стра́шный
strášnyj
The English word scary is translated into Russian as стра́шный (strášnyj). Wiktionary also lists ужа́сный (užásnyj).
Meaning: causing fear or anxiety (adj)
Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| стра́шный | strášnyj |
| ужа́сный | užásnyj |
The word is used to describe something that causes fear or anxiety. If you want to express the impersonal state of it being scary, such as in the phrase "it is scary", use the adverbial form стра́шно.
Which one should you use?
While стра́шный is used for things that cause fear, the word ужа́сный is used for things that are terrible or awful in quality.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective стра́шный must agree in gender with the noun it modifies. Use стра́шная for feminine nouns, стра́шное for neuter nouns and стра́шные for plural nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is strášnyj.
Did you know?
- In casual conversation, стра́шно is often used as an intensifier meaning 'very' or 'extremely'. For example, saying стра́шно красиво means something is 'scary beautiful', or breathtakingly beautiful.
- The root of стра́шный is connected to the concept of 'respect' or 'awe' in some older Slavic linguistic contexts, similar to how 'awesome' can imply a sense of dread.
- Russian has a specific word, страши́лка, used to describe a short, scary story or an urban legend designed to frighten children.
Examples in context
- У меня есть страшное предчувствие.I have a scary premonition.
- Тот фильм был жутким!That movie was so scary!
- Это был стра́шный фильм.Eto byl strashnyy film.It was a scary movie.
- У него стра́шный характер.U nego strashnyy kharakter.He has a scary personality.
Example conversation
Andrey and Olga are talking about a movie they just watched.
- Андрей AndreyТебе не кажется, что фильм был стра́шный?Tebe ne kazhetsya, chto film byl strashnyy?Don't you think the movie was scary?
- Ольга OlgaНет, мне было совсем не страшно.Net, mne bylo sovsem ne strashno.No, I wasn't scared at all.
- Андрей AndreyНо там был очень стра́шный монстр!No tam byl ochen strashnyy monstr!But there was a very scary monster!
- Ольга OlgaОн выглядел скорее смешно, чем страшно.On vyglyadel skoreye smeshno, chem strashno.He looked more funny than scary.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “scary” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
