ла́па
lápafeminine
The Russian word for paw is ла́па (lápa).
ла́па refers to the soft foot of a mammal, such as a dog, cat or bear. It is not used to describe the feet of birds, which have claws or talons, nor is it used for insects.
Meaning: soft foot of an animal (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular feminine noun ла́па changes based on its role in a sentence. The plural form for multiple paws is ла́пы, and the accusative singular form, used when the paw is a direct object, is ла́пу.
How do you pronounce it?
lápa
Did you know?
- The word лапа is used to describe the large, spreading branches of a coniferous tree, such as a pine or spruce.
- There is a specific Russian expression лапками разводить, which means to throw up one's hands in helplessness or indifference.
- The word ла́па can be used as a slang term in certain contexts to describe a person's hand, often implying the hand is large, heavy, or unskillful.
Examples in context
- У кошки мягкие лапыThe cat has soft paws.
- Миленькая лапка у собачкиThe dog has a cute little paw.
- У маленького котенка лапки еще не особо умелыеThe little kitten's paws are not very skillful yet.
- Пес радостно подпрыгнул и уронил игрушку своей лапойThe dog happily jumped and dropped the toy with its paw.
- У кота очень мягкая ла́па.U kota ochen' myagkaya lápa.The cat has a very soft paw.
Example conversation
Ekaterina and Dmitry are watching a stray dog in the park.
- Дмитрий DmitryСмотри, у этой собаки большая ла́па.Smotri, u etoy sobaki bol'shaya lápa.Look, this dog has a large paw.
- Екатерина EkaterinaДа, у него очень мощная ла́па.Da, u nego ochen' moshchnaya lápa.Yes, he has a very powerful paw.
- Дмитрий DmitryОна кажется немного раненой.Ona kazhetsya nemnogo ranenoy.It looks a little injured.
- Екатерина EkaterinaБедный пёс, ему нужна помощь.Bednyy pyos, emu nuzhna pomoshch'.Poor dog, he needs help.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “paw” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
