ули́тка
ulítkafeminine
The Russian word for snail is ули́тка (ulítka).
ули́тка refers to any animal of the class Gastropoda that possesses a shell. Beyond the animal itself, the word is also used to describe objects that are spiral-shaped, such as a specific type of spiral-shaped earring.
Meaning: any animal of the class Gastropoda having a shell (noun)
Which one should you use?
While ули́тка is the standard term, you may encounter the diminutive form Улиточка to refer to a little snail.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word is feminine. The plural form is ули́тки. When the word is the direct object of a verb, such as in the sentence 'I see a snail', it changes to the accusative form ули́тку.
How do you pronounce it?
ulítka
Did you know?
- The term ули́тка is frequently used in Russian technical jargon to describe a centrifugal pump, because the internal mechanism resembles a snail shell.
- In Russian, the word улитка is used to describe a spiral-shaped pastry or a cinnamon roll, referring to the shape of the dough rather than the animal.
- The word улитка also refers to the cochlea in the inner ear because of its spiral structure.
Examples in context
- Я нашёл улитку в садуI found a snail in the garden.
- Смотри, улиточка ползает!Look, the little snail is crawling!
- На листе сидит маленькая ули́тка.Na liste sidit malen'kaya ulitka.A small snail is sitting on the leaf.
- Эта ули́тка очень медленно ползёт.Eta ulitka ochen' medlenno polzet.This snail is crawling very slowly.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “snail” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
