Skip to content
What are some common false friends between Ukrainian and other languages visualisation

What are some common false friends between Ukrainian and other languages

False friends when learning Ukrainian: What are some common false friends between Ukrainian and other languages
Learn with Comprenders App About Comprenders

Common false friends between Ukrainian and other languages, especially English and Russian, include words that look or sound similar but differ significantly in meaning. Here are some notable examples:

Ukrainian-English False Friends

  • Магазин (mahazyn): Means “store” or “shop” in Ukrainian, not “magazine.” The correct word for magazine is журнал.
  • Акуратний (akuratnyy): Means “neat” or “tidy” in Ukrainian, not “accurate.”
  • Актуальний (aktualʹnyy): Means “relevant” or “current,” not “actually.”
  • Роман (roman): Means “novel” (book), not “Roman” (an inhabitant of Rome).
  • Інсульт (insult): Means “stroke” (medical), not an “insult.”
  • Екзамен (ekzamen): Means “exam” or “test,” not “examine.”
  • Батон (baton): Refers to a type of white bread, not a baton or stick.
  • Кабінет (kaby­net): Means “office” or “study,” not a cabinet.
  • Шеф (shef): Means “boss” or “chief,” not a culinary chef (which is шеф-кухар).

Ukrainian-Russian False Friends

  • Красний (krasnyy): Means “beautiful” in Ukrainian, but “red” in Russian.
  • Дитина (dytyna): Means “infant” or “child” in Ukrainian, while in Russian, a similar sounding word means an enormous person.
  • Гарбуз (harbuz): “Pumpkin” in Ukrainian vs. “watermelon” in Russian.
  • Мир (myr): Means “peace” in Ukrainian, but in Russian can mean “world” or “peace.”
  • Неділя (nedilya): Means “Sunday” in Ukrainian; in Russian, it means “week.”
  • Ласкавий (laskavyi): Means “kind” or “gentle” in Ukrainian, similar in Russian.

Dialectical False Friends (Galician Ukrainian vs. Standard Ukrainian)

  • Склеп (sklep): Means “store” in Galician Ukrainian but “crypt” in standard Ukrainian.
  • Овочі (ovochi): Means “fruits” in some dialects but “vegetables” in standard Ukrainian.
  • Дружина (druzhyna): Means “team” in dialect, but “wife” in standard Ukrainian.

These false friends can cause confusion for language learners and even native speakers when switching between languages or dialects. Awareness of these differences helps improve understanding and communication across these languages.

If more examples or specific language comparisons are desired, that can be provided as well.

References:

  • Ukrainian-English common false friends 1, 2
  • Ukrainian-Russian false friends 3, 4
  • Galician vs. standard Ukrainian false friends

References

Open the App About Comprenders