кро́ткий
krótkij
The English word gentle can be translated into Russian as кро́ткий (krótkij) or мя́гкий.
Meaning: soft and mild rather than hard or severe (adj)
Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| кро́ткий | krótkij |
| мя́гкий | mjáxkij |
Russian uses different words for gentle depending on whether you are describing a person's personality or the physical properties of an object.
Which one should you use?
Use кро́ткий to describe a person's gentle, submissive or meek temperament. Use мя́гкий to describe something that is physically soft or a gentle touch or manner.
How does it change in a sentence?
Adjectives in Russian change based on the gender and number of the noun they describe. For the temperament-related кро́ткий, the forms are: кро́ткий (masculine), кро́ткая (feminine), кро́ткое (neuter) and кро́ткие (plural). For the physical/manner-related мя́гкий, the forms are: мя́гкий (masculine), мя́гкая (feminine), мя́гкое (neuter) and мя́гкие (plural).
How do you pronounce it?
krótkij
Did you know?
- The word мя́гкий is used to describe 'soft' signs in the Russian alphabet, such as the letter ь, which tells the speaker to pronounce the preceding consonant more gently.
- While мя́гкий describes a gentle touch, the Russian word for 'gentle' or 'tender' in a romantic or emotional sense is often не́жный, which is distinct from both мя́гкий and кро́ткий.
- Unlike in English, where 'gentle' can describe a breeze, Russian often uses лёгкий, meaning 'light', to describe a gentle wind.
Examples in context
- Её нежный поцелуй заставил его сердце раствориться.Her gentle kiss made his heart melt.
- Он такой ласковый с детьми.He is so affectionate with children.
- Её мягкий голос успокаивает меня.Her soft voice calms me down.
Example conversation
Maria and Andrey are discussing a mutual acquaintance.
- Мария MariaТы заметил, какой он кро́ткий?Ty zametil, kakoy on krotkiy?Did you notice how gentle he is?
- Андрей AndreyДа, он никогда не спорит с людьми.Da, on nikogda ne sporit s lyudmi.Yes, he never argues with people.
- Мария MariaЭто очень редкое качество сейчас.Eto ochen' redkoe kachestvo seychas.That is a very rare quality nowadays.
- Андрей AndreyЯ очень уважаю таких людей.Ya ochen' uvazhayu takikh lyudey.I really respect people like that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “gentle” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
