зелёный
zeljónyj[zʲɪˈlʲɵnɨj]masculine
The Russian word for green is зелёный (zeljónyj).
The word is used to describe something that has the color green. It can function as an adjective or as a noun to refer to the color itself. It can also refer to a member of a green party.
Meaning: having green as its colour (adj)
Which one should you use?
The form зелёный is the masculine form. Other forms include the feminine зелёная, the neuter зелёное and the plural зелёные. When referring to a member of a green party, both зелёный and зелёная may be used depending on the gender of the person.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, the form changes based on the gender and number of the noun it describes: use зелёная for feminine nouns, зелёное for neuter nouns and зелёные for plural nouns. The form зелёный is used for masculine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
zeljónyj
Did you know?
- The Russian word зелёный shares a distant ancestor with the English words 'yellow', 'gold' and 'glow'.
- When describing a very light green, Russians might use the word салатовый, which comes from the word for 'salad'.
- Russian distinguishes between different shades of blue using two different words, but it uses only one primary word, зелёный, for green.
Examples in context
- Я люблю зелёный чай.I like green tea.This sentence shows how to use the adjective зелёный with tea.Tatoeba #4210089 by astru, translation #2377447 by CK
- Я люблю зелёный лук.I like green onions.This sentence shows how to use the adjective зелёный with onions.Tatoeba #8845328 by marafon, translation #8833904 by CK
- Ты пьёшь зелёный чай?Do you drink green tea?This sentence shows a question using the adjective зелёный.Tatoeba #1864337 by estong, translation #1768241 by CM
- 177 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Olga and Sergey are looking at a new piece of furniture in a store.
- Ольга OlgaСергей, посмотри на этот зелёный стул.Sergey, posmotri na etot zelyonyi stul.Sergey, look at this green chair.
- Сергей SergeyОн мне очень нравится, Ольга.On mne ochen' nravitsya, Olga.I like it very much, Olga.
- Ольга OlgaОн идеально подходит к твоему кабинету.On ideal'no podkhodit k tvoyemu kabinetu.It fits your office perfectly.
- Сергей SergeyДа, я его забираю.Da, ya yego zabirayu.Yes, I'm taking it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “green” translations and entries зелёный, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries зелёный, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
