Ways to say it
| Ukrainian | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| дороги́й | dorohýj |
| кошто́вний | koštóvnyj |
The term refers to something having a high price or cost. You can also say Ціна на неї велика to express that the price is high. For an informal way to say something is very costly, you might use the expression Коштує кінські гроші, which literally means 'it costs horse money'.
Which one should you use?
дороги́й is the most common and general term for expensive, but it is also used to describe someone or something that is precious or dear to one's heart. In contrast, кошто́вний is a more formal or technical term used specifically to denote high cost or high value.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective must agree in gender with the noun it modifies. Use дорога́ for feminine nouns and дорогі́ for the plural form of both masculine and feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
dorohýj
Did you know?
- The word дороги́й shares the same root as the Ukrainian word for 'road' доро́га. In ancient times this implied that a long journey made a thing more costly to acquire.
- Because дороги́й means both 'expensive' and 'dear', Ukrainian speakers use the same word to describe a luxury car and a beloved grandmother.
- Ukrainian has a specific word доро́гови́зна to describe the general phenomenon of high prices or inflation, which is a noun derived from the adjective дороги́й.
Examples in context
- Ця сумка дуже дорога.This bag is very expensive.
- Ціна на цю квартиру дуже велика.The price of this apartment is very high.
- Вартість цієї послуги досить висока.The cost of this service is quite high.
- Той телефон коштує кінські гроші!That phone costs a fortune!
Example conversation
Andrii and Nataliia are shopping for a gift.
- Андрій AndriiПодивись на цю сумку, вона гарна!Podyvys na tsiu sumku, vona harna!Look at this bag, it is beautiful!
- Наталія NataliiaАле вона надто дороги́й варіант.Ale vona nadto dorohoiy variant.But it is too expensive an option.
- Андрій AndriiТи права, пошукаємо щось інше.Ty prava, poshukaiemo shchos 인해.You are right, let's look for something else.
- Наталія NataliiaТак, нам потрібна дешева сумка.Tak, nam potribna desheva sumka.Yes, we need a cheap bag.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “expensive” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
