слон
slon[sɫon]masculine
The English word elephant is translated into Russian as слон (slon). Wiktionary also lists слони́ха (sloníxa).
Meaning: mammal (noun)
Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| слон | slon | [sɫon] (narrow) | masculine |
| слони́ха | sloníxa | feminine |
The term is used to refer to the large mammal. In a religious context, the capitalized form Слон refers to the 105th sura of the Qur'an.
Which one should you use?
слон is the generic, masculine term for any elephant, whereas слони́ха specifically refers to a female elephant.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine noun слон changes to слона in the genitive case, which occurs when indicating possession or following certain prepositions like на (on/like).
How do you pronounce it?
slon
Did you know?
- In Russian, the word слон is used as the name for the bishop piece in a game of chess.
- Some linguists believe слон is related to the Turkish word arslan, which actually means 'lion'.
- The phrase слон в посудной лавке describes a clumsy person, mirroring the English 'bull in a china shop'.
Examples in context
- У меня есть слон.I have an elephant.The sentence is useful for demonstrating possession of a слон.Tatoeba #4442885 by sicerabibax, translation #4427135 by newton55
- Ты похож на слона.You look like an elephant.The sentence is useful for showing the genitive form слона used after the preposition на to mean 'like'.Tatoeba #6219361 by odexed, translation #11109633 by ddnktr
- Не думайте о слоне.Don't think of an elephant.The sentence is useful for showing the use of the noun слон in a command.Tatoeba #11230102 by odexed, translation #5902030 by Pixel
- В зоопарке можно увидеть множество животных, включая слонов.In the zoo, you can see many animals, including elephants.
- Научная экспедиция изучала поведение слонов в дикой природе.The scientific expedition studied the behavior of elephants in the wild.
- Смотри, маленький слонёнок играет с мамой!Look, the little baby elephant is playing with its mother!
- 88 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Andrey and Anastasia are looking at a picture book in a zoo.
- Андрей AndreyСмотри, какой огромный слон!Smotri, kakoy ogromnyy slon!Look, what a huge elephant!
- Анастасия AnastasiaДа, он очень большой.Da, on ochen' bol'shoy.Yes, he is very big.
- Андрей AndreyЭтот слон спит в траве.Etot slon spit v trave.This elephant is sleeping in the grass.
- Анастасия AnastasiaОн выглядит очень спокойным.On vyglyadit ochen' spokoynym.He looks very calm.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “elephant” translations and entries слон, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries слон, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
