пече́нье
pečénʹjeneuter
The English word 'biscuit' can be translated into Russian as пече́нье (pečénʹje) or бискви́т.
Meaning: small, flat baked good (noun)
Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| пече́нье | pečénʹje | neuter |
| бискви́т | biskvít | masculine |
Use пече́нье for the small, crunchy baked goods that an English speaker would call biscuits or cookies.
Which one should you use?
While пече́нье refers to small, hard biscuits or cookies, бискви́т specifically refers to a light, airy sponge cake.
How does it change in a sentence?
The neuter noun пече́нье is often used in its plural form пече́нья when referring to a variety of cookies or biscuits.
How do you pronounce it?
pečénʹje
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers may mistakenly use бискви́т to mean a hard biscuit/cookie, but in Russian, it almost exclusively refers to sponge cake.
Did you know?
- The word пече́нье is derived from the verb печь, which means 'to bake', making the word literally 'a baked thing'.
- Russian tea culture often involves пече́нье as part of a larger 'tea table' spread, which can include everything from fruit to sandwiches.
- The word бискви́т is a cognate of the English 'biscuit', but their meanings diverged so far that they now describe two different textures: spongy and crunchy.
Examples in context
- Можно печенье?Can I have a biscuit, please?
- Дай мне одну печенюшку!Give me one biscuit!
- Какой сорт печенья у вас есть?What kind of biscuits do you have?
Example conversation
Dmitry and Maria are having tea in the kitchen.
- Дмитрий DmitryМария, хочешь это пече́нье?Mariya, khochesh' eto pechen'ye?Maria, do you want this biscuit?
- Мария MariaДа, спасибо, Дмитрий.Da, spasibo, Dmitriy.Yes, thank you, Dmitry.
- Дмитрий DmitryОно очень сладкое.Ono ochen' sladkoye.It is very sweet.
- Мария MariaМне очень нравится это пече́нье.Mne ochen' nravitsya eto pechen'ye.I like this biscuit very much.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “biscuit” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
