за́пах
zápaxmasculine
The English word 'smell' can be translated into Russian as за́пах (zápax). Wiktionary also lists вонь (vonʹ) and амбре́ (ambrɛ́).
Meaning: sensation (noun)
Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| за́пах | zápax | masculine | |
| вонь | vonʹ | [vonʲ] (narrow) | feminine |
| амбре́ | ambrɛ́ | dated, neuter |
The term за́пах is a neutral noun used to describe the sensation of a smell, and it can be used for both pleasant and unpleasant scents. If you want to emphasize a pleasant or fragrant smell, you can use аромат. To describe the action of having a particular smell, whether good or bad, use the verb па́хнуть.
Which one should you use?
While за́пах is a neutral term, вонь specifically refers to a foul, disgusting or offensive smell. The verb па́хнуть is used to say that something has a certain smell, such as 'it smells like roses', whereas the nouns describe the sensation itself.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of the negative noun вонь is вони.
How do you pronounce it?
zápax
Did you know?
- The word амбре́ is borrowed from the French 'ambre' and is often used ironically or euphemistically in Russian to describe a bad smell.
- While вонь now means a foul smell, in Old Russian and some church texts it could refer to any strong fragrance, including a pleasant one.
- A common way to say 'it smells like…' is to use пахнет followed by the instrumental case, which changes the ending of the noun itself.
Examples in context
- Какая вонь!What a horrible smell!This sentence is useful for expressing a reaction to a horrible smell using вонь.Tatoeba #6732169 by odexed, translation #5130888 by honestlang
- В комнате царит приятный запах цветов.In the room, there is a pleasant smell of flowers.
- Этот продукт имеет странный запах.This product has a strange smell.
- Это вино имеет приятный аромат.This wine has a pleasant aroma.
- Сад наполнен ароматами цветов.The garden is filled with floral aromas.
- Тут пошел неприятный запашок.There's a nasty smell here.
- Сделай что-то с этим запашком!Do something about this stench!
- Какая вонь в этой комнате!What a stench in this room!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “smell” translations and entries вонь, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
