исто́рия
istórijafeminine
The English word "history" is translated into Russian as исто́рия (istórija).
исто́рия is used to refer to both the academic branch of knowledge known as "history" and to a "story" or "tale".
Meaning: branch of knowledge that studies the past (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The word исто́рия changes to исто́рии in the genitive case. This form is used to indicate possession or after prepositions such as без (without).
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is istórija.
Did you know?
- In Russian slang, if someone says это целая исто́рия, they are not talking about a textbook, but indicating that a situation is far more dramatic and complex than it seems.
- In an academic context, Russian distinguishes between исто́рия as a general discipline and источниковедение, the specific science of studying historical sources.
- The Russian word исто́рия shares a common Greek root with the English word 'history', but it evolved to cover the meaning of 'plot' or 'narrative' much more broadly than in modern English.
Examples in context
- Хочу изучать древнюю историю.I want to study ancient history.
- Исто́рия это очень важный предмет.Istóriya eto ochen' vazhnyy predmet.History is a very important subject.
Example conversation
Two students are talking about their classes.
- Анастасия AnastasiaАлександр, какой у тебя сейчас урок?Aleksandr, kakoy u tebya seychas urok?Aleksandr, what lesson do you have now?
- Александр AleksandrСейчас у меня исто́рия.Seychas u menya istoriya.I have history now.
- Анастасия AnastasiaО, это очень интересный предмет!O, eto ochen' interesnyy predmet!Oh, that is a very interesting subject!
- Александр AleksandrДа, мне очень нравится.Da, mne ochen' nravitsya.Yes, I like it very much.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “history” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
