ロシア語
roshiago[ɾo̞ɕia̠ɡo̞]
In Japanese, the English phrase "Russian" (referring to the language) is ロシア語 (roshiago). Wiktionary also lists 露語 (rogo).
Meaning: Russian (language) (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| ロシア語 | roshiago | [ɾo̞ɕia̠ɡo̞] (narrow) | |
| 露語 | rogo | [ɾo̞ɡo̞] (narrow) | dated |
The term refers to the Russian language.
Which one should you use?
The standard form is ロシア語. Another form, 露語, is a dated abbreviation that is rarely used in modern daily conversation.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
To refer to a Russian person, you can use the formal term ロシア人. If you want to say something is "Russian-like", you can use the informal expression ロシアっぽい.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
roshiago
Did you know?
- The abbreviation 露語 uses the character for 'dew', which is the first character of the old phonetic transcription of Russia, 露西亜.
- Adding 人 to ロシア creates ロシア人, but adding 風 creates ロシア風, which means 'Russian-style' and is often used for interior design or food.
- If you were to describe the Russian language in a very scholarly or 'old-fashioned' newspaper style, you might see the single kanji 露 used to represent the country itself.
Examples in context
- ロシア語は読めるよ。I can read in Russian.This sentence is useful for practicing the ability to read in ロシア語.Tatoeba #11483534 by small_snow, translation #9013742 by Ricardo14
- それって、ロシア語？Is that Russian?This sentence is useful for asking if a specific language is ロシア語.Tatoeba #13940381 by small_snow, translation #10166409 by ddnktr
- 彼女はロシア語が話せる。She can speak Russian.This sentence is useful for describing the ability to speak ロシア語.Tatoeba #91274 by bunbuku, translation #312440 by CN
- 私の友達はロシア人です。My friend is Russian.
- 彼はロシア語が話せます。He can speak Russian.
- 彼女はロシア系で、ロシアっぽい雰囲気がありますね。She's of Russian descent and has a Russian-like atmosphere, don't you think?
- 42 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing language study at a cafe.
- 美咲 Misakiロシア語の勉強はどう？Roshiago no benkyou wa dou?How is your Russian language study going?
- 健太 Kenta難しいけど、ロシア語は面白いよ。Muzukashii kedo, roshiago wa omoshiroi yo.It's difficult, but Russian is interesting.
- 美咲 Misaki健太くん、頑張ってるね。Kenta-kun, ganbatteru ne.You are working hard, Kenta.
- 健太 Kentaありがとう、美咲さん。Arigatou, Misaki-san.Thank you, Misaki.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “russian” translations and entries ロシア語, 露語, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ロシア語, 露語, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
