я
ja[ja]
The English pronoun "I" is translated into Russian as я (ja). Wiktionary also lists аз (az).
Meaning: personal pronoun (pron)
Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| я | ja | [ja] (narrow) | |
| аз | az | [as] (narrow) | Ecclesiastical, archaic, ironic |
The primary way to say "I" is using the personal pronoun я. The standard and universally understood word for "I" in Russian is я. In Russian, when introducing yourself, you would use the phrase Меня зовут, which means "they call me" and is the equivalent of "My name is" in English.
Which one should you use?
The standard form is я, while the form аз is an archaic version of 'I' used today primarily in religious contexts or to sound mock-heroic or ironic.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
аз is reserved for ecclesiastical settings or for ironic, archaic effect.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The pronoun я changes its form depending on its grammatical case in a sentence, such as меня, мне, мной or мною.
How do you pronounce it?
ja
Did you know?
- In the early Cyrillic alphabet, the letter аз was the name of the first letter, making it the equivalent of the English letter 'A'.
- In casual spoken Russian, the pronoun я is frequently dropped entirely if the verb ending already makes it clear who is speaking.
- While English speakers often capitalize 'I', Russian does not capitalize я unless it starts a sentence.
Examples in context
- Я иду в сад.I go to the garden.This sentence demonstrates the use of я.Tatoeba #678494 by Aleksej, translation #6736431 by Eccles17
- Я – её отец?Am I the father?Tatoeba #1325662 by shanghainese, translation #1324306 by Scott
- Я ещё не ел.I haven't eaten yet.Tatoeba #1525049 by corvard, translation #476414 by minshirui
- У меня есть кошкаI have a cat
- Я рад(а) познакомиться.I am pleased to meet you.
- 15847 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Dmitry and Ekaterina are meeting at a cafe.
- Екатерина EkaterinaЯ рада тебя видеть, Дмитрий.Ya rada tebya videt', Dmitriy.I am glad to see you, Dmitry.
- Дмитрий DmitryЯ тоже, Екатерина.Ya tozhe, Ekaterina.I am too, Ekaterina.
- Екатерина EkaterinaЯ закажу кофе.Ya zakazhu kofe.I will order coffee.
- Дмитрий DmitryХорошо, я возьму чай.Khorosho, ya voz'mu chay.Good, I will have tea.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “i” translations and entries я, аз, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
