April 18, 2021

Five Russian Words You May Be Misusing


Five Russian Words You May Be Misusing
Yes, these words are from the Russian language. No, they aren't only used in Russia.  Polina Zimmerman | pexels.com

The good news is that if you don't already speak Russian, you probably already know a few words in the language! The bad news is that you've also probably been using these words wrong.

But don't worry, it isn't your fault. Technically speaking, languages take words from other languages and make them part of their dictionary all the time. Linguists call them loan words, and you probably know more than you realize. Just a few examples include: "tortilla" (from Spanish), "café" (from French), and "bazaar" (from Persian). These words come from other languages, but they are also words in English, now with their own unique definitions and usage. 

While there are many English loan words in the Russian language, there are, perhaps unsurprisingly,  rather few Russian loan words in the English language. The most easily identifiable examples come from Soviet origins (like "intelligentsia," "bolshevik," or "cosmonaut"). The interesting thing about the following five Russian words is that their English usage is actually slightly different from their original Russian usage.

So, let's practice our Russian (and our English) by learning more about these 5 popular Russian loan words. 

A Russian granny stares directly at the camera with a red scarf on her head.
The stereotype is true: babushkas really do often wear babushka scarfs. | Alexandra Curtis

1. Babushka

This is probably one of the best-known Russian-English words today (and most frequently mispronounced by first-year Russian students). In English, we tend to stress the second syllable, but in Russian, the emphasis is strongly placed on the first. Also, while the word simply means "grandmother" in Russian, in English the word has come to take on the style of clothes that Russian grandmas often wear, specifically the adorable head-scarf. Just Google search "cats wearing babushkas" to see what we mean.   

We love babushkas, and so does the fashion world. The best-known influencer of the babushka look is rapper A$AP Rocky, who loves the style so much that he wrote a song titled "Babushka Boi" to honor it (sidenote: the song is definitely not babushka-friendly and contains a lot of curse words; Watch at your own risk). 

A leaflet shows the map of Russia with the locations of all the GULAG work camps.
Solzhenitsyn's collection of stories titled The Gulag Archipeligo helped to popularize the phrase in English. | Elena Genseruk, commons.wikimedia.org

2. Gulag

Most people know that the gulag was the chain of labor camps that formed a part of the dismal Soviet prison system. What people don't usually know is that the word in Russian is actually an acronym, with the "G" and "U" standing for "glavnoye upravleniye" (roughly translating to "The General Administration of") and the "lag" as a shortened form of the Russian word (in the genitive plural) for camps, "lagerey." 

The word gulag isn't actually used all that frequently by Russians; instead, they just call them camps. But in common English, the phrase has become a catch-all phrase for any oppressive labor camp or camp system. 

A satellite floats high above the blue earth.
Even this American satellite is a "sputnik" in Russian. | NASA, unsplash.com

3. Sputnik

Sputnik was the name of the first Soviet (and first ever) satellite sent into space. It is also the name of every satellite ever sent into space, because it is literally the Russian word for "satellite." 

Fun fact: etymologically speaking, the word translates into English as "traveler" or "fellow-traveler." It also happens to be the name of Russia's COVID-19 vaccine

A beautiful stack of bliny sit on the table with a candle and tulip flowers.
Call them "bliny" or "blinis": either way they taste delicious. | Elley Fairytale, unsplash.com

4. Bliny

Looking up a recipe for bliny in English can often give mixed results. Many people imagine bliny as these tiny little pancakes with a dollop of caviar on top, mostly served as a fancy appetizer. But anyone who has dined with a Russian family knows that this treat is nothing of the sort. Bliny in Russia are big, skinny, and delicious pancakes. Meant to be eaten with your hands, they are more peasant food than fancy cuisine. 

Also, like any other Russian word that ends in "E" or "Y," bliny is grammatically plural. So, by Russian language standards, it is redundant to say "blinis." The singular form, blin, is less often used in English (perhaps because people rarely consume just one of these treats alone!). (Sidenote: In Russian, "blin" is also a softened curse word, kind of like "fudge," which refers to a more serious one.) 

A bowl of buckwheat kasha sits on a table with a big glob of butter on top.
Buckwheat is still one of the most popular varieties of kasha, and possibly the most nutritious. | Alexandra Curtis

5. Kasha

Kasha is the most important Russian staple food, next to rye bread perhaps. In American English, most people only associate this word with the (extremely popular) buckwheat version, but in Russian kasha actually covers more territory.

A better translation for the word "kasha" would be "porridge," except it can be made out of just about any grain. Oats, barley, millet, semolina, and even rice are all popular bases from which kasha can be made. Also, unlike porridge, kasha can be served with nearly any meal: breakfast, lunch, or dinner. So go ahead, embrace the variety of kasha (and a variety of Russian vocabulary)! 

You Might Also Like

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
  • December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
A Few False Friends
  • January 01, 1996

A Few False Friends

A look at words that sound like English words, but mean nothing like what they sound like.
Excuse My English!
  • July 01, 1996

Excuse My English!

English words that have snuck into contemporary Russian usage.
The English Invasion
  • November 01, 2014

The English Invasion

Russia may have become staunchly anti-Western, but it would be very hard to say the same thing about the language.
Change Your Default Mouth Position
  • March 28, 2021

Change Your Default Mouth Position

Dr. Kimberly DiMattia, known to her Russian students as Kira, has a range of offerings for anyone who wants to "move the needle" on their pronunciation.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
At the Circus

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
22 Russian Crosswords

22 Russian Crosswords

Test your knowledge of the Russian language, Russian history and society with these 22 challenging puzzles taken from the pages of Russian Life magazine. Most all the clues are in English, but you must fill in the answers in Russian. If you get stumped, of course all the puzzles have answers printed at the back of the book.
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955