пе́сня
pésnjafeminine
Song in Russian is пе́сня (pésnja). If unsure, use пе́сня. Wiktionary also lists песнь (pesnʹ) and пе́сенка (pésenka).
Meaning: music with words (noun)
Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| пе́сня | pésnja | feminine | |
| песнь | pesnʹ | [ˈpʲesʲ(ɪ)nʲ] (narrow) | feminine |
| пе́сенка | pésenka | diminutive, feminine |
Which one should you use?
песнь is poetic or archaic, used in literature, religious texts and grand epic works. пе́сенка is a diminutive for a short, simple or cute song, such as a children's song.
How does it change in a sentence?
пе́сня is feminine, and its plural is пе́сни.
How do you pronounce it?
Following the romanization pésnja, the stress falls on the first syllable.
Did you know?
- In colloquial Russian, the phrase запеть can be used as a slang term meaning to confess everything to the police or an interrogator.
- Russian has a specific word, запевала, for the person who starts a song and leads the rest of the group in a folk choir.
- The phrase петь как соловей means to sing as beautifully as a nightingale, but in a sarcastic context, it can describe someone who is talking too much or singing unexpectedly loud.
Examples in context
- Песнь Пе́снейSong of SongsПеснь Пе́сней is the Russian title of the biblical Song of Songs.
- лебеди́ная пе́сньSwan songлебеди́ная пе́снь is the fixed expression for swan song.
- Я люблю русские песни.I love Russian songs.
- У этой певицы красивые песни.This singer has beautiful songs.
- Слушай, эта песенка очень зажигательная!Listen, this song is really catchy!
- Давай записывать свои собственные песенки.Let's record our own little songs.
- Я просто не могу перестать петь эту песенку.I just can't stop singing this song.
- Эта пе́сня очень грустная.Eta pesnya ochen' grustnaya.This song is very sad.
Example conversation
Ekaterina and Aleksandr are listening to the radio.
- Екатерина EkaterinaКакая классная пе́сня!Kakaya klassnaya pesnya!What a cool song!
- Александр AleksandrДа, мне тоже нравится.Da, mne tozhe nravitsya.Yes, I like it too.
- Екатерина EkaterinaТы знаешь, кто это поёт?Ty znaesh, kto eto poyot?Do you know who is singing this?
- Александр AleksandrНет, я не знаю исполнителя.Net, ya ne znayu ispolnitelya.No, I don't know the artist.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “song” translations and entries песнь, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
