Lingoflyмачуха
- мачухаmachukhastepmother
“мачуха” (machukha) — stepmother in Ukrainian. Noun, level A1, topic — people and family. The kh in the stem softens in the changed forms: machukha, but machusi in the toward-form. The fairy-tale stepmother is the same word here. In a live sentence: “Мачуха виховала його як рідного” (Machukha vykhovala yoho yak ridnoho) — This is his stepmother. Written with the characters м, а (a), ч, у (U), х, а (a). One of 205 words in the set “people and family” in the Ukrainian course.
In short
| Written in Ukrainian | мачуха (machukha) |
| Read in Latin letters | machukha |
| Translation | stepmother |
| Part of speech | noun |
| Level | A1 |
Why it looks that way
The kh in the stem softens in the changed forms: machukha, but machusi in the toward-form. The fairy-tale stepmother is the same word here.
A word with a story stays in memory longer than one learned as a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
In a live sentence
A single word almost never appears alone in conversation. A sentence shows where it fits and what stands next to it.
Nearby words: people and family
Mum, friend, child, neighbour. The first thing people ask you about, and the first thing you tell about yourself.
- сімʼяsimiafamilyWritten with an apostrophe: sim-ya, two sounds, not "si-mya". The everyday word is exactly this one — five people, one simya.
- батькоbatkofatherBatky are parents, both of them — not a plural of one dad. The cozy word for dad is tato, a small child word like "dad".
- мамаmamamomThe everyday word for mom. Calling her you use the special calling form: mamo! — Ukrainian has a whole case just for addressing people.
- дитинаdytynachildThe plural is completely its own word: dity, "children". Same ancient root as the English "tyke"-sounding dity — you just have to learn the pair together.
- хлопецьkhlopetsguyBoth "a boy" and "a boyfriend" — context decides. Khloptsi, the plural, is what a group of friends calls itself, like "the guys".
- другdruhfriendCalling a friend by name, Ukrainian uses a special addressing form: druzhe! It is the same calling form as mamo! from mama.
- людинаliudynapersonA big pair to keep apart: liudyna is "a person, a human", cholovik is "a man". Plural: liudy — people.
- чоловікcholovikmanBoth "man" and "husband" — and never just "person". On toilet doors this is exactly the word you will read.
- жінкаzhinkawomanA wife is a separate word: druzhyna. Zhinka is any woman — the same root, a wider job.
- юнакyunakyoung manBookish and a little solemn; in live speech people say khlopets instead, the everyday word for "guy". Both point to the same lad.
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “people and family”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “stepmother” in Ukrainian?
The kh in the stem softens in the changed forms: machukha, but machusi in the toward-form. The fairy-tale stepmother is the same word here.
- How do you say “person” in Ukrainian?
A big pair to keep apart: liudyna is "a person, a human", cholovik is "a man". Plural: liudy — people.
- How do you say “mom” in Ukrainian?
The everyday word for mom. Calling her you use the special calling form: mamo! — Ukrainian has a whole case just for addressing people.
- How do you say “young man” in Ukrainian?
Bookish and a little solemn; in live speech people say khlopets instead, the everyday word for "guy". Both point to the same lad.
- How do you say “friend” in Ukrainian?
Calling a friend by name, Ukrainian uses a special addressing form: druzhe! It is the same calling form as mamo! from mama.
How not to forget this word
Reading a word and remembering it are different jobs. A day later, little survives of a single reading — and that is not bad memory, that is how memory works.
- This has been tested on foreign words too. The difference shows up most when you test yourself a few days later rather than straight away.checked many timesKim & Webb, 2022, Language Learning 72(2) · 48 experiments, 3,411 participants, 98 comparisons.
- 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.
- An answer you worked out yourself sticks better than one handed to you.checked many timesBertsch et al., 2007, Memory & Cognition 35(2) · 86 studies, 445 comparisons, d = 0.40.
Frequently asked
How do you say “stepmother” in Ukrainian?
«мачуха» (machukha), read “machukha”. In a live sentence: “Мачуха виховала його як рідного” (Machukha vykhovala yoho yak ridnoho) — This is his stepmother. Noun, level A1, from the set “people and family”; written with the characters м, а (a), ч, у (U), х, а (a).
How is “мачуха” (machukha) written in Latin letters?
machukha. This is a practical spelling — you need it to read aloud and be understood, not to meet an academic standard.
Why does this word look the way it does?
The kh in the stem softens in the changed forms: machukha, but machusi in the toward-form. The fairy-tale stepmother is the same word here. A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.