Does babushka mean headscarf in Russian?

No. Бабушка means "grandmother", or an elderly woman generally. The headscarf sense grew up in English from the image of old women wearing one; in Russian the scarf itself is платок or косынка. Stress is on the first syllable, BA-bushka, not ba-BOOSH-ka.

Why is it spelled "borscht" in English when Russian has борщ?

Борщ ends in one sound, щ (shch), with no t. The -t came through Yiddish באָרשט (borsht), which is how the soup reached American menus. The dish is Ukrainian in origin, and many English texts now write "borsch" or "borshch".

Is the French word "bistro" really from Russian быстро?

No. The story of Russian soldiers in Paris in 1814 shouting быстро ("quickly") is folklore: the French word is not attested until the 1880s, seventy years later. Etymologists reject the link, so don't file bistro next to vodka and tundra.

What is the difference between cosmonaut and astronaut?

In Russian, космонавт covers everyone who flies into space, Americans included. English keeps "cosmonaut" for Russian and Soviet crews and "astronaut" for NASA and most others, with "taikonaut" sometimes used for Chinese crews. The distinction is political, not technical.

Russian Words Used in English: 30 Loanwords

🇷🇺 Russian · 31 cards · B1 · by Alex Chernikov

English borrowed from Russian in waves: fur and food first, then the landscape, then Soviet politics. The trap is that the borrowed word almost never means in Russian what it means in English. Babushka is a grandmother, never a headscarf. Kasha is any cooked grain, not just buckwheat. Beluga is a sturgeon — the whale is белуха. Sputnik in everyday speech is simply a travelling companion.

The thirty cards run from kitchen words to Gulag-era vocabulary. Always read the note: that is where I flag the English–Russian mismatch, the gender, and the stress, which learners get wrong far more often than the spelling.

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How to use this deck

Flip through the cards, then switch to Quiz. Tap the play button on any row to hear it. The full table below is there to read, print or copy into your own flashcard app.

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All 31 cards

#	Russian	Pronunciation	English	Example
1	водка Feminine. Diminutive of вода (water), literally "little water".	vodka	vodka	Купи бутылку водки к столу. Buy a bottle of vodka for the table.
2	царь Masculine; from Latin Caesar. English uses it figuratively ("drug czar") — Russian does not.	tsar'	tsar, czar; emperor	В школе мы проходили русских царей. At school we studied the Russian tsars.
3	бабушка Stress on the first syllable: BA-bushka. The English sense "headscarf" does not exist in Russian.	babushka	grandmother, grandma	Бабушка испекла пирог с яблоками. Grandma baked an apple pie.
4	матрёшка Feminine; from the old first name Матрёна. Ё is always stressed: mat-RYOSH-ka.	matryoshka	matryoshka, nesting doll	Я привёз ей матрёшку из Москвы. I brought her a matryoshka from Moscow.
5	спутник The older, everyday meaning is "fellow traveller"; the space sense dates from 1957.	sputnik	satellite; travelling companion	Спутник передаёт сигнал на Землю. The satellite sends a signal to Earth.
6	борщ Masculine. The English -t came in through Yiddish; the dish is Ukrainian in origin.	borshch	borscht, beetroot soup	Борщ со сметаной — это классика. Borscht with sour cream is a classic.
7	блин English "blini" is the Russian plural блины. On its own, Блин! is a mild "damn!" — a euphemism for an obscenity, so informal.	blin	pancake (thin, crêpe-style)	На Масленицу мы печём блины. At Maslenitsa we make pancakes.
8	самовар Masculine. Literally "self-boiler" (сам + варить).	samovar	samovar, tea urn	Самовар до сих пор стоит на даче. The samovar is still sitting at the dacha.
9	балалайка Feminine. Triangular three-string folk instrument; stress on -лай-: bala-LAY-ka.	balalayka	balalaika	Он умеет играть на балалайке. He can play the balalaika.
10	тройка Basic meaning is "a three": three harnessed horses, a panel of three officials, or the school grade C.	troyka	troika; group of three	Тройка лошадей летела по снегу. A troika of horses flew across the snow.
11	дача Feminine; from давать "to give" — originally a plot of land granted by the state. Note the preposition: на даче, на дачу.	dacha	dacha, summer cottage	Летом мы уезжаем на дачу. In the summer we go out to the dacha.
12	тундра Feminine. Russian took it from Sami and passed it on to English.	tundra	tundra	В тундре почти нет деревьев. There are almost no trees in the tundra.
13	тайга Feminine; stress on the last syllable: tay-GA.	tayga	taiga, boreal forest	Тайга тянется на тысячи километров. The taiga stretches for thousands of kilometres.
14	степь Feminine despite the consonant ending (soft sign): в степи́.	step'	steppe	Степь весной покрыта цветами. In spring the steppe is covered with flowers.
15	мамонт Masculine. Only the animal — Russian does not use it to mean "huge" the way English does.	mamont	mammoth (the animal)	В музее стоит скелет мамонта. There is a mammoth skeleton in the museum.
16	соболь Masculine. Sable fur was a main Russian export for centuries.	sobol'	sable (animal, fur)	Соболь ценится за мягкий мех. Sable is prized for its soft fur.
17	белуга Feminine; stress be-LU-ga. Careful: the beluga whale is белуха — a different animal and a different word.	beluga	beluga sturgeon	Икра белуги — самая дорогая. Beluga caviar is the most expensive.
18	космонавт Masculine. In Russian it covers all space travellers; English reserves it for Russian and Soviet ones.	kosmonavt	cosmonaut, astronaut	Мальчик мечтает стать космонавтом. The boy dreams of becoming a cosmonaut.
19	кефир Masculine; stress ke-FIR. Of Caucasian origin, spread worldwide through Russian.	kefir	kefir, fermented milk drink	Я пью кефир перед сном. I drink kefir before bed.
20	квас Masculine. Slightly fizzy and barely alcoholic; treated as a soft drink.	kvas	kvass (fermented bread drink)	Летом на улице продают квас. In summer they sell kvass on the street.
21	пельмени Almost always plural; one dumpling is пельмень (masculine). Stress pel-ME-ni.	pelmeni	pelmeni, meat dumplings	Мы налепили пельменей на всю неделю. We made enough pelmeni for the whole week.
22	каша Feminine. Any boiled grain in Russian; in English "kasha" usually means buckwheat only.	kasha	porridge, cooked grain	На завтрак дети едят кашу. The children eat porridge for breakfast.
23	ушанка Feminine; from уши "ears". Full name шапка-ушанка; ушанка alone is the everyday word.	ushanka	ushanka, fur hat with earflaps	Без ушанки в такой мороз нельзя. You can't go out in this frost without an ushanka.
24	погром Masculine; from громить "to smash". Historically anti-Jewish violence — a heavy word, use with care.	pogrom	pogrom, violent riot	Погромы вынудили семью уехать. The pogroms forced the family to leave.
25	гласность Feminine. Literally "openness, publicity"; still used today for transparency in general, not only about the 1980s.	glasnost'	glasnost, openness, transparency	Гласность изменила советскую печать. Glasnost changed the Soviet press.
26	перестройка Feminine. Literally "rebuilding" — also the ordinary word for remodelling a house.	perestroyka	perestroika, restructuring	Он родился ещё до перестройки. He was born before perestroika.
27	ГУЛАГ Masculine acronym of Главное управление лагерей, "Main Camp Administration"; declines like a normal noun.	GULAG	Gulag (Soviet labour camp system)	О ГУЛАГе написаны десятки книг. Dozens of books have been written about the Gulag.
28	интеллигенция Feminine collective noun. Implies education plus a moral stance, not simply "intellectuals".	intelligentsiya	intelligentsia, educated class	Интеллигенция тогда собиралась на кухнях. The intelligentsia gathered in kitchens back then.
29	аппаратчик Masculine; dismissive in both languages. From аппарат, the party or state machine.	apparatchik	apparatchik, party functionary	Типичный аппаратчик: боится принимать решения. A typical apparatchik: afraid to make any decision.
30	самиздат Masculine. Literally "self-publishing", coined as a parody of state publisher names like Госиздат.	samizdat	samizdat, self-published banned texts	Эту книгу читали в самиздате. People read this book in samizdat.
31	спецназ Masculine; short for войска специального назначения, "special-purpose troops".	spetsnaz	spetsnaz, special forces	Спецназ освободил заложников. The spetsnaz freed the hostages.

Alex Chernikov

Native Russian · Speaks English, German

Part of the team behind Reji. Publishes and reviews the vocabulary decks on this site.

Published 17 Sept 2026

Questions about this deck

Does babushka mean headscarf in Russian?: No. Бабушка means "grandmother", or an elderly woman generally. The headscarf sense grew up in English from the image of old women wearing one; in Russian the scarf itself is платок or косынка. Stress is on the first syllable, BA-bushka, not ba-BOOSH-ka.
Why is it spelled "borscht" in English when Russian has борщ?: Борщ ends in one sound, щ (shch), with no t. The -t came through Yiddish באָרשט (borsht), which is how the soup reached American menus. The dish is Ukrainian in origin, and many English texts now write "borsch" or "borshch".
Is the French word "bistro" really from Russian быстро?: No. The story of Russian soldiers in Paris in 1814 shouting быстро ("quickly") is folklore: the French word is not attested until the 1880s, seventy years later. Etymologists reject the link, so don't file bistro next to vodka and tundra.
What is the difference between cosmonaut and astronaut?: In Russian, космонавт covers everyone who flies into space, Americans included. English keeps "cosmonaut" for Russian and Soviet crews and "astronaut" for NASA and most others, with "taikonaut" sometimes used for Chinese crews. The distinction is political, not technical.

Russian Words Used in English: 30 Loanwords

All 31 cards

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