личи́нка
ličínkafeminine
The English word "larva" is translated into Russian as личи́нка (ličínka).
The term is used to describe an animal in such stage of growth.
Meaning: an animal in such stage of growth (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of личи́нка is личи́нки.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is ličínka.
Did you know?
- The word личи́нка shares a root with личина, a term for a mask or a deceptive persona. This links the biological stage of a larva to the idea of a 'mask' before the final form is revealed.
- If you are describing a very small or tiny version of something, a Russian might use the diminutive form личи́ночка to sound more affectionate or to emphasize the extreme smallness.
- Russian distinguishes strictly between личи́нка for general larvae and гусе́ница for caterpillars. While a caterpillar is technically a larva, calling a butterfly larva a личи́нка in a casual setting would sound overly clinical or scientific to a native speaker.
Examples in context
- Сегодня на дереве я нашел гусеницу. Я даже сфотографировал ее!Today, I found a caterpillar on the tree. I even took a photo of it!
- Увлекательно наблюдать за развитием личинок в моем аквариуме.It's fascinating to observe larval development in my aquarium.
- Эта личи́нка очень маленькая.Eta lichinka ochen' malen'kaya.This larva is very small.
- Личи́нка скоро превратится в жука.Lichinka skoro prevratitsya v zhuka.The larva will soon turn into a beetle.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “larva” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
