почему́
počemú
In Russian, 'why' can be expressed in several ways. The default form is почему́ (počemú). Wiktionary also lists заче́м (začém) and отчего́ (otčevó).
Meaning: (interrogative) for what reason (adv)
Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| почему́ | počemú |
| заче́м | začém |
| отчего́ | otčevó |
You use почему́ to ask for the cause or reason behind a state or event. In informal speech, the phrase какого черта can also be used as an alternative way of expressing 'why'. Related to these questions is the noun причи́на, which means 'the reason'.
What does it mean word for word?
The form заче́м is composed of the preposition за (for) and the pronoun чем (the instrumental case of 'what'). The form отчего́ is composed of the preposition от (from) and the pronoun чего (the genitive case of 'what').
Which one should you use?
While почему́ asks for a cause or reason, заче́м is used when asking about the purpose or intention behind an action, making it equivalent to 'for what purpose'. отчего́ also asks for a cause or reason, similar to почему́.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
počemú
Did you know?
- The word почему́ is derived from the word чему́, which is the dative case of 'what', and the preposition по, meaning 'along' or 'according to'.
- The word отчего feels significantly more poetic or old-fashioned than the standard почему, often appearing in 19th-century Russian literature and classical songs.
- Using почему́ in a rhetorical sense can sometimes imply that the answer is obvious, making the question a form of criticism rather than a request for information.
Examples in context
- Почему вы пришли на это собрание?Why did you come to this meeting?
- Зачем ты купил эту книгу?Why did you buy this book?
- Почему они не пришли на вечеринку?Why didn't they come to the party?
- Почему ты не хочешь пойти в кино?Why don't you want to go to the cinema?
Example conversation
Maria and Dmitry are talking in the kitchen.
- Мария MariaДмитрий, почему́ ты не ешь?Dmitriy, pochemu ty ne yesh?Dmitry, why aren't you eating?
- Дмитрий DmitryЯ просто не голоден.Ya prosto ne goloden.I'm just not hungry.
- Мария MariaНо ты же любишь этот суп!No ty zhe lyubish etot sup!But you love this soup!
- Дмитрий DmitryДа, но сейчас совсем нет аппетита.Da, no seychas sovsem net appetita.Yes, but right now I have no appetite at all.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “why” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
