Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| рак | rak | [rak] (narrow) | masculine |
| злока́чественная о́пухоль | zlokáčestvennaja ópuxolʹ | feminine |
The word рак is used to refer to the disease of uncontrolled cellular proliferation. When talking about a person who has the disease, Russian speakers do not use the verb "to have" (иметь). Instead, they use a construction that literally means "at him/her [is] cancer" (у него/неё рак).
Which one should you use?
While рак is the common word for the disease, the phrase злока́чественная о́пухоль refers specifically to a "malignant tumor." Additionally, when referring to the astrological sign or the constellation Cancer, the word is capitalized as Рак.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word рак changes its form in certain grammatical constructions. For example, it becomes рака when used in the genitive case, such as after the preposition от (from/of) in the phrase умер от рака (died of cancer).
How do you pronounce it?
rak
Did you know?
- The word рак is also the Russian word for 'crayfish' or 'crab'.
- The word рак is a direct descendant of the Proto-Slavic word *rakъ, linking the modern medical term to ancient linguistic roots.
- Because рак can mean 'crab', 'crayfish', or 'cancer', the word shares a single identity across biology, astronomy, and pathology.
Examples in context
- У неё не рак.She doesn't have cancer.This sentence shows how to use the construction for saying someone does not have cancer with рак.Tatoeba #9495548 by marafon, translation #9314813 by shekitten
- У Тома был рак.Tom had cancer.This sentence shows how to state that someone had cancer using рак.Tatoeba #5866147 by odexed, translation #2549612 by CK
- Он умер от рака.He died of cancer.This sentence shows the genitive form рака used after the preposition от.Tatoeba #1621410 by Biga, translation #286501 by CK
- Мой диагноз – рак легких.My diagnosis is lung cancer.
- 193 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sergei and Ekaterina are discussing a medical report.
- Сергей SergeyВ результатах анализа обнаружен рак?V rezul'tatakh analiza obnaruzhen rak?Was cancer found in the test results?
- Екатерина EkaterinaДа, к сожалению, это рак.Da, k sozhaleniyu, eto rak.Yes, unfortunately, it is cancer.
- Сергей SergeyКак она себя чувствует?Kak ona sebya chuvstvuyet?How is she feeling?
- Екатерина EkaterinaЕй сейчас очень тяжело.Yey seychas ochen' tyazhelo.She is having a very hard time right now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cancer” translations and entries рак, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries рак, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
