скро́мный
skrómnyj
Humble in Russian is скро́мный (skrómnyj), meaning modest and unassuming. If unsure, use скро́мный. Wiktionary also lists смире́нный (smirénnyj) and ро́бкий (róbkij).
Meaning: thinking lowly of oneself (adj)
Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| скро́мный | skrómnyj |
| смире́нный | smirénnyj |
| ро́бкий | róbkij |
| поко́рный | pokórnyj |
| кро́ткий | krótkij |
скро́мный describes a person who does not boast about their achievements. It also works for things, as in скро́мный дом, a modest house.
Which one should you use?
смире́нный carries a religious sense of humility or submission to fate. кро́ткий means meek or gentle and has a literary, biblical feel. ро́бкий means timid or shy rather than modest. поко́рный is often negative, describing someone servile or excessively submissive. In casual speech, Простой, simple, can describe a humble person.
How do you pronounce it?
Following the romanization skrómnyj, the stress falls on the first syllable.
Did you know?
- The word смире́нный is used in the context of смире́ние, a virtue that in Orthodox tradition is considered the highest of all virtues, even above faith.
- The word поко́рный is the root of the common phrase поко́рно прошу, which is used in formal requests to sound extremely polite and deferential.
- The word кро́ткий (meek) is so closely associated with biblical texts and folklore that using it in a modern office or casual setting would sound like you are quoting a religious scripture.
Examples in context
- Надеюсь, мои успехи не сделают меня менее смиренным.I hope my achievements won't make me less humble.
- Моя бабушка всегда была скромной женщиной.My grandmother has always been a humble woman.
- Он никогда не забывает свои корни и остается простым человеком.He never forgets his roots and remains humble.
- Он очень скро́мный человек.On ochen' skromnyy chelovek.He is a very humble person.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “humble” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
