Language/Russian/Vocabulary/Family-Members

Russian → Vocabulary → 0 to A1 Course → Family and Relationships → Family Members

As a Russian language teacher for 20 years, I know that one of the most important aspects of learning a new language is acquiring the vocabulary related to family and relationships. In this lesson, we will learn the Russian words for family members, such as "mother", "father", "sister", and "brother".

Don't miss the chance to check out these pages as you wrap up this lesson: Health and Wellness & At the Store.

Basic Family Members

Let's start with the basic family members:

Russian	Pronunciation	English
Мать	Mat'	Mother
Отец	Otets	Father
Сестра	Sestra	Sister
Брат	Brat	Brother

• Мать (Mother) - pronounced as "Mat'". This is a noun in the feminine gender, and its plural form is "матери" (matery).
• Отец (Father) - pronounced as "Otets". This is a noun in the masculine gender, and its plural form is "отцы" (ottsy).
• Сестра (Sister) - pronounced as "Sestra". This is a noun in the feminine gender, and its plural form is "сестры" (sestry).
• Брат (Brother) - pronounced as "Brat". This is a noun in the masculine gender, and its plural form is "братья" (brat'ya).

Now, let's take a look at some other family members.

Grandparents

Family ties are very important to Russians, and it's common to have close relationships with grandparents. Here are the Russian words for grandparents:

Russian	Pronunciation	English
Бабушка	Babushka	Grandmother (maternal)
Дедушка	Dedushka	Grandfather (maternal)
Бабушка	Babushka	Grandmother (paternal)
Дедушка	Dedushka	Grandfather (paternal)

Note that in Russian, the words for grandmother and grandfather are different depending on if they are maternal or paternal.

• Бабушка (Grandmother) - pronounced as "Babushka". This is a noun in the feminine gender, and its plural form is "бабушки" (babushki).
• Дедушка (Grandfather) - pronounced as "Dedushka". This is a noun in the masculine gender, and its plural form is "дедушки" (dedushki).

Aunts and Uncles

The Russian language has specific words for different types of aunts and uncles:

Russian	Pronunciation	English
Тётя	Tyotya	Aunt (father's sister)
Дядя	Dyadya	Uncle (father's brother)
Тётя	Tyotya	Aunt (mother's sister)
Дядя	Dyadya	Uncle (mother's brother)

• Тётя (Aunt) - pronounced as "Tyotya". This is a noun in the feminine gender, and its plural form is "тёти" (tyoti).
• Дядя (Uncle) - pronounced as "Dyadya". This is a noun in the masculine gender, and its plural form is "дяди" (dyadi).

Cousins

In the Russian language, there is no separate word that distinguishes cousins from other family members. Instead, the same words for "brother" and "sister" are used.

Russian	Pronunciation	English
Кузен	Kuzen	Cousin (male)
Кузина	Kuzina	Cousin (female)

Note that the English words "cousin" and "cousins" are often used in Russia as well, but they are pronounced and spelled in a way that is similar to English.

Conclusion

In this lesson, we learned vocabulary related to different family members in the Russian language. I hope this lesson was helpful. Family ties are important to Russians, and it's essential to know the words that relate to them to communicate effectively with native speakers. In the next lesson, we will learn vocabulary related to relationships and marital status.

Congratulations on finishing this lesson! Explore these related pages to keep learning: Nature & At the Post Office.

Table of Contents - Russian Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Alphabet and Pronunciation

• Cyrillic Alphabet
• Pronunciation Rules

  ---

Basic Phrases and Greetings

• Greetings and Introductions
• Everyday Phrases

  ---

Nouns and Gender

• Noun Gender
• Plurals

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-10
• Telling Time

  ---

Cases and Prepositions

• Nominative Case
• Prepositional Case

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Relationships and Marital Status

  ---

Verbs and Conjugation

• Present Tense
• Past Tense

  ---

Food and Dining

• Common Foods
• Dining Out

  ---

Russian Traditions and Holidays

• National Holidays
• Traditional Celebrations

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Travel Phrases

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Adjective Agreement
• Comparatives and Superlatives

  ---

Hobbies and Leisure Activities

• Hobbies
• Entertainment

  ---

Russian Literature and Arts

• Famous Writers
• Russian Art and Music

Other Lessons

• Parts of the Body
• Architecture
• Computer
• How to Say Good Bye
• Entertainment
• Introduction to Russian Pronunciation
• Countries and Continents
• Geometry
• Jurisprudence
• City

Sources

• Russian Words: Family Members
• Family - Russian Vocabulary
• Russian lessons: Family members