gândac
/ɡɨnˈdak/masculine
The English word "cockroach" can be translated into Romanian as gândac, libarcă or rus.
Meaning: type of insect (noun)
Ways to say it
| Romanian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| gândac | /ɡɨnˈdak/ | masculine |
| libarcă | feminine | |
| rus | /ˈrus/ | masculine |
The word gândac is a broad term used for many types of beetles, while libarcă refers specifically to a cockroach. The word rus is also used to mean cockroach.
Which one should you use?
Gândac is a general term that can refer to many types of beetles, whereas libarcă is a more specific term for a cockroach.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine noun gândac becomes gândaci in the plural. The feminine noun libarcă becomes libărci in the plural.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡɨnˈdak/
Did you know?
- The term rus is a linguistic-oddity because it links the insect to the Proto-Slavic word for 'red' or 'russet'.
- Using rus to describe a cockroach is an example of an ethnonym being used as a colloquial term for an animal.
- The term rus for cockroach is a regionalism and is not used uniformly across all Romanian speaking areas.
Examples in context
- Specialistul în dezinsecție a identificat un gândac de bucătărie în apartament.The pest control specialist identified a cockroach in the apartment.
- Am auzit că i-a fugit un gândac de bucătărie când a deschis dulapul.I heard that she had a cockroach running out when she opened the cabinet.
- Am văzut un gândac în bucătărie.I saw a cockroach in the kitchen.
- Un gândac a fugit sub dulap.A cockroach ran under the cupboard.
- Nu vreau să ating acest gândac.I don't want to touch this cockroach.
Example conversation
Maria and Alexandru are in the kitchen at night.
- MariaAlexandru, am văzut un gândac aici!Alexandru, I saw a cockroach here!
- AlexandruUnde e gândacul, Maria?Where is the cockroach, Maria?
- MariaE lângă masa de la bucătărie.It is near the kitchen table.
- AlexandruStai acolo, îl prind eu.Stay there, I will catch it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cockroach” translations and entries gândac, libarcă, rus, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gândac, libarcă, rus, CC BY-SA 4.0.
