коли́бри
kolíbrifeminine
The Russian word for hummingbird is коли́бри (kolíbri).
The term refers to any of the various small American birds belonging to the Trochilidae family.
Meaning: any of various small American birds in the family Trochilidae (noun)
Which one should you use?
The standard term is коли́бри, while Колибрик is an informal diminutive used to refer to a hummingbird.
How does it change in a sentence?
коли́бри is a feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
kolíbri
Did you know?
- Russian has no single word for 'humming', so the sound the bird makes is described using the verb жужжать, which is the same word used for a buzzing bee.
- The Russian word коли́бри is a loanword that entered the language from French, reflecting the historical influence of French culture on the Russian aristocracy.
- If you use the diminutive колибрик in a sentence, you break the 'frozen' rule of the original word. Unlike the standard колибри, the cute version колибрик can be declined and change its endings.
Examples in context
- Коли́бри очень маленькая птица.Kolibri ochen' malen'kaya ptitsa.A hummingbird is a very small bird.
- Я видел коли́бри в саду.Ya videl kolibri v sadu.I saw a hummingbird in the garden.
- Эта коли́бри летит очень быстро.Eta kolibri letit ochen' bystro.This hummingbird flies very fast.
Example conversation
Dmitry and Maria are looking at a nature book together.
- Дмитрий DmitryМария, посмотри на эту коли́бри.Mariya, posmotri na etu kolibri.Maria, look at this hummingbird.
- Мария MariaОна такая красивая, Дмитрий!Ona takaya krasivaya, Dmitriy!She is so beautiful, Dmitry!
- Дмитрий DmitryДа, коли́бри часто бывают яркими.Da, kolibri chasto byvayut yarkimi.Yes, hummingbirds are often colorful.
- Мария MariaЯ хочу увидеть её вживую.Ya khochu uvidet' eyo vzhivuyu.I want to see her in real life.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hummingbird” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
