venäjä
/ˈʋenæjæ/
The English phrase 'Russian' (referring to the language) is translated into Finnish as venäjä. Wiktionary also lists venäjän kieli.
Meaning: Russian (language) (noun)
Ways to say it
| Finnish | IPA |
|---|---|
| venäjä | /ˈʋenæjæ/ |
| venäjän kieli |
Which one should you use?
While venäjä is commonly used to mean the language, venäjän kieli is a more explicit and formal way to say 'the Russian language'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When expressing that one knows, speaks or is learning the language, the word venäjä takes the partitive form venäjää.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈʋenæjæ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use venäläinen to refer to the language. That word refers to a Russian person or something of Russian origin.
When do people say it?
The term Ryssä is a slang word that has historically been used as a derogatory way to refer to Russians.
Did you know?
Examples in context
- Minä en osaa venäjää.I don't know Russian.Tatoeba #3796426 by Silja, translation #681310 by Source_VOA
- Hän osaa myös puhua venäjää.He can also speak Russian.Tatoeba #1011511 by Silja, translation #435647 by CK
- Me opimme venäjää ranskan sijasta.We learned Russian instead of French.Tatoeba #3794423 by Silja, translation #248286 by CN
- Suurlähettiläs tapasi venäläisen poliitikon neuvotteluissa.The ambassador met with a Russian politician during the negotiations.
- Ostin venäläisiltä vihreät tomaatit torilta.I bought green tomatoes from the Russians at the market.
- 19 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Laura and Matti are discussing which languages to study.
- LauraMatti, haluatko opiskella venäjää ensi vuonna?Matti, do you want to study Russian next year?
- MattiEn tiedä, onko venäjä vaikea kieli?I don't know, is Russian a difficult language?
- LauraSe on haastava, mutta kiinnostava.It is challenging, but interesting.
- MattiOkei, kokeilen sitä silloin.Okay, I will try it then.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “russian” translations and entries venäjä, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries kieli, venäjä, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
