Transport in Ukrainian
16 words Ukrainian words on the topic “transport”: автобус — bus, їхати — to go (by vehicle), вокзал — railway station, поїзд — train.
16 words on the topic
- автобусbusThe international word, wearing local stress. Its relatives tramvai and trolleybus ride the same streets with the same passport.
- їхатиto go (by vehicle)For anything on wheels or rails. The present tense opens with the special ii-letter: iidu, iidesh, iide. Walking gets a different verb entirely.
- вокзалrailway stationThe Kyiv one is labeled Zaliznychnyi vokzal — "railway station", from zaliznytsya, "railway". The word vokzal covers train stations only.
- поїздtrainThe letter yi is "yee": "poyizd". A folksier word potyah is also heard, but poizd is the standard one for timetables.
- таксіtaxiThe international word again. You can hail it with an app or with one shouted word at the curb — both work equally well.
- метроmetroThe word everyone shares. In the Kyiv metro you arrange to meet bilya metro, "by the metro", at the exit — a classic meeting point.
- зупинкаstop (transport)From zupunytysia, "to stop". The word does all the stopping work a schedule could ask for.
- пасажирpassengerOne s where you might write two. A woman passenger is pasazhyrka — the suffix does the gender, as usual.
- сидінняseatTwo i's in a row: sydinnia. From sydity, "to sit" — a seat is a "sitting", which is fair enough.
- порученьhandrailThe bar you hold: trymatysia za poruchen — "hold onto the handrail", with trymaty, "to hold", doing the holding.
- контролерticket inspectorNo special vowel letter here — written plainly, read through the o. The one who checks tickets on board.
- плата за проїздfareThe yi in proizd sounds like "yee". The fare is "payment for the ride" — the phrase builds itself.
- переповненийcrowdedFrom povnyi, "full" — filled right over the top. One n fewer than your fingers expect; trust the spelling.
- вільне місцеfree seatThe same "free" as before — from liberty, not vacancy. Careful: misto is "a city"; the seat is mistse.
- квитковий автоматticket machineGrows out of kvytok, the little paper every ride needs. The machine half is the same avtomat you meet at vending stands everywhere.
- затримкаdelayFrom trymaty, "to hold" — a delay is a "holding". No d after the z; the word is shorter than it feels.
How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
- Автобус чекає на зупинціThe bus is waiting at the stop
- Ми їдемо до Львова потягомWe are going to Lviv by train
- Де вокзал? — Прямо і праворучWhere is the station? — Straight and to the right
- Поїзд на Київ о сьомійThe train to Kyiv is at seven
- Таксі до центру, будь ласкаA taxi to the center, please
- Метро там, біля вокзалуThe metro is there, by the station
What is worth knowing about these words
автобус — bus. The international word, wearing local stress. Its relatives tramvai and trolleybus ride the same streets with the same passport.
їхати — to go (by vehicle). For anything on wheels or rails. The present tense opens with the special ii-letter: iidu, iidesh, iide. Walking gets a different verb entirely.
вокзал — railway station. The Kyiv one is labeled Zaliznychnyi vokzal — "railway station", from zaliznytsya, "railway". The word vokzal covers train stations only.
поїзд — train. The letter yi is "yee": "poyizd". A folksier word potyah is also heard, but poizd is the standard one for timetables.
Test yourself
Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than recognizing a familiar word — and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “bus” in Ukrainian?
The international word, wearing local stress. Its relatives tramvai and trolleybus ride the same streets with the same passport.
- How do you say “passenger” in Ukrainian?
One s where you might write two. A woman passenger is pasazhyrka — the suffix does the gender, as usual.
- How do you say “ticket machine” in Ukrainian?
Grows out of kvytok, the little paper every ride needs. The machine half is the same avtomat you meet at vending stands everywhere.
- How do you say “metro” in Ukrainian?
The word everyone shares. In the Kyiv metro you arrange to meet bilya metro, "by the metro", at the exit — a classic meeting point.
- How do you say “crowded” in Ukrainian?
From povnyi, "full" — filled right over the top. One n fewer than your fingers expect; trust the spelling.
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Bus, metro, taxi, stop, station. These are words you need to recognize in writing — off a departure board and off a sign.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- This holds not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “bus” in Ukrainian?
«автобус». The international word, wearing local stress. Its relatives tramvai and trolleybus ride the same streets with the same passport. It is one of 16 words in the set “transport” — the rest are in the table above.
How many transport words do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 16 words on this page covers nearly every everyday case on the topic — but it is best taken a few at a time, not all at once.