LingoflyPeople and family in Ukrainian
205 words in Ukrainian on the topic “people and family”: сімʼя (simia) — family, батько (batko) — father, мама (mama) — mom, дитина (dytyna) — child.
205 words on the topic
- 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.
- дівчинаdivchynagirlOne letter from divchynka, "a little girl". Moia divchyna — "my girlfriend" — works exactly the way you hope.
- дідdidold manBoth an old man and a grandfather; in a village it greets any elder. About a stranger, softer is pozhylyi cholovik — "an elderly man".
- незнайомецьneznaiometsstrangerNe plus znaiomyy, "acquainted", from znaty — "to know": the un-acquainted one. A female stranger: neznaiomka, built the same way.
- натовпnatovpcrowdFrom tovpytysia, "to crowd in" — the crowd is what crowds. The root is native and sturdy; just learn its shape.
- синsynsonSame ancient word as English "son" — the sounds line up almost perfectly. A daughter is dochka, and both together are dity.
- волоссяvolossiahairA collective singular, like English "hair": one strand is a "volos", all of it together is volossia. Always singular in form.
- високийvysokyitallWorks for people, buildings and prices alike — one adjective, exactly like English "high/tall".
- низькийnyzkyilowThe ceiling is low: "stelya nyzka". Note the soft sign marker in the middle: nyzkyi.
- молодийmolodyiyoungThe younger sibling is "molodshyi" — the same family logic as other adjectives. She is young: "vona moloda".
- бородаborodabeardAlso covers the chin in older usage — one word, two body parts. He has a beard: "u nioho boroda".
- вусаvusamustacheAlways plural, like English whiskers. A single one is a "vus", but people hardly ever say it.
- худийkhudyiskinnyThe first meaning is lean, and about a growing tree "khude derevo" is fine and not rude. Thin and tall: "khudyi i vysokyi".
- товстийtovstyithickWorks about a person and about a book, like English "thick". A thick sweater: "tovstyi svetr".
- симпатичнийsympatychnyigood-lookingStrictly about looks. "Harnyi" is beautiful in general; sympatychnyi is pleasant to look at — a friendly compliment.
- зовнішністьzovnishnistappearanceBuilt from "zovni", "from outside" — the outside of a person, what you see. Looks are not the main thing, says the example.
- добрийdobryikindThe same adjective powers the greetings: dobryi den, dobroho ranku. Wishing the day well is how this word earns its keep every single morning.
- веселийveselyicheerfulA wedding is "vesillia" — from the same root: the wedding as the big time of cheer. The children are cheerful.
- розумнийrozumnyismartFrom "rozum", mind and reason. Rozumnyi is smart, and the boundary with the everyday word sits almost exactly where you expect.
- злийzlyimeanBoth mean by character and cross right now — context separates the two. You are mean today, says the example.
- спокійнийspokiinyicalmFrom "spokii", the same calm as in "zaspokoisia". A calm person, a calm sea — one word for both.
- ввічливийvvichlyvyipoliteLiterally "into-the-eye": the polite person is the one who looks you in the eye. A word built on a gaze.
- лінивийlinyvyilazyLaziness itself is "lin" — short, like the feeling. The cat is lazy, naturally.
- сміливийsmilyvyibraveFrom "smilivist", courage, kin to the word for bold. Not transparent at first, but it sticks fast once learned.
- чеснийchesnyihonestThe soft sign sits in the middle here: chesnyi. He is honest — a plain word for a plain virtue.
- характерkharaktercharacterThe same international word, identical in use. He has a kind character, "dobryi kharakter".
- нареченаnarechenabrideFrom narekty, to name: the bride is the one who has been named. The groom is narechenyi — same verb, two endings, one couple.
- нареченийnarechenyigroomThe partner of narechena: both come from narekty, to name — the named ones. A fresh shape for English ears; learn the pair together.
- одружитисяodruzhytysiato get marriedOne verb for both partners, from druzhyna, wife: odruzhytysia covers him and her alike, so no second phrase is needed for the bride.
- розлученняrozluchenniadivorceFrom rozluchyty, to part: a divorce is literally a parting. Papers say rozirvannia shliubu, but out loud everyone just says the short word.
- батькиbatkyparentsThe trap of the family tree: batky means parents, while batko alone is father. Mother stays mama — the plural quietly absorbs her.
- братbratbrotherThe same ancient word as English brother, both from one old source. The plural is an ordinary braty — no surprises hiding in the family.
- сестраsestrasisterAlso the same ancient family as English sister. The trap is the compound: a medychna sestra is a nurse — without the adjective, the word means kin.
- бабусяbabusiagrandmotherA warm little word built on baba, grandmother. The pair to didus; together they rule the kitchen and the whole family calendar.
- дідусьdidusgrandfatherA warm little word from did, grandfather — the same ending as babusia, so the grandparents match. The affection is built right into the suffix.
- дядькоdiadkouncleA plain, neutral word for an uncle. In the west of the country you may also hear vuiko — a mother's brother — a regional word for the same man.
- тіткаtitkaauntHere a neutral word for an aunt — children use it for relatives and kindergarten teachers alike. No dismissive flavor attaches to it.
- онукonukgrandsonSame family as English nephew-and-grandson words from one old source. The granddaughter is onuka — the same word with a different ending.
- родичrodychrelative (family member)From rod, kin or stock — the same root family as English kin words. Rodychi bundles aunts and cousins into one collective word.
- двоюрідний братdvoiuridnyi bratcousin (male)Literally two-kin: one grandfather, different parents — the phrase builds the family math right into the word. Kuzen is also said, internationally.
- дітиditychildrenThe plural of dytyna, the child: one child, many children. No hidden letters — the pair is short and clean.
- хлопчикkhlopchykboyThe little one of khlopets, the lad: khlopets is grown, khlopchyk is small. A warm word with no street edge to it.
- дівчинкаdivchynkalittle girlThe pair to khlopchyk. Careful with the ladder: divchyna is a young woman, divchynka a little girl — one suffix, a whole age apart.
- донькаdonkadaughterA homegrown word — nothing in English sounds like it, but it is short and warm, covering both daughter and the affectionate little-daughter at once.
- скільки тобі років?skilky tobi rokiv?how old are you?After skilky comes the of-form: skilky tobi rokiv, literally how many to-you of-years. With a stranger, raise the courtesy: skilky Vam rokiv.
- дорослийdoroslyiadultFrom rosty, to grow: doroslyi is the one who has grown. On tickets it marks the full price — doroslyi, adult — so it pays for itself literally.
- підлітокpidlitokteenagerBuilt as under-grower: pid- under, plus the growing root — the one still growing up. The age is exactly the English one.
- немовляnemovliababy (infant)Literally not-yet-speaking: ne, not, plus mova, speech — the little one who cannot talk yet. Once you see the logic, the word keeps itself.
- вікvikageA small word with a trap: vik is age, while a century is stolittia here. On forms they ask vik — and the digits must be exact.
- мені тридцять роківmeni trydtsiat rokivI am thirty (years old)Meni is the to-me form, rokiv the plural of-form: after trydtsiat it is always rokiv, while after dva you get roky. Age is built from two cases.
- кучерявийkucheriavyicurly-hairedFrom "kucheru", curls. The hair on the head keeps its own word, "volossia".
- лисийlysyibaldThe ear trap: "lys" is a fox, "lysyi" is bald — one letter decides who is standing in front of you. The bald spot is "lysyna", same family.
- сивийsyvyigrey-hairedSyvyi paints the grey of an old horse coat onto human hair: grey-haired, dignified. The greyness itself is syvyna.
- зрістzristheight (of a person)Not just people: trees also have zrist. On forms and ID papers the height line is labeled with this word, so it is worth knowing before any office visit.
- стрункийstrunkyislimFrom struna, a string: slim the way a taut string is. The body-word paints a stretched wire, not a column of soldiers.
- середнього зростуserednoho zrostuof medium heightThe phrase from police descriptions and matchmaking ads: serednii is "middle", and zrostu slides into the "of" form. The same pattern builds "of middle age" — serednoho viku.
- щедрийshchedryigenerousGenerous with words, a generous soul — the collocations match English ones almost one to one. Generosity itself is shchedrist, a nice regular noun.
- терплячийterpliachyipatient (adjective)Not the "-livy" form you might guess: from terpity, "to endure", comes terpliachyi — the one who can endure. A teacher needs it, the saying goes.
- працьовитийpratsovytyihardworkingFrom pratsia, work — same root as pratsiuvaty, to work. English glues two words together for this one; here a single adjective with a doer-suffix does it.
- надійнийnadiinyireliableFrom nadiia, "hope": a reliable person is one you can hope on. Nadiia itself is close to the English idea of hope, so the family is easy to hold together.
- скромнийskromnyimodestWorks for people and for dinners: a "modest supper" is a simple one. Modesty as a quality is skromnist — a regular -ist noun like so many abstract ideas.
- товариськийtovaryskyisociableFrom tovarysh, comrade: sociable is the one who finds companions easily. The -skyi ending matches the one in ukrainskyi — same suffix, new job.
- турботливийturbotlyvyicaringFrom turbota, "care": the suffix -lyv is the same "prone to" marker as in many English "-ful" adjectives. Caring people are full of care, literally.
- серйознийserioznyiseriousOne "r" and a "yo" sound: serioznyi. Seriousness is serioznist, and though the word runs long, every syllable is spelled exactly as it sounds.
- вихованийvykhovanyiwell-manneredFrom vykhovuvaty, "to bring up": a well-mannered person is one who has been "brought-up-ed". "Well brought up" is dobre vykhovany — the booster word says the rest.
- почуття гуморуpochuttia humorusense of humorPochuttia, "feeling", comes from chuty, "to feel/sense" — a feeling is what the heart hears. And humor here is humor with a voiced h: hUmor.
- жадібнийzhadibnyigreedyThe -ib suffix marks the tendency. If someone is stingy specifically with money, the sharper word is skupyi — greedy is about wanting more, stingy about giving less.
- упертийupertyistubbornFrom a verb meaning "to push through": a stubborn person has dug in and will not move. Stubbornness is upertest — pushiness frozen into a noun.
- грубийhrubyirudeGruff for people, coarse for fabric — one adjective. To answer rudely is hrubo vidpovisty, and the adverb is just the adjective minus its tail.
- нахабнийnakhabnyiinsolentInsolence as a noun is nakhabstvo, and the adjective is cut from it. Picture someone pushing to the front of the line without a blush — that is the whole word.
- хитрийkhytryicunningSly as a fox — and the comparison is built into the culture: "khytryi, jak lis", because lis is the fox. Same word for clever-crafty animals and people.
- балакучийbalakuchyitalkativeFrom balakaty, "to chatter": the suffix -uch means "given to". A talkative neighbor is a chatter-given neighbor — the word admits no judgment, just volume.
- неуважнийneuvazhnyiabsent-mindedFrom uvaha, attention: absent-minded is just not-attentive, nothing about respect involved. The word judges where your focus went, not your manners.
- запальнийzapalnyiquick-temperedFrom palyty, to burn: the quick-tempered one catches fire fast. Same root as opalennia, central heating — the house and the temper both get lit.
- байдужийbaiduzhyiindifferentFrom baiduzhe, "it is all the same": an indifferent person is one to whom everything is baiduzhe. The everyday phrase "meni baiduzhe" — "I could not care less" — is its home.
- звичкаzvychkahabitFrom zvychai, "custom": a habit is a little custom, something your day does on autopilot. Good habits and bad ones both — the word takes no sides.
- подругаpodruhafemale friendA girlfriend or female buddy specifically — the -ka marks the gender. Best friend is naikrashcha podruha, with the superlative prefix nai-.
- знайомийznaiomyiacquaintance (a person)An adjective turned noun, exactly like "acquaintance" — someone known, not yet a friend. People spell it out aloud: "he is not a friend, only an acquaintance".
- талантtalanttalentTalented is talanovytyi — long but regular. Next to it lives zdIbnyi, "capable", the word people actually use about gifted children. He has a real talent for languages.
- народитисяnarodytysiato be bornThe reflexive tail is mandatory: narodyvsia, narodylasia. Without it, narodyty means to give birth to someone — the two sides of the event, two verbs. A birth certificate is a svidottstvo pro narodzhennia.
- дитинствоdytynstvochildhoodFrom dytyna, "child": the -stvo suffix turns a person into a state or time — same as tovarystvo, "society", from tovarysh. Childhood was merry: dytynstvo bulo vesele.
- юністьyunistyouthFrom iunyi, "young" — the same nest as iunak, "a young man". The of-form iunosti keeps the stem whole while the tail changes.
- доросле життяdorosle zhyttiaadult lifeDoroslyi, "adult", plus zhyttia, "life", from zhyty, "to live". To grow up is vyrosty — the vy- prefix of reaching upward. Adult life began with the first job.
- поколінняpokolinniagenerationA double n in the middle and an i in the root. "From generation to generation" — z pokolinnia v pokolinnia — the phrase for recipes, songs and grudges alike.
- рідне містоridne mistohome townRidnyi again — the word of belonging: ridne misto, home town; ridna mova, native tongue; ridna zemlia, homeland. One adjective holds the whole address of the heart.
- прожити в країні пʼять роківprozhyty v kraini piat rokivto live in the country for five yearsKraina, "country", is born from "edge" — the land at the rim. After the word for five, the years bend into their counting form: of-years, not years.
- спогадspohadmemory (recollection)From the verb spohaduvaty, "to recollect". A pleasant memory is pryiemnyi spohad; memory as a faculty is a separate word, pam-i-at — do not mix them.
- стара світлинаstara svitlynaold photographThe native photo-word, born from svitlo, "light" — a picture as a little piece of light. In speech everyone says foto; this one is the poetic pick.
- доляdoliafateThe word means "the lot that fell to you" — the portion dealt by chance, like the ancient "lot in life". Nedolia is misfortune; the pair works like fortune and its loss.
- почати нове життяpochaty nove zhyttiato start a new lifeAlso said shorter: pochaty zanovo, "to start anew". The noun pochatok, "beginning", points straight at the verb pochaty.
- завести сімʼюzavesty simiuto start a familyThe family-word breaks with an apostrophe after m — the syllables snap apart in writing. An alternative verb says "to create a family".
- багатийbahatyirichFrom bahato, "much" — rich is "having much", plain arithmetic. The root is about quantity, so anchor it in numbers, not in anything else.
- біднийbidnyipoorWith the long i in the middle — do not rush it. Said with feeling, Bidnyi! alone means "poor thing!" — pity in one word, heard in every family.
- сусід по кімнатіsusid po kimnatiroommateA student word: the one you share a dorm with. Susid is "neighbor", kimnata is "room", and the preposition joining them is po.
- друг дитинстваdruh dytynstvachildhood friendBoth halves known: druh, "friend", and dytynstvo, "childhood". The female version is podruha dytynstva — and it is even more common.
- далекий родичdalekyi rodychdistant relativeDalekyi, "far", as in "far away" — distance for people too. Rodych covers every relative from a sibling to the most distant twig of the tree.
- виховувати дітейvykhovuvaty diteito raise childrenBuilt from vikhid, "exit": raising is "leading out" into the world. A well-raised person is vykhovanyi — and that is a compliment.
- відомийvidomyifamousFrom vidomo, "it is known". The stress stays in the middle, vi-DO-myi, whether it means "famous" or "known to someone" — context decides.
- сильнийsylnyistrongA single n here: sylnyi. The noun is syla, "strength" — and Ukrainian "has strength": maty sylu.
- заручиниzaruchynyengagementA word about hands: the root you can see inside is the one for "hand". The fiance is narechenyi and the bride narechena — the "betrothed" pair, from the same hand-giving ceremony.
- обручкаobruchkawedding ringOne short word where you expect a phrase — grown from obruch, a hoop or band, not from the hand at all. A plain ring has its own different little word.
- весільна сукняvesilna sukniawedding dressVesillia, "wedding", shares its root with veselyi, "merry" — a wedding is literally the merry-making. The dress is suknia and the veil is fata, an easy pairing.
- молодятаmolodiatanewlywedsLiterally "the young ones", and there are always exactly two of them. A married man is odruzhennyi and a married woman zamizhnia — the state of being married is split by gender.
- медовий місяцьmedovyi misiatshoneymoonThe "honey month", and the month is a real month, not a figure of speech. From mid, "honey" — the same root as the medovyk cake.
- новосілляnovosilliahousewarmingFrom sisty, "to sit down": they sat down in a new place — and selo, "village", is the same root, a place where people settled. Guests are greeted with khlib-sil, bread and salt.
- жалобаzhalobamourning (a period of grief)The trap of the batch: this word looks like the everyday "complaint" but means mourning — the grief and its period. A complaint is a different word, skarha.
- розсудливийrozsudlyvyiprudent (sensible)From sudyty, "to judge": the sensible one deliberates before deciding. The clever-word, rozumnyi, is a different relative — do not swap them.
- добротаdobrotakindnessIn the plural dobroty means something else entirely: the heft of fabric — dobrota tkanyny, fabric density. Singular for the virtue, plural for the physics.
- витримкаvytrymkaself-controlLiterally "a holding-out", and also a camera's exposure — one word for nerves and photography. Physical endurance is vytryvalist; this one is about the spirit.
- терпінняterpinniapatienceFrom terpity, to endure, with an i and a doubled n: terpinia. The patient one is terpliachyi, the one who endures.
- егоїзмehoizmselfishnessA borrowing with its full family: ehoist, ehoistychnyi. Meaning matches the international one exactly; only the vowel after the g is local spelling.
- ліньlinlazinessFeminine: lin zavazhaie, laziness gets in the way. The same word scolds a lazybones: otse lin! A lazy person is ledachyi; linyvyi is the bookish option.
- упертістьupertiststubbornnessFrom upertyi, "dug in": stubbornness as the picture of someone planted in the ground. Dytiacha upertist, a child's stubbornness. The adjective is no compliment.
- цікавістьtsikavistcuriosityFrom tsikavyi, "interesting": one word covers both curiosity and eagerness to know — no judgment attached. Feminine in -ist, like the other trait words here.
- порядністьporiadnistdecencyFrom poriadnyi, "decent": one word doing the jobs of both "honesty" and "decency". The adverb poriadno also means "decently": poriadno zarobliaty, to earn decently.
- винахідливістьvynakhidlyvistresourcefulnessFrom vynakhid, an invention: the resourceful person is the inventive one. The same nest gives vynakhidnyk, an inventor.
- безтурботністьbezturbotnistcarefreenessBuilt of bez, "without", plus turbota, "a care": without-cares. Warmer than scolding: bezturbotne dytinstvo, a carefree childhood.
- рішучийrishuchyidecisiveFrom vyrishyty, "to decide". Rishucha liudyna, a decisive person; rishuche ni, a firm no. The noun is rishuchist, decisiveness — the -ist pattern again.
- соромʼязливийsoromiazlyvyishyFrom sorom, shame, glued to iazlyvyi with an apostrophe sitting after the m. To feel awkward is soromytysia — to shame oneself a little.
- уразливийurazlyvyieasily hurtA trap in plain sight: obrazlyvyi describes words that wound. The person who takes things to heart is urazlyvyi, from urazyty, to strike.
- згідливийzghidlyvyieasygoingFrom zhoda, agreement: this is the one who agrees without a fight. The cargo-word poklazha, luggage, has nothing to do with it.
- доскіпливийdoskiplyvyimeticulousFrom skipka, a splinter: the word pictures someone splitting everything down to splinters. To pick at details is doskipuvatysia.
- самолюбнийsamoliubnyivainBuilt solid from sam, self, and liubyty, to love — a syllable shorter than the English feel of it. The noun is samoliubstvo, self-regard.
- чуйнийchuinyiwarmheartedFrom chuty, to hear and to feel: the word pictures someone who hears you. It is listening, not replying, that makes a person like this.
- замкнутийzamknutyiwithdrawnThe same root as zamok, "a lock": locked inside oneself. It also describes doors — zamknutyi budynok, a locked building — the subject decides which sense.
- прямолінійнийpriamoliniinyistraightforwardLiterally "straight-lined", the image matching the English "straight" perfectly. Priamoliniina vidpovid, a straight answer. Blunt straightness gets called rizkyi.
- непередбачуванийneperedbachuvanyiunpredictableThe negative of the "predictable" family. Both people and weather: neperedbachuvana pohoda, unpredictable weather.
- слухатисяslukhatysiato obeyThe "of" form, no preposition: slukhaisia mamy, obey your mother. Listening with your ears is slukhaty — a different verb; that little -sia changes the meaning entirely.
- хвалитисяkhvalytysiato show offFrom khvalyty, "to praise", with -sia — praising yourself. Takes the instrumental: khvalytsia novoiu mashynoiu. A show-off is khvalko.
- пліткуватиplitkuvatyto gossipFrom plitky, "gossip". Mind the neighbors: plit is a raft, plotyka is a tile — one letter apart. To gossip over the fence: plitkuvaty za parkanom.
- удаватиudavatyto feignFrom daty, to give: literally to give yourself out as. Whom you pretend to be stands in the whom-form: udavaty durnyka, the fool.
- стриматисяstrymatysiato hold backFrom trymaty, to hold, with a rare s- prefix in front: strymatysia. The same root holds up vytrymka, composure, steadiness.
- пожартуватиpozhartuvatyto play a jokeFrom zhart, "a joke". To joke at someone's expense is pozhartuvaty z kohoso — literally "from someone". To prank someone is obihraty.
- набрехатиnabrekhatyto spin liesFrom brekhaty, to speak falsely — and about people here, with brekhnia as the noun for nonsense-talk. Pile on the prefix and the lies stack high.
- підслухатиpidslukhatyto eavesdropThe under-prefix pid- does the sneaking. Its partner in crime is pidhlianuty, to peek — under the lid and under the keyhole alike.
- навʼязуватисяnaviazuvatysiato imposeFrom viazaty, to tie: the verb pictures tying yourself onto someone. The pushy one is naviazlyvyi — the one knotted on too tight.
- тримати словоtrymaty slovoto keep one's wordWord for word like English. Trymaty obitsianku is to keep a promise; trymatysia, "to hold on", is from the same root.
- заслужитиzasluzhytyto deserveFrom sluzhyty, to serve — the merit words here all grew out of service. What is merited stands in the whom-form after the verb.
- докоритиdokorytyto reproachFrom dokir, "a reproach", built on koryty, "to blame". The noun carries its stress on the second syllable — a small trap in an otherwise tidy word.
- похвалитиpokhvalytyto praise (once)Khvalyty means "to praise"; po- marks doing it once, to completion. The noun pokhvala, "praise", is from the same nest — the whole family in one breath.
- засудитиzasudytyto pass judgment onBoth in court — zasudyly na dva roky, sentenced to two years — and in conversation: ne zasudzhui yoho pospikhom, do not rush to judge. A verdict is vyrok.
- підвестиpidvestyto let downThe figurative use matches English word for word: pidvesty druha, to let a friend down. The literal sense — to run a wire up to something — is the same verb; the object decides.
- навмиснеnavmysnedeliberatelyFrom namir, "an intention", through a v: deliberately, with intent. Spetsialno means "specially"; this one is livelier and often annoyed: ty tse zrobyv navmysne!
- з дурного розумуz durnoho rozumuout of stupidityLiterally out of a foolish mind: the from-word z with the of-form does the work, not any small word English reaches for.
- з найкращих намірівz naikrashchykh namirivwith the best intentionsLiterally "from the best intentions": namir is an intention. The softer twin is z dobrykh namiriv, "from good intentions".
- це негарноtse neharnothat is not niceThe most common family verdict: tse neharno z tvoho boku, that is not nice of you. Literally "not-pretty" — the same word judges an act and an object.
- він не зі злаvin ne zi zlahe meant no harmLiterally "he is not from malice". Before z plus a z-sound an i slides in: zi zla, zi mnoiu. Of a woman: vona ne zi zla.
- довіраdoviratrustFrom doviriaty, "to trust", with the to-form: doviriaiu tobi. Vtratyty doviru, to lose trust. A power of attorney is dovirenist — same nest, legal paperwork.
- заздрістьzazdristenvyFrom zazdryty, "to envy". Feminine ending in a consonant: bez zazdrosti, without envy. The adjective is zazdrisnyi, "envious".
- жалістьzhalistpityFrom zhality, to feel for someone. Short zhal means regret, and na zhal is the set phrase for unfortunately.
- впливvplyvinfluenceFrom vplyvaty, "to influence", with na plus the "whom" form: vplyvaie na noho. Pid vplyvom is "under the influence" — of people, or of alcohol, as in English.
- авторитетavtorytetauthorityGood name, weight among people: korystuietsia velykym avtorytetom. The adjective avtorytetnyi is "respected". The criminal-world sense exists too — carried entirely by tone of voice.
- взаємноvzaiemnomutuallyFrom vzaientyi, "mutual", apostrophe and all. In reply to a thank-you you can say vzaiemno, "likewise"; vzaiemna dopomoha is mutual aid.
- на рівнихna rivnykhas equalsLiterally "on equal terms", "where" form plural. Rivnopravnist, "equal rights", is the bookish legal word; this phrase is about how people treat each other.
- порозумітисяporozumitysiato get alongFrom rozum, the mind: the verb pictures two people arriving at one shared mind. English builds on fitting together; this one builds on thinking together.
- триматися остороньtrymatysia ostoronto keep one's distanceThe adverb oston, "aside", ends in a soft -on. Also: staty oston, to step aside; trymatysia podali, to keep farther away — gradations of standing back.
- грошіhroshimoneyAlways plural, with no singular in everyday use: hroshi, hroshei. It goes back to hrish, a small old coin — the pocket change of its century.
- чоловікcholovikhusbandOne word covers "man" and "husband", and only the neighbor word decides: mii cholovik is my husband, a stranger is just a man.
- дружинаdruzhynawifeLooks like a word for a prince's retinue of knights, but means "wife" — the resemblance is a complete accident. The plain word zhinka covers "woman" and "wife".
- прізвищеprizvyshchesurnameCousin to "praise" words, but it means family name. A nickname — the thing you call someone behind their back — is prizvysko, a different word.
- місцеmistseplaceSaid "mistse" — the s before ts sounds soft. Same word for a train seat and a theater seat: sydyachi miststa, "seating places".
- країнаkrainacountryKrai inside means "edge, land" — a country is what its edge outlines. Ukraina itself is built the same way: "the land at the edge".
- людиliudypeopleThe singular is lyudyna, "a human being" — people are counted as many humans. English does the same with person and people.
- життяzhyttialifeNeuter, with a double t in the middle: zhyttia. Built on zhyty, "to live" — the verb is sitting right inside the noun.
- наступнийnastupnyinextFrom nastupaty, to step forward and follow: the next thing steps up after this one. A different picture than English "next", but the job is the same.
- минулийmynulyipreviousFrom mynuty, to pass by: the previous thing has already walked past. Last year has a one-word shortcut of its own, torik.
- свекрухаsvekrukhamother-in-law (husband's mother)The husband's mother, with a u in the middle: svekrukha. Keep her apart from the wife's mother, a different word — in-laws come in pairs here.
- тещаteshchamother-in-law (wife's mother)The mother of the wife; her of-form is teshchi.
- свекорsvekorfather-in-law (husband's father)The father of the husband. His of-form is svekra — the o drops out.
- зятьziatson-in-lawOne word for both roles: a daughter's husband and a sister's husband are both ziat. The plural is ziati.
- невісткаnevistkadaughter-in-lawOne word for the wife of a son and the wife of a brother — same double duty as its English cousin. The -stk- cluster is pronounced in full.
- небіжnebizhnephewIts own old word: nebizh, of-form nebozha. Plemennyk exists too, but nebizh is shorter and has centuries of family tables behind it.
- небогаnebohanieceThe female pair to nebizh: neboha. Its second life means "poor thing" — you can hear that pity in the tone when the word drifts.
- онукаonukagranddaughterThe standard word — the borrowed-sounding twin is heard in casual speech, but onuka is the one to use. The pair to onuk, the grandson.
- близнюкиblyzniukytwinsWith a yu in the middle: blyzniuky, from blyzkyi, close. Twins are the close ones — the spelling carries the whole meaning.
- рідняridniakinfolkA collective word — all the kin at once, counted by name if anyone insists. The synonym rodychi is longer and a touch drier.
- старший братstarshyi bratolder brotherWord for word like English. Starshyi, older, is an adjective here, not a comparative form — the language does not build one for this job.
- молодша сестраmolodsha sestrayounger sisterThe comparative of moloda, young: the tricky consonant cluster simplifies itself — molodsha, said smoothly, never letter by letter.
- єдина дитинаyedyna dytynaonly childYedyna opens on the ye letter, grown from odyn, one. Dytyna is a she-word, so the adjective takes the a-ending: yedyna.
- двоюрідна сестраdvoiuridna sestracousin (female)The same two-kin phrase as for the male cousin, now with sister: one grandfather, different parents. The casual borrowed word kuzyna also gets said.
- мачухаmachukhastepmotherThe 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.
- вітчимvitchymstepfatherLiterally own-father: vit- is the same root as in vitchyzna, the fatherland — the stepfather named as the family's own father. The stem shifts the same way machukha does.
- сиротаsyrotaorphanA she-word in shape, but said of boys too: vin syrota, he is an orphan. The of-form is syroty — the stress does the heavy lifting.
- вдоваvdovawidowThe widow; a widower is vdovets, with a long soft ts at the end. The opening vd- is pronounced as one solid cluster.
- чоловікcholovikspouse (a husband)A third job for one word: cholovik is man, husband and lawful spouse at once. On forms the phrase odyn iz podruzhzhia — "one of the married pair" — does the paperwork.
- дружинаdruzhynaspouse (a wife)The same druzhyna that means wife: on documents it serves as spouse. The marriage as a whole is podruzhzhia, with a doubled zh in the middle.
- малюкmaliuktoddlerA little one from malyi, small, stressed on the end: maliUK. Already walking, past the stroller stage — that is the age the word points to.
- новонародженийnovonarodzhenyinewbornLiterally new-born, one long word — a noun dressed as an adjective. The newest member of the family, asleep most of the day.
- дитячий візокdytiachyi vizokstrollerVizok comes from viz, the cart, with the i of a closed syllable — the same word names the luggage trolley at the station. Wheels run in the family.
- няняnianianannyThe same word as English nanny, both from the same nursery sound. The nanny sits with children at home; in the kindergarten the word is vykhovatelka.
- лялькаlialkadollThe same word runs a puppet theater: lialkovyi teatr, a puppet theater. The double l is obligatory — one l and the doll disappears.
- гойдалкаhoidalkaswingSingular, though the English swing-set feels plural: one hoidalka, from hoidatysia, to rock back and forth. The playground's centerpiece, one word.
- вихованняvykhovanniaupbringingA long slow process, not a single act — from vykhovaty, to raise. Education is osvita: two different jobs, two different words.
- слухнянийslukhnianyiobedientFrom slukhatysia, to listen and obey, with no prefix at all: slukhnyanyi. The opposite simply bolts on ne-: neslukhnyanyi.
- дружитиdruzhytyto be friendsFriendship goes with z plus the with-form: druzhu z Oleiu, I am friends with Olesia. One helper, no alternations — a rare easy verb.
- приятельpryiatelbuddyFrom priazn, warm regard — closer than an acquaintance, not yet a best friend. The word fills the gap between znaiomyi and druh.
Download the word set (CSV) · Open the printable sheet
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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.
What is worth knowing about these words
сімʼя (simia) — family. Written with an apostrophe: sim-ya, two sounds, not "si-mya". The everyday word is exactly this one — five people, one simya.
батько (batko) — father. Batky are parents, both of them — not a plural of one dad. The cozy word for dad is tato, a small child word like "dad".
мама (mama) — mom. The everyday word for mom. Calling her you use the special calling form: mamo! — Ukrainian has a whole case just for addressing people.
дитина (dytyna) — child. The 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.
Test yourself
Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than recognizing a familiar word — and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “family” in Ukrainian?
Written with an apostrophe: sim-ya, two sounds, not "si-mya". The everyday word is exactly this one — five people, one simya.
- How do you say “man” in Ukrainian?
Both "man" and "husband" — and never just "person". On toilet doors this is exactly the word you will read.
- How do you say “son” in Ukrainian?
Same ancient word as English "son" — the sounds line up almost perfectly. A daughter is dochka, and both together are dity.
- How do you say “skinny” in Ukrainian?
The first meaning is lean, and about a growing tree "khude derevo" is fine and not rude. Thin and tall: "khudyi i vysokyi".
- How do you say “mean” in Ukrainian?
Both mean by character and cross right now — context separates the two. You are mean today, says the example.
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Mum, friend, child, neighbour. The first thing people ask you about, and the first thing you tell about yourself.
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.
- Study spread over days wins 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 “family” in Ukrainian?
«сімʼя» (simia), read “simia”. Written with an apostrophe: sim-ya, two sounds, not "si-mya". The everyday word is exactly this one — five people, one simya. It is one of 205 words in the set “people and family” — the rest are in the table above.
How many family words do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 205 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.