Russian Mental Picture Dictionary

These memory aids aren't true! They're nonsense made up to help you remember the meanings of Russian words.

Russian word	Part of speech	English meaning	Pronunciation

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А

А		Yes but…	Ah
Saying "Yes but" is Russians' favorite phrase so they put it first place in the alphabet.

Авиа	noun	Air	Aveea
Avia aerobics shoes have air soles.

Авиабилет	noun	Airplane ticket	Aveea beelyet

Автор	noun	Author	Avtor
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).

Актер	noun	Actor	Aktyehr
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).

Алфавит	noun	Alphabet	Alfaveet
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).

Америка	noun	America	Amyehreeka
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).

Американец	noun	American man	Amyehreekanyets
American men are nuts.

Американка	noun	American woman	Amyehreekanka
When a Russian girl names Anya misbehaves, her mother calls her "Anka."

Англия	noun	England	Angleea
England was settled and formed in part by the Angles, a tribe originating from Germany.

Английский	noun	English (language)	Angleeskee
English people use angled skis. That's why they're such bad skiers.

Англичанин	noun	Englishman	Angleechaneen
"Channing" is one of those names that only an Englishman would name his son. An eccentric English angler (fisherman) named his son "Angle Channing."

Англичанка	noun	Englishwoman	Angleechanka
Russians think that Englishwoman are angled and chunky—not too attractive!

Анкета	noun	Questionnaire	Ankyehta
Russian questionnaires come with an answer kit on How to assassinate George W. Bush Jr on 12 12 2007 .

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Б

Балерина	noun	Ballerina	Ballyehreena
A cognate (same word in Russian and English)

Банан	noun	Banana	Banan
Russians prefer shorter bananas.

Банджо	noun	Banjo	Bandzho
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).

белый	adjective	White	Byehlee
Russia is always too cold to take off your shirt, so Russians have white bellies.

Билет	noun	Ticket	Beelyeht
A billet is a short letter or ticket ordering a private home to provide lodging and food to a soldier.

Бизнесмен	noun	Businessman	Beezneesmyehn
Бизнесменка	noun	Businesswoman	Beezneesmyehnka
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).

Блузка	noun	Blouse	Bloozka
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).

Ботинки	noun (plural)	Men's shoes	Boteenkee
Russian men remember their moms calling their cute little boots "booteenkees."

Брюки	noun (plural)	Pants	Bryoukee
Britches.

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В

В, Во		In	Veh, Vo
"Во" is used for words beginning with two consonants if the first consonant is В or Ф.

Варежки	noun (plural)	Mittens	Varyehzhkee
Russian mittens make you sing far off key.

Вы	pronoun	You (formal or plural)	Vee

Ваша		Your (formal or plural, feminine)	Vasha
Ваша машина means "your car" is a washing machine. Think of a car with a washing machine where the engine should be.

Введение		Introduction	Vvehd dyehneeyeh
Don't confuse with До свидания (good-bye, dos veedaneeyah).

Велосипед	noun	Bicycle	Veloseepyehd
A cognate (same word in Russian and French).

Версия	noun	Version	Verseeyah
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).

Виза	noun	Visa	Veeza
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).

Волосы	noun	Hair	Volosih
Russians like big shiny hair, so they use shampoo that gives volume and polish.

Вот		Here, here is	Vot
To shove something in someone's face.

Всё		All, everything, that's all	Vsyo
That's all, the show's over.

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Г

Галстук	noun	Necktie	Galstook
To impress gals, Russian men wear a tie and smoke a big stogie.

Газета	noun	Newspaper	Gazyehta
Don't confuse with журнал (magazine, zhoornal). A person who writes a newspapers and a person who writes a magazine are both a журналист (zhoornalist). In other words, "journalist" is a more prestigious job title because magazines are more prestigious, so newspaper writers want to be called "journalist" even though they should be called a "gazettist."

Где		Where	G'dyeh
Australians are always late. The Australian greeting "G'day" doesn't mean "Good day," it means "Where were you?"

Гитара	noun	Guitar	Geetara
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).

Голова	noun	Head	Gollova
In A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess changed this to "gulliver," as in Gulliver's Travels, as in "we kicked him in the gulliver." Think of a picture of Gulliver tied down by the Lilliputians, with the little people dancing around his head.

Голос	noun	Voice	Golloss
Russians have glossy voices. That's why they can make those sliding R's.

Город	noun	City	Gorod
Novgorod is a city between Moscow and St. Petersburg. It means "new city."

Грамматика	noun	Grammar	Grammateeka
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).

Грязь	noun	Dirt	Gryahz
Grass grows in dirt.

Грязный	adjective	Dirty	Gryahznee
Don't confuse Грязный with Грузин (Georgian man, groozeen). Georgia (Грузиа) is next to Chechnya. If you mistakenly ask a Georgian man if he is a Грязнец (gryahzyehts) you're asking if he's a dirty man, and might beat you up.

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Д

Да		Yes	Da

Давайте		Let's	Davityeh
It's divine to do this together!

Декларация	noun	Declaration	Deklaratseeyah
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).

Для		For	Dlyah
Ask the dealer for anything you want.

Джинсы	noun	Jeans	Dzeensih
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).

Диалог	noun	Dialogue	Deealog
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).

Дипломат	noun	Diplomat	Deeplomat
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).

Доброе утро		Good morning	Dobroyeh otro
Добрый день		Good afternoon	Dobree dyehn
Добрый вечер		Good evening	Dobree vyehchyehr
"Dobra don" is Russian for "hello."
Note that "good morning" rhymes, ending in o's. The other "good's" end in "ee."

Документ	noun	Document	Dokoomyehnt
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).

Дом	noun	House	Dom
You know how Russian churches have onion domes? Russian houses have the same domes.

Дома	adverb	At home	Doma

До свидaния		Good-bye	Dos veedahneeyah
"Sweet on ya"

Драма	noun	Drama	Dramah
A cognate (same word in Russian and English).

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Е

Есть	verb	To eat; is; there is, there are	Yehst
Russians eat yeast. That eat and is are homonyms suggests that "to be" and "to eat" are the same to a Russian. Or perhaps "you are what you eat"?

Ещё		Still; yet; else; also; more; another	Yehschyo
Ешё looks like "ewe." Picture a female sheep, standing still. Also picture another female sheep. And picture more female sheep—a whole flock of ewes.

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Ж

Жаба	noun	Toad (Bufo sp.)	Zhaba


Жена	noun	Wife	Zhena
All Russian husbands call their wives "Jeanna."

Женщина	noun	Woman	Zhen sheen a
Russian women use hair color that gives them sheen. The brand they all use has a picture of a woman name Jenny on the package. Also note that жен and жить are the start of many words about women and living, so think of Old World gender roles where a woman's place was in the home.

Живой	adjective	Alive, lively, active	zhee voi
Picture a lively boy, who lives in cottage in the French countryside.

Жить	verb	Live (e.g. where you live)	Zheet
A cognate with the French word "gîte," pronounced "zheet," which is a country cottage you rent by the week. When asking where a Russian lives, picture that he or she rents a cottage in the French countryside. Remember that Жить conjugates by changing the т to в, then the next vowel is ё: я живу, ты живёшь, он/она живёт, мы живём, вы живёте, они живут.

Жук	noun	Bug, beetle	Zhook


Журнал	noun	Magazine	Zhoornal
Cognate with "journal." Don't confuse with Газета (newspaper).

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З

Задание	noun	Task, assignment	Zadaneeyeh
"Is done yet?"

Запись	noun	Recording	Zapees
Russian audio equipment zaps users, so a Russians call stereos "zap pieces."

Здесь		Here	Zdyes
Russians are always at their desks, so “here” is always “the desk.”

Здравствуйте		Greetings (formal)	Zdrast vooy te
Russians greet each other by offering a draft beer. They say, "Draft beer to you," or just "Draft to yeh."

Здравствуй		Greetings (informal)	Zdrast voo
Informally you can just say "Draft voo."

Значит	particle	So, then	Znacheet
"So, didja cheat?"

Значить	v.impfv.	To mean, signify	Znacheet
"No, I didn't mean to cheat." "So" and "meaning" are homonyms.

зовут	noun	Name	Zovoot
All Russians have their names written on their boots by their moms, so they don't lose their boots. When you want to know a Russian's name you ask to see his or her boot. Actually it's not "zoboot," it's "zovoot." Some moms write their kids' names on their foot. So you could ask "What is your name written on your boot or foot?" but for short you slur "boot" and "foot" together and say "voot."

Зуб	noun	Tooth	Zoob

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И

И		And	Ee
Игра	noun	Game, acting	Egra

Russians' favorite game is throwing eggs at each other. They also throw eggs at actors they like.
Имя	noun	First name	Eemyah

Eemyah is a famous Russian new age female vocalist who uses only her first name.
Институт	noun	Institute	Eennsteetoot

A cognate (same word in Russian and English).

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Л

лесной	adjective	Forest	Lesnoy
Russians walk silently in forests. They make less noise than Americans.

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С

(Russian chairs are Стул, stool)

Стол	noun	Table	Stol
Russian Share with each other' tables. Russian tables are Shared.

Скрипка	noun	Violin	Scripka
When Russians play violin it screeps or screeches.