котёнок
kotjónok[kɐˈtʲɵnək]masculine
The Russian word for kitten is котёнок (kotjónok).
котёнок is a noun used to refer to a young cat.
Meaning: a young cat (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of кот (cat) and the diminutive suffix -ёнок, which is used to indicate a young animal.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word changes its ending to котёнка when used as a direct object or after a preposition indicating possession. For example, in the sentence У Тома есть котёнок (Tom has a kitten), the subject form is used, but if you were to say 'I see a kitten', it would become Я вижу котёнка. Additionally, the plural genitive form for multiple kittens is котят.
How do you pronounce it?
kotjónok
Did you know?
- While котёнок refers to a young cat, Russian speakers often use the same word as a romantic pet name for a partner, similar to how English speakers use 'honey' or 'sweetie'.
- In Russian folklore and urban legends, the 'cat' root found in котёнок is linked to the 'Kot Bayun', a mythical cat whose stories could put listeners to sleep or kill them.
- The root of the word, кот, is used to distinguish a male cat from a female cat, whereas the word кошка is the more general term for a female or the species in general.
Examples in context
- У Тома есть котёнок.Tom has a kitten.This sentence shows how to express possession with котёнок.Tatoeba #13473348 by marafon, translation #10749985 by CK
- Котёнок играет с мячом.The kitten plays with the ball.This sentence illustrates the kitten performing an action with котёнок.Tatoeba #3159000 by marafon, translation #6733334 by Eccles17
- Котёнок – детёныш кошки.A kitten is a cat's offspring.This sentence provides a definition of a kitten using котёнок.Tatoeba #10618978 by marafon, translation #12930311 by araneo
- Здравствуйте, у вас такая прекрасная кошечка!Hello, you have such a lovely kitten!
- Привет, какой милый котик!Hi, what a cute kitty!
- 21 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maria and Dmitry are looking at a pet store window.
- Мария MariaСмотри, какой милый котёнок!Smotri, kakiy milyy kotyonok!Look, what a cute kitten!
- Дмитрий DmitryДа, он очень маленький.Da, on ochen malenkiy.Yes, he is very small.
- Мария MariaТы хочешь купить этого котёнка?Ty khochesh kupit etogo kotyonka?Do you want to buy this kitten?
- Дмитрий DmitryЯ думаю, что да.Ya dumayu, chto da.I think so.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “kitten” translations and entries котёнок, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
