лёгкий сон
ljóxkij son[ˈlʲɵxʲkʲɪj son]word by wordmasculine
In Russian, the English phrase "nap" can be expressed using the noun forms лёгкий сон (ljóxkij son) or коро́ткий сон.
Meaning: a short period of sleep, especially during the day (noun)
Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| лёгкий сон | ljóxkij son | [ˈlʲɵxʲkʲɪj son] (word by word, narrow) | masculine |
| коро́ткий сон | korótkij son | masculine |
To refer to a short period of sleep, especially during the day, you can use these nouns. When you want to use a verb to describe the act of napping, you can use дрема́ть, подрема́ть or вздремну́ть. The verb вздремну́ть is often used when someone wants to express the idea of catching a quick nap to recharge.
Which one should you use?
Regarding the related verbs, while дрема́ть means to be in a state of dozing, the prefixed form подрема́ть specifically implies a short, intentional period of napping.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb вздремну́ть is a perfective aspect verb, which is used to describe a single, completed instance of napping.
How do you pronounce it?
ljóxkij son
Did you know?
- In Russian culture, the concept of a midday nap for children is a deeply ingrained ritual called тихий час, which means 'quiet hour'.
- Because сон means both 'sleep' and 'dream', a Russian speaker can use the same word to describe a short nap or a surreal vision experienced during that nap.
- The word for sleep, сон, shares the same Proto-Indo-European root as the English word 'hypnosis', making them distant linguistic cousins.
Examples in context
- Мне нужен короткий сонI need a short nap
- Я устал и хочу прилечьI am tired and want to take a nap
- Он всегда подремывает после обедаHe always takes a nap after lunch
- Давай подремаем немного перед фильмомLet's take a little nap before the movie
Example conversation
Andrey and Ekaterina are talking in the living room.
- Андрей AndreyКатя, ты выглядишь очень уставшей.Katya, ty vyglyadish' ochen' ustavshey.Katya, you look very tired.
- Екатерина EkaterinaДа, мне срочно нужен лёгкий сон.Da, mne srochno nuzhen lyogkiy son.Yes, I urgently need a nap.
- Андрей AndreyЛожись на диван и отдыхай.Lozhis' na divan i otdykhay.Lie down on the sofa and rest.
- Екатерина EkaterinaСпасибо, Андрей, я скоро проснусь.Spasibo, Andrey, ya skoro prosnus'Thanks, Andrey, I will wake up soon.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “nap” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (лёгкий, сон) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries лёгкий, сон, CC BY-SA 4.0.
