Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| украи́нский | ukraínskij | masculine |
| украи́нский язы́к | ukraínskij jazýk | masculine |
украи́нский is an adjective used to describe things pertaining to Ukraine or the Ukrainian people. When you want to refer to people, you use the nouns украи́нец for a Ukrainian man and украи́нка for a Ukrainian woman, while the collective group of people is referred to as украи́нцы.
Which one should you use?
The word украи́нский is the masculine adjective form. To specifically name the language, you can use the phrase украи́нский язы́к.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, украи́нский must agree in gender with the noun it modifies. For a feminine noun, use украи́нская (e.g., украи́нская кухня for Ukrainian cuisine), and for a neuter noun, use украи́нское (e.g., украи́нское небо for Ukrainian sky). For the people, the singular masculine form is украи́нец, the singular feminine is украи́нка and the standard plural noun for the group is украи́нцы.
How do you pronounce it?
ukraínskij
Did you know?
- The word украи́нец for a Ukrainian man uses the suffix -ец, which is common for nationalities in Russian but is also used for people from specific cities, such as петербурже́ц for someone from Saint Petersburg.
- Russian and Ukrainian are both members of the East Slavic language family, meaning they share a common ancestor and many 'cognates' or words that sound similar but have different meanings.
- While украи́нский is the adjective for 'Ukrainian', the Russian word for 'language' is язы́к, which also means 'tongue'.
Examples in context
- Это украи́нский костюм.Eto ukraínskiy kostyum.This is a Ukrainian costume.
- Я купил украи́нский хлеб.Ya kupil ukraínskiy khleb.I bought Ukrainian bread.
Example conversation
Dmitry and Olga are discussing a souvenir shop.
- Ольга OlgaДмитрий, посмотри на этот украи́нский сувенир!Dmitriy, posmotri na etot ukraínskiy suvenir!Dmitry, look at this Ukrainian souvenir!
- Дмитрий DmitryДа, Ольга, он очень красивый.Da, Ol'ga, on ochen' krasivyy.Yes, Olga, it is very beautiful.
- Ольга OlgaХочешь купить его себе?Khochesh' kupit' yego sebe?Do you want to buy it for yourself?
- Дмитрий DmitryДумаю, да, я возьму его.Dumayu, da, ya voz'mu yego.I think so, yes, I will take it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ukrainian” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
