俄國 / 俄国
ngo⁴ gwok³
The English phrase "Russia" is translated into Cantonese as 俄國 / 俄国 (ngo⁴ gwok³) or 俄羅斯 / 俄罗斯.
Meaning: country in Eastern Europe and North Asia (name)
Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 俄國 / 俄国 | ngo⁴ gwok³ |
| 俄羅斯 / 俄罗斯 | ngo⁴ lo⁴ si¹ |
Both terms refer to the country in Eastern Europe and North Asia.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 俄國 / 俄国 is composed of 俄, which refers to Russia and 國, meaning country or nation.
Which one should you use?
俄羅斯 / 俄罗斯 is a phonetic transliteration of the word "Russia", while 俄國 / 俄国 is a more concise way to say "Russian country".
How do you pronounce it?
ngo⁴ gwok³
Did you know?
- The character 俄 used in 俄國 can also be used in a separate word meaning 'suddenly' or 'unexpectedly'.
- When discussing the Soviet Union, Cantonese speakers historically used the term 蘇聯, which completely replaces the word 俄國.
- Even though 俄羅斯 is a phonetic transliteration, the individual characters themselves have their own independent meanings that have nothing to do with Russia.
Examples in context
- 今日我哋學習有關俄國嘅文化。Today, we are learning about the culture of Russia.
- 我聽聞俄國有好多名勝古蹟。I've heard that Russia has many famous landmarks.
- 呢個電影好似講述俄羅斯歷史嘅。This movie seems to be about the history of Russia.
- 我鍾意食俄羅斯嘅餡餅。I like to eat Russian pastries.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “russia” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
