война́
vojnáfeminine
The Russian word for war is война́ (vojná).
война́ is the most common and general term used to describe both large-scale international conflicts and smaller-scale armed conflicts. Related to this, the adjective военны́й means military. If you want to express the action of engaging in conflict, you can use the verb воева́ть or the phrase вести́ войну́.
Meaning: conflict involving organized use of arms (noun)
Which one should you use?
While война́ is the general term, the formal phrase военные действия translates to military actions and is used to describe specific operations or campaigns. Additionally, the formal term конфликт (conflict) is often used in Russia to refer to regional or local conflicts.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun война́ is feminine. Its plural form is войны́. When война́ is used as the direct object of a verb, such as when saying 'to start a war', it changes to the accusative form войну́.
How do you pronounce it?
vojná
Did you know?
- In Russian, the phrase развязать войну́ literally means 'to untie a war', implying that a war is like a knot or a leash that has been released.
- In Russian military slang, the word войну́шка (a diminutive form of война́) is sometimes used to describe small-scale skirmishes or mock battles.
- The Russian language has a specific term междоусобица for a 'civil war' or 'internal strife' that carries a nuance of familial or kinship betrayal, distinct from the general гражда́нская война́.
Examples in context
- Война – страшная беда для людей и наций.War is a terrible disaster for people and nations.
- Военные действия продолжаются уже несколько лет.The military actions have been going on for several years.
- Политический конфликт может перерасти в войну.A political conflict can escalate into war.
Example conversation
Ekaterina and Andrey are discussing a history book.
- Екатерина EkaterinaО какой войне́ ты читаешь, Андрей?O kakoy voyne ty chitayesh, Andrey?Which war are you reading about, Andrey?
- Андрей AndreyЯ читаю про Вторую мировую война́.Ya chitayu pro Vtoruyu mirovuyu voynu.I am reading about the Second World War.
- Екатерина EkaterinaЭто была очень страшная война́.Eto byla ochen' strashnaya voyna.That was a very terrible war.
- Андрей AndreyДа, такие события нельзя забывать.Da, takie sobytiya nelzya zabyvat'.Yes, such events must not be forgotten.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “war” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
