Home › Free Language Tools › 100 Essential Ukrainian Words

100 Essential Ukrainian Words for Beginners

Everyday Ukrainian starts with words like привіт (hello), дякую (thank you), вода (water) and їсти (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

  • Ukrainian is written in the Cyrillic alphabet, so every word below has its pronunciation beside it in Latin letters. For example, привіт is read “pryvit”.
  • Verbs follow a pattern: 16 of the 16 verbs here end in -ти, such as бути, робити, йти.
  • You can already count to three: один (one), два (two) and три (three).

Greetings & basics

16 words
EnglishUkrainianPronunciationType
helloпривітpryvitinterjection
goodbyeдо побаченняdo pobachenniainterjection
yesтакtakinterjection
noніniinterjection
pleaseбудь ласкаbud laskainterjection
thank youдякуюdiakuiuinterjection
sorryвибачтеvybachteinterjection
andіiconjunction
butалеaleconjunction
orабоaboconjunction
becauseтому щоtomu shchoconjunction
hereтутtutadverb
thereтамtamadverb
alwaysзавждиzavzhdyadverb
neverніколиnikolyadverb
togetherразомrazomadverb

People & family

14 words
EnglishUkrainianPronunciationType
manчоловікcholoviknoun
womanжінкаzhinkanoun
boyхлопчикkhlopchyknoun
girlдівчинкаdivchynkanoun
friendдругdruhnoun
motherматиmatynoun
fatherбатькоbatkonoun
brotherбратbratnoun
sisterсестраsestranoun
sonсинsynnoun
daughterдочкаdochkanoun
childдитинаdytynanoun
wifeдружинаdruzhynanoun
parentодин із батьківodyn iz batkivnoun

Everyday verbs

16 words
EnglishUkrainianPronunciationType
to beбутиbutyverb
to doробитиrobytyverb
to goйтиytyverb
to comeприходитиprykhodytyverb
to eatїстиyistyverb
to drinkпитиpytyverb
to wantхотітиkhotityverb
to needпотребуватиpotrebuvatyverb
to knowзнатиznatyverb
to speakговоритиhovorytyverb
to readчитатиchytatyverb
to writeписатиpysatyverb
to listenслухатиslukhatyverb
to workпрацюватиpratsiuvatyverb
to buyкупуватиkupuvatyverb
to payплатитиplatytyverb

Describing words

10 words
EnglishUkrainianPronunciationType
goodхорошийkhoroshyiadjective
badпоганийpohanyiadjective
newновийnovyiadjective
oldстарийstaryiadjective
youngмолодийmolodyiadjective
tallвисокийvysokyiadjective
shortнизькийnyzkyiadjective
niceприємнийpryiemnyiadjective
kindдобрийdobryiadjective
shyсором'язливийsoromiazlyvyiadjective

Colors

8 words
EnglishUkrainianPronunciationType
redчервонийchervonyiadjective
blueсинійsyniiadjective
greenзеленийzelenyiadjective
yellowжовтийzhovtyiadjective
blackчорнийchornyiadjective
whiteбілийbilyiadjective
orangeпомаранчевийpomaranchevyiadjective
purpleфіолетовийfioletovyiadjective

Numbers

12 words
EnglishUkrainianPronunciationType
oneодинodynnumber
twoдваdvanumber
threeтриtrynumber
fourчотириchotyrynumber
fiveп'ятьpiatnumber
sixшістьshistnumber
sevenсімsimnumber
eightвісімvisimnumber
nineдев'ятьdeviatnumber
tenдесятьdesiatnumber
zeroнульnulnumber
twentyдвадцятьdvadtsiatnumber

Time

10 words
EnglishUkrainianPronunciationType
todayсьогодніsohodniadverb
tomorrowзавтраzavtraadverb
yesterdayвчораvchoraadverb
morningранокranoknoun
afternoonпообіддяpoobiddianoun
eveningвечірvechirnoun
nightнічnichnoun
dayденьdennoun
weekтижденьtyzhdennoun
monthмісяцьmisiatsnoun

Food & drink

10 words
EnglishUkrainianPronunciationType
waterводаvodanoun
coffeeкаваkavanoun
teaчайchainoun
milkмолокоmolokonoun
breadхлібkhlibnoun
cheeseсирsyrnoun
fruitфруктfruktnoun
appleяблукоyablukonoun
eggяйцеyaitsenoun
riceрисrysnoun

Home

4 words
EnglishUkrainianPronunciationType
houseбудинокbudynoknoun
doorдверіdverinoun
windowвікноviknonoun
bedліжкоlizhkonoun

Emoji: Twemoji, CC-BY 4.0

Learn these Ukrainian 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 Ukrainian 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 Ukrainian

Ukrainian vocabulary by topicLonger word lists, one topic at a time Ukrainian quizTest yourself on what you have learned Ukrainian vocabulary testFind your level How long does Ukrainian take to learn?A realistic plan

Ukrainian for beginners questions

What are the first Ukrainian 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 Ukrainian that means words like привіт (hello), дякую (thank you), вода (water) and їсти (to eat). The list above groups 100 of them by topic.

Do I need to learn the Ukrainian script before these words?

You can start without it: Ukrainian is written in the Cyrillic alphabet, and every word here has a pronunciation in Latin letters beside it so you can sound it out. Learning the script soon after is still worth it, because real signs, menus and messages are not romanised. Treat the Latin-letter pronunciation as a guide to the sound, and listen to the language as well.

Is 100 words enough to speak Ukrainian?

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 Ukrainian 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.

Home Tools Blog Privacy Contact
© 2026 Watch Your Language