Learn essential Russian vocabulary for nationalities
Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
| русский (russkiy) |
| татарин (tatarin) |
| канадец (kanadets) |
| What do these words mean? Stick around. |
| In this quick lesson, you’ll learn Russian vocabulary for nationalities. |
| Before we start, did you know Russia is one of the most diverse countries in the world, with almost 200 different ethnic groups living together? Do you know which group is the largest? |
| Keep watching for the answer at the end. |
| русский (russkiy) |
| "Russian" |
| [SLOW] русский (russkiy) |
| русский (russkiy) |
| In Russian, words denoting nationalities are nouns. |
| Masculine is русский (russkiy), feminine is русская (russkaya). |
| Я - русская (Ya russkaya). |
| Susan asks Tom about his friend. |
| Susan: Откуда твой друг? (Otkuda tvoy drug?) |
| Tom: Я думаю, он русский! (Ya dumayu, on russkiy!) |
| украинец (ukrainets) |
| "Ukrainian" |
| [SLOW] украинец (ukrainets) |
| украинец (ukrainets) |
| Masculine is украинец (ukrainets), feminine is украинка (ukrainka). |
| Oh, Ukrainian food is so delicious! |
| Borscht with special garlic bread (pampushka), dumplings with cherries (varenyky). |
| Jack introduces a new chef to Susan. |
| Jack: Вот наш новый шеф-повар. Он украинец. (Vot nash novyy shef-povar. On ukrainets.) |
| Susan: Приятно познакомиться. (Priyatno poznakomit'sya.) |
| татарин (tatarin) |
| "Tatar" |
| [SLOW] татарин (tatarin) |
| татарин (tatarin) |
| Masculine is татарин (tatarin), feminine is татарка (tatarka). |
| Tatars are the second largest ethnic group in Russia. |
| In the region of Russia where I was born, there are many Tatars, so I even know how to cook Tatar dishes. |
| Susan asks Anna about a new colleague. |
| Susan: Откуда твой новый коллега? (Otkuda tvoy novyy kollega?) |
| Anna: Он татарин. (On tatarin.) |
| канадец (kanadets) |
| "Canadian" |
| [SLOW] канадец (kanadets) |
| канадец (kanadets) |
| Masculine is канадец (kanadets), feminine is канадка (kanadka). |
| I heard that the nature and weather in Canada are similar to those in Russia. And also there are birch trees there. For Russians, the birch tree is a special tree, a symbol of the country. |
| Susan asks Lina about a mutual friend. |
| Susan: Кто она по национальности? (Kto ona po natsional'nosti?) |
| Lina: Она канадка. (Ona kanadka.) |
| немец (nemets) |
| "German" |
| [SLOW] немец (nemets) |
| немец (nemets) |
| Masculine is немец (nemets), feminine is немка (nemka). |
| My first foreign language was German. It sounds so beautiful! And I still have one question. Why is the word “girl” neuter? |
| Susan asks Oscar about a new member in their photography club. |
| Susan: Не знаешь, откуда новый участник? (Ne znayesh', otkuda novyy uchastnik?) |
| Oscar: Он немец. (On nemets.) |
| японец (yaponets) |
| "Japanese" |
| [SLOW] японец (yaponets) |
| японец (yaponets) |
| Masculine is японец (yaponets), feminine is японка (yaponka). |
| I’m sure every Russian dreams of visiting Japan. It is so close but so different from other countries: sushi, samurai, anime, kimono, games. Japan has given so much to world culture. |
| Yakov asks Anna about a new colleague. |
| Yakov: Это твой новый коллега? (Eto tvoy novyy kollega?) |
| Anna: Да. Он японец. (Da. On yaponets.) |
| американец (amerikanets) |
| "American" |
| [SLOW] американец (amerikanets) |
| американец (amerikanets) |
| Masculine is американец (amerikanets), feminine is американка (amerikanka). |
| Amerikan dream! |
| When I was backpacking around the USA, people were always helpful and genuinely interested in my travels. |
| Jack and Susan chat about a group of tourists. |
| Jack: Откуда они? (Otkuda oni?) |
| Susan: Они американцы. (Oni amerikantsy.) |
| китаец (kitayets) |
| "Chinese" |
| [SLOW] китаец (kitayets) |
| китаец (kitayets) |
| Masculine is китаец (kitayets), feminine is китаянка (kitayanka). |
| Moscow has a Chinatown called Китай-город (Kitay-Gorod), but its name isn’t linked to a Chinese community. Instead, it reflects the district's history as a trade hub. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Kitay-Gorod was a big market area known for trading silk, spices, porcelain, and other exotic goods from the East, referred to as "Chinese." |
| Oscar asks Tom about a mutual friend. |
| Oscar: Откуда она? (Otkuda ona?) |
| Tom: Она китаянка. (Ona kitayanka.) |
| словак (slovak) |
| "Slovak" |
| [SLOW] словак (slovak) |
| словак (slovak) |
| Masculine is словак (slovak), feminine is словачка (slovachka). |
| The nature in Slovakia is incredibly beautiful! There are rivers, forests, picturesque mountains, caves, lakes, and thermal springs. Slovakia has everything! |
| Sergey introduces Victoria to a friend. |
| Sergey: Это мой друг. Он словак. (Eto moy drug. On slovak.) |
| Victoria: Приятно познакомиться. (Priyatno poznakomit'sya.) |
| поляк (polyak) |
| "Polish" |
| [SLOW] поляк (polyak) |
| поляк (polyak) |
| Masculine is поляк (polyak), feminine is полячка (polyachka). |
| Do you know how I understand that there are Polish people around me? If I hear people speaking and it sounds like they speak Russian, but I sometimes can’t understand everything they say, then they are Polish. |
| Tom asks Oscar about a new neighbor. |
| Tom: Кто это? (Kto eto?) |
| Oscar: Это мой сосед. Он поляк. (Eto moy sosed. On polyak.) |
| Let's review. |
| You'll see the words in English and your job is to say the words in Russian. |
| Ready? |
| Do you remember how to say "Russian"? |
| русский (russkiy) |
| русский (russkiy) |
| And how to say "Ukrainian"? |
| украинец (ukrainets) |
| украинец (ukrainets) |
| How about "Tatar"? |
| татарин (tatarin) |
| татарин (tatarin) |
| Do you remember how to say "Canadian"? |
| канадец (kanadets) |
| канадец (kanadets) |
| And how to say "German"? |
| немец (nemets) |
| немец (nemets) |
| Let's try "Japanese"! |
| японец (yaponets) |
| японец (yaponets) |
| What about "American"? |
| американец (amerikanets) |
| американец (amerikanets) |
| Now, let's see if you remember how to say "Chinese"! |
| китаец (kitayets) |
| китаец (kitayets) |
| Another one! What about "Slovak"? |
| словак (slovak) |
| словак (slovak) |
| And finally, do you remember how to say "Polish"? |
| поляк (polyak) |
| поляк (polyak) |
| Did you know Russia is home to nearly 200 ethnic groups? Can you guess which is the largest? |
| Russia is a very big country with many different kinds of people. More than 193 different ethnic groups live there, but the biggest group is the Russians. They make up about 72% of all the people in Russia. |
| Thanks for watching! Don't forget to practice these new words and phrases, and see you next time! |
Comments
Hide