Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| одина́ковый | odinákovyj |
| то́т же | tót že |
| то́т же са́мый | tót že sámyj |
In Russian, you must distinguish between things that are identical in properties and the exact same individual entity. Use одина́ковый to describe objects or things that are identical in appearance, quality or type, such as 'identical shirts'. If you want to say something is 'of the same kind' or 'similar' rather than the exact same individual object, use the pronoun тако́й же.
Which one should you use?
The forms in this language differ based on whether you are describing qualities or identifying a specific object. Use the adjective одина́ковый for things that are identical in type or quality. To refer to the exact same specific entity or object previously mentioned, use the pronoun тот же. For extra emphasis to mean 'the very same', use the phrase тот же са́мый. Finally, use тако́й же when you mean 'of the same type' or 'similar'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the phrase тот же to mean 'the same', the word же is a particle that functions to emphasize identity. It cannot be removed if you want to express that something is the same. The phrase тот же са́мый serves as an emphatic version of тот же to stress that it is the exact same thing.
How do you pronounce it?
odinákovyj
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using одина́ковый when you mean 'the same person' or 'the same object'. While English speakers often use 'same' for both, in Russian, одина́ковый refers to similarity in properties, whereas тот же must be used to refer to the identity of the specific object itself.
Did you know?
- The emphasizing particle же is a linguistic survivor from Proto-Indo-European and is a distant relative of the Ancient Greek word γε.
- The word одина́ковый contains the root один, which means 'one', revealing that the concept of 'identical' is linguistically built on the idea of 'being one'.
- Using одина́ковые to describe two people can be a critique, suggesting they are 'carbon copies' rather than just having a few shared interests.
Examples in context
- Мы но́сим тако́й же костю́мWe wear the same suit
- Он приобре́л тот же опыт в друго́й сфе́реHe gained the same experience in another field
- Я люблю э́то вино́!I love this wine!
- Я также о́чень его́ люблю!I also love it a lot!
- Ты купи́л тако́й же телефо́н, как у меня́?Did you buy the same phone as mine?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “same” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries же, CC BY-SA 4.0.
