Animals in Russian.
20 common animal names with pronunciation and grammatical gender - because in Russian, every dog is grammatically female and every bear is grammatically male, regardless of the actual animal.
Russian nouns have grammatical gender that doesn't always match reality. Собака (dog) is always feminine - even if it's a 50kg male Rottweiler. Медведь (bear) is always masculine - even if she has cubs. Adjectives and past-tense verbs must agree with the grammatical gender: Большая собака убежала (the big dog ran away) - all feminine endings, even for a male dog.
Pets & domestic animals
| Russian | Pronunciation | English | Gender |
|---|---|---|---|
| кошка | koshka | cat | fem. |
| кот | kot | male cat / tomcat | masc. |
| собака | sobaka | dog | fem. |
| лошадь | loshad' | horse | fem. |
| корова | korova | cow | fem. |
| свинья | svin'ya | pig | fem. |
| курица | kuritsa | chicken / hen | fem. |
Wild animals
| Russian | Pronunciation | English | Gender |
|---|---|---|---|
| медведь | medved' | bear | masc. |
| волк | volk | wolf | masc. |
| лиса | lisa | fox | fem. |
| заяц | zayats | hare / rabbit | masc. |
| олень | olen' | deer | masc. |
| змея | zmeya | snake | fem. |
| рыба | ryba | fish | fem. |
| птица | ptitsa | bird | fem. |
| лев | lev | lion | masc. |
| слон | slon | elephant | masc. |
| обезьяна | obez'yana | monkey | fem. |
| мышь | mysh' | mouse | fem. |
| бабочка | babochka | butterfly | fem. |
Animals in context
Медведь (bear) is the Russian national symbol - so much so that the word has become a stereotype. Russians are well aware of the "Russians and bears" cliche. The name Медведев literally means "son of a bear."
Animals in pet names. Russians call their partners зайка (bunny), котик (kitty), and рыбка (little fish). These are among the most common terms of endearment - far more popular than calling someone "baby" or "honey."
Кошка vs. кот matters. If you see a cat and don't know its sex, say кошка (the generic). Saying кот implies you know it's male. Using the wrong one for someone's pet might get you corrected.
Learn these words inside Slova.
Every animal with its gender, plural forms, and the case endings that change in real sentences - not just a flat word list.
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