Russian vs Ukrainian: Which Is Easier, and How Similar Are They?

Key takeaways

• Russian and Ukrainian are in the same Foreign Service Institute difficulty group (Category III).
• Their everyday vocabulary is close: roughly 6 in 10 everyday words sound alike, so learning one gives you a real head start on the other.
• Study time will not decide it, so start with the one you will actually use.

How hard is each one?

For an English speaker the two sit in the same difficulty group, so neither is officially easier: the Foreign Service Institute puts both at 1,012 class hours. These are the figures behind the how long does it take to learn a language calculator, from the US Foreign Service Institute's published language training times.

The hours are for a native English speaker in full-time classes aiming at professional working proficiency. Useful everyday conversation comes sooner, and the calculator breaks the time down by level.

How much do the words overlap?

Their everyday vocabulary is close: roughly 6 in 10 everyday words sound alike, so learning one gives you a real head start on the other.

A few everyday words that sound alike in Russian and Ukrainian:

And a few everyday words that sound completely different:

Writing system and grammar

• Both use the Cyrillic alphabet, so once you can read one, you can read most of the other, though each has a few letters of its own.
• Both have noun cases: Russian has 6 and Ukrainian has 7.

Which should you learn first?

Study time will not decide this one, because the two ask for about the same. If you want to reach a particular place, a person or a job, start with the one you will actually use: steady motivation counts for more than the difference in hours. Because they share so much, you do not need to pick one forever. Learning one first makes the other noticeably quicker, and the main risk is mixing the two up, so give the first a solid base before starting the second.

Frequently asked questions

Is Russian easier than Ukrainian?

For an English speaker the two sit in the same difficulty group, so neither is officially easier: the Foreign Service Institute puts both at 1,012 class hours. Hours are for a native English speaker reaching professional working proficiency in full-time classes; casual learning gets you to useful conversation well before that.

How similar are Russian and Ukrainian?

Their everyday vocabulary is close: roughly 6 in 10 everyday words sound alike, so learning one gives you a real head start on the other. They are both Slavic languages.

Should I learn Russian or Ukrainian first?

Study time will not decide this one, because the two ask for about the same. If you want to reach a particular place, a person or a job, start with the one you will actually use: steady motivation counts for more than the difference in hours. Because they share so much, you do not need to pick one forever. Learning one first makes the other noticeably quicker, and the main risk is mixing the two up, so give the first a solid base before starting the second.

Keep going

• Free Russian vocabulary lists
• How long does it take to learn Ukrainian?
• Free Ukrainian vocabulary lists
• Ukrainian vocabulary test
• Ukrainian quiz
• The Ukrainian Alphabet Has Two Kinds of False Friends

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