Russian words you need to know to build your Russian vocabulary

Common Russian words: facts and figures

Top 10 most common Russian words pronounced by native Russian speakers

1. 1. Привет = Hello

   Let's naturally start with "Здравствуйте" which means "Hello" in Russian. This is one of the most known words in Russian and a great way to start a conversation with someone from Russia. Click play below to listen to the actual pronunciation:

   Привет

2. 2. Любовь = Love

   Love is a universal feeling and we definitely had to talk about it here. Russian people have a lovely way of saying they love someone or something through the word "любовь". Hear it in action here:

   Любовь

3. 3. Радость = Happiness

   When there's love, there's definitely happiness. We are all chasing "радость" as Russian speaking people would say. Listen closely and you might just get some “happiness” in your life today:

   Радость

4. 4. Кошка = Cat

   Let's talk pets. There are two types of people in the world: cat people and dog people. We are going to talk about cats first or how people in Ukraine would say: "кошка". Listen to how it sounds like:

   Кошка

5. 5. Собака = Dog

   But let's not forget our lovely and loyal companions, dogs. A dog in Russian is "собака", a really useful word for dog lovers worldwide. Here is how you would pronounce it:

   Собака

6. 6. Улыбаться = Smile

   Now it is time to smile. Or how someone from Russia would say: "улыбаться". Smiling makes us happy and helps us stay healthy, so that's why we all need to smile every day. Here's the Russian pronunciation:

   Улыбаться

7. 7. Россиянин = Russian

   Next, let’s see how people in Russia say “Russian”. The correct answer is "русский". Listen to how a Russian speaker would pronounce it:

   Россиянин

8. 8. Да = Yes

   Yes, we have arrived at number 8 where “yes” is the subject to be discussed. Russian speakers say “yes” by simply saying "да". Enhance your understanding by listening to how a person from Russia would pronounce it:

   Да

9. 9. Спасибо = Thank you

   Thank you for reading this far or should I say "Спасибо" as they say in Russian. Here's a native speaker thanking you in Russian:

   Спасибо

10. 10. До свидания = Goodbye

    No polite conversation can end without a good old goodbye or "Goodbye" how Russian people usually say. Now it's time for a delightful Russian voice to say "До свидания" to you:

    До свидания

Common Russian words

Russian verbs