Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| нали́чные | nalíčnyje | feminine, plural | |
| нали́чные де́ньги | nalíčnyje dénʹgi | feminine, plural | |
| нали́чка | nalíčka | colloquial, feminine | |
| нал | nal | [naɫ] (narrow) | masculine, slang |
| кэш | kɛš | [kɛʂ] (narrow) | colloquial, masculine |
| де́ньги | dénʹgi | feminine, plural |
The term refers to money in the form of notes/bills and coins. While нали́чные is the standard way to refer to cash, you can also use нали́чные де́ньги to be more explicit.
What does it mean word for word?
The word нали́чные is an adjective meaning 'liquid' or 'available', used here as a substantive to mean 'cash'.
Which one should you use?
нали́чные де́ньги is the full, clear phrase for cash. нали́чка is a colloquial noun used to refer to a stash or amount of cash. нал is a common shorthand for наличные деньги in spoken Russian and is used in informal or business slang, similar to saying 'cash' instead of 'physical currency'. Finally, кэш is a neologism and slang term for cash used in informal settings.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For formal contexts, use Наличные деньги or the phrase Средства в наличии to refer to funds that are immediately available in cash form. For informal or business-slang settings, you will hear нал. In very casual or slang settings, you might encounter нали́чка or кэш.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To say 'to pay in cash', use the instrumental form наличными (e.g., платить наличными). Note that the opposite of нали́чные (cash) is безналичные (non-cash), used to refer to digital or bank transfer payments.
How do you pronounce it?
nalíčnyje
Did you know?
- In Russian business slang, the term нал is often used to imply 'under the table' or unofficial payments to avoid taxes, rather than just a simple payment method.
- The word for cash, нали́чные, is closely related to нали́чие, which means 'presence' or 'existence'.
- The term безналичные is used to describe digital or card payments, meaning Russians literally categorize money as being either 'in presence' or 'not in presence'.
Examples in context
- У меня нет наличных.I don't have any cash.This sentence is useful for saying you do not have any cash.Tatoeba #5044971 by odexed, translation #2574440 by Dejo
- У вас есть наличные?Do you have any cash?This sentence is useful for asking if someone has cash.Tatoeba #5476164 by marafon, translation #1886100 by CK
- У меня есть наличные.I have cash.This sentence is useful for stating that you have cash.Tatoeba #5143025 by Wezel, translation #2245876 by CK
- У вас есть наличные деньги? Да, сколько вам нужно?Do you have any cash? Yes, how much do you need?
- 133 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cash” translations and entries нал, кэш, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
