun
motherматьmatnoun
fatherотецotetsnoun
brotherбратbratnoun
sisterсестраsestranoun
sonсынsynnoun
daughterдочьdochnoun
childребёнокrebyonoknoun
husbandмужmuzhnoun
wifeженаzhenanoun

Everyday verbs

16 words
EnglishRussianPronunciationType
to beбытьbytverb
to haveиметьimetverb
to doделатьdelatverb
to goидтиidtiverb
to comeприходитьprikhoditverb
to eatестьyestverb
to drinkпитьpitverb
to wantхотетьkhotetverb
to needнуждатьсяnuzhdatsyaverb
to knowзнатьznatverb
to speakговоритьgovoritverb
to readчитатьchitatverb
to writeписатьpisatverb
to listenслушатьslushatverb
to workработатьrabotatverb
to buyпокупатьpokupatverb

Describing words

10 words
EnglishRussianPronunciationType
goodхорошийkhoroshiyadjective
badплохойplokhoyadjective
newновыйnovyyadjective
oldстарыйstaryyadjective
youngмолодойmolodoyadjective
tallвысокийvysokiyadjective
shortневысокийnevysokiyadjective
niceмилыйmilyyadjective
kindдобрыйdobryyadjective
shyзастенчивыйzastenchivyyadjective

Colors

8 words
EnglishRussianPronunciationType
redкрасныйkrasnyyadjective
blueсинийsiniyadjective
greenзелёныйzelyonyyadjective
yellowжёлтыйzholtyyadjective
blackчёрныйchornyyadjective
whiteбелыйbelyyadjective
orangeоранжевыйoranzhevyyadjective
purpleфиолетовыйfioletovyyadjective

Numbers

12 words
EnglishRussianPronunciationType
oneодинodinnumber
twoдваdvanumber
threeтриtrinumber
fourчетыреchetyrenumber
fiveпятьpyatnumber
sixшестьshestnumber
sevenсемьsemnumber
eightвосемьvosemnumber
nineдевятьdevyatnumber
tenдесятьdesyatnumber
zeroнольnolnumber
twentyдвадцатьdvadtsatnumber

Time

10 words
EnglishRussianPronunciationType
todayсегодняsegodnyaadverb
tomorrowзавтраzavtraadverb
yesterdayвчераvcheraadverb
morningутроutronoun
afternoonпосле обедаposle obedanoun
eveningвечерvechernoun
nightночьnochnoun
dayденьdennoun
weekнеделяnedelyanoun
monthмесяцmesyatsnoun

Food & drink

10 words
EnglishRussianPronunciationType
waterводаvodanoun
coffeeкофеkofenoun
teaчайchaynoun
milkмолокоmolokonoun
breadхлебkhlebnoun
cheeseсырsyrnoun
fruitфруктfruktnoun
appleяблокоyablokonoun
eggяйцоyaytsonoun
riceрисrisnoun

Home

4 words
EnglishRussianPronunciationType
houseдомdomnoun
doorдверьdvernoun
windowокноoknonoun
bedкроватьkrovatnoun

Emoji: Twemoji, CC-BY 4.0

Learn these Russian words for good

Watch Your LanguageVocabulary widgets for iPhone & Apple Watch

A list is where learning starts, not where it ends. Watch Your Language puts Russian words like these on your iPhone Lock Screen and on your Apple Watch face, so you see a few every time you check the time, and it schedules the repeats so the words you keep forgetting come back more often.

You can add your own words too, from a photo, a page of notes or a spreadsheet.

Download on the App Store

Keep going with Russian

Russian vocabulary by topicLonger word lists, one topic at a time

Russian for beginners questions

What are the first Russian words to learn?

Start with the words you use every day: greetings, numbers, the days and times, food, family and a handful of verbs. For Russian that means words like здравствуйте (hello), спасибо (thank you), вода (water) and есть (to eat). The list above groups 100 of them by topic.

How is Russian written?

Russian uses the Latin alphabet, so you can read the words above without learning a new script. 100 of the 100 words contain a letter or mark outside plain a–z, so learn those alongside the spelling.

Is 100 words enough to speak Russian?

No. This is a starting set: enough to greet people, count, talk about time, name food and family, and say what you want or need. Conversation needs more words, and above all hearing and using them. Treat the list as the first step, then add words from topics you care about.

How do I remember these Russian words?

Read a few at a time, say them out loud, and come back to them on a schedule rather than once. Watch Your Language puts words like these in a widget on your iPhone Lock Screen and on your Apple Watch face, and brings back the ones you keep forgetting more often.

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