душа́
dušáfeminine
The English word soul is translated into Russian as душа́ (dušá).
The word душа́ refers to the spirit or essence of a person, which is often believed to live on after death. You may encounter the idiom душа в пятки ушла, which literally means 'the soul went into the heels' and is used to describe a sudden feeling of intense fear. Additionally, the phrase на душу ля́жет (will lie on the soul) describes a feeling of guilt or a heavy conscience.
Meaning: the spirit or essence of a person that is often believed to live on after the person's death (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine noun душа́ has several forms: the genitive singular is души́ (of the soul), and the nominative plural is ду́ши (souls).
How do you pronounce it?
dušá
Did you know?
- In old Russian census records, the word душа́ was used to count people, regardless of age or gender, effectively treating 'soul' as a synonym for 'person'.
- The word душа́ shares a root with the word дышать (to breathe), linking the concept of the soul directly to the act of respiration.
- The diminutive form ду́шенька can be used to create an extremely affectionate and tender tone when speaking to a loved one.
Examples in context
- Человеческая душа стремится к совершенству.The human soul strives for perfection.
- Он – моя душенька.He is my darling.
- от всей души́With all one's soul
Sources
- Wiktionary, “soul” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
