Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| се́рый | séryj | |
| седо́й | sedój | |
| си́вый | sívyj | rare |
The primary term for the color gray is се́рый. Related forms include the noun се́рый for the color itself, and the verbs сере́ть (to become gray) and седе́ть (to go gray, specifically referring to hair).
Which one should you use?
Use се́рый for inanimate objects or to describe general grayness. In contrast, use седо́й specifically to describe gray hair or a person who has gray hair. The term си́вый is a rare, poetic or archaic form used in literature, often to describe hair or heavy mist and clouds.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective се́рый must agree with the gender of the noun it describes. Use the feminine form се́рая for feminine nouns and the neuter form се́рое for neuter nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
séryj
What mistakes should you avoid?
When describing the process of hair turning gray, use the specific verb седе́ть.
Did you know?
- In Russian, the word се́рый is also the word for 'wolf' in many folk tales and fairy tales. A character described as се́рый волк is the classic 'gray wolf' archetype.
- The word се́рый is used in the Russian idiom се́рая мышь, which translates to 'gray mouse' and describes a person who is shy, unremarkable or wallflower.
- The word се́рый can be used to describe something dull or boring, such as се́рые будни, meaning 'gray weekdays'.
Examples in context
- Сегодня небо серое.The sky is gray today.
- Мне нравится цвет серый для моей новой машины.I like the color gray for my new car.
- серый домGray house
- серая машинаGray car
Example conversation
Ekaterina and Aleksandr are discussing paint colors for a room.
- Екатерина EkaterinaКакой цвет мы выберем для стен?Kakoy tsvet my vyberem dlya sten?What color shall we choose for the walls?
- Александр AleksandrЯ думаю, что се́рый будет смотреться стильно.Ya dumayu, chto seryy budet smotretsya stil'no.I think gray would look stylish.
- Екатерина EkaterinaСогласна, этот цвет очень спокойный.Soglasna, etot tsvet ochen' spokoynyy.I agree, this color is very calm.
- Александр AleksandrТогда покупаем се́рую краску.Togda pokupayem seryuyu krasku.Then we are buying gray paint.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “gray” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
