How to Say "Clear" in Russian

я́сный

jásnyj

The English word 'clear' (meaning free of ambiguity or doubt) can be translated into Russian as я́сный (jásnyj). Wiktionary also lists я́вный (jávnyj) and поня́тный (ponjátnyj).

Meaning: free of ambiguity or doubt (adj)

Ways to say it

“clear” in Russian
Russian	Romanization (Wiktionary)	IPA
я́сный	jásnyj
я́вный	jávnyj
поня́тный	ponjátnyj
чёткий	čótkij	[ˈt͡ɕɵtkʲɪj] (narrow)

In Russian, the choice of word for 'clear' depends on what kind of clarity you are describing.

Which one should you use?

The different forms of 'clear' are specialized for different contexts: * я́сный is used for clear weather (sunny) or a clear, bright mind/thought. * я́вный is used when something is 'clear' in the sense of being obvious or manifest to the eye. * поня́тный is used when 'clear' means that the meaning is easy to grasp or comprehend. * чёткий is used when 'clear' refers to sharpness of image, sound or the precision of a specific instruction or boundary.

Related words

How do you pronounce it?

jásnyj

Did you know?

In modern Russian youth slang, чёткий is often used to describe a person who is 'cool' or 'tough' and knows exactly how the world works.
To describe a 'clear' conscience, Russians use the word чистый, which means 'clean', rather than any of the words for 'clear' or 'obvious'.
When a Russian speaker says я́сно in response to a statement, it can sometimes signal that they are bored or annoyed, similar to saying 'I get it' with a sigh.

Examples in context

Мне нужен чёткий ответ.
I want a clear answer.
This sentence is useful for expressing a need for a precise or sharp answer using чёткий.
Tatoeba #5127372 by Karok, translation #5127361 by Barra
Сигнал чёткий.
The signal is clear.
This sentence shows how to describe a signal that is clear or distinct using чёткий.
Tatoeba #6548519 by marafon, translation #8029887 by AlanF_US
Ситуация стала ясной
The situation has become clear
Ваше объяснение было понятным
Your explanation was clear
Это противоречие было явным
This contradiction was clear
Угу, понятно
Yeah, clear
Ну, все ясно
Well, everything is clear
Окей, я понял
Okay, I got it
Его взгляд был я́сный и прямой.
Yego vzglyad byl yasnyy i pryamoy.
His gaze was clear and direct.

Sources

Wiktionary, “clear” translations and entries чёткий, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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How to Say “Clear” in Russian