This list includes 50 Russian words that start with I, from “i” to “izvestnyy”. They cover common nouns, verbs, and adjectives useful for learners, teachers, translators, and travelers.
Russian words that start with I are words whose Cyrillic form begins with И. Many are international borrowings like “информация”, which reflect modern cultural and technological exchange.
Below you’ll find the table with English gloss, Cyrillic headword, and example sentence with translation.
English gloss: Gives a concise English meaning so you can quickly identify each word and connect it to familiar vocabulary.
Cyrillic headword: Shows the exact Russian spelling so you can recognize the word, match pronunciation, and search other resources.
Example sentence: Provides a short Russian sentence plus an English translation so you can see real usage and practice context.
Russian words that start with I
| Headword (transliteration) | Headword (Cyrillic) | Part of speech | English gloss |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | и | conjunction | and |
| ili | или | conjunction | or |
| itak | итак | adverb | so, thus |
| igra | игра | noun | game, play |
| idti | идти | verb | to go (on foot) |
| ideya | идея | noun | idea |
| imya | имя | noun | name |
| inogda | иногда | adverb | sometimes |
| interes | интерес | noun | interest |
| informatsiya | информация | noun | information |
| instrument | инструмент | noun | tool, instrument |
| inostranets | иностранец | noun | foreigner |
| inostrannyy | иностранный | adjective | foreign |
| iskusstvo | искусство | noun | art |
| iskat’ | искать | verb | to search for, look for |
| istoriya | история | noun | history, story |
| istina | истина | noun | truth |
| istochnik | источник | noun | source, spring |
| iz | из | preposition | from, out of |
| izmenenie | изменение | noun | change, modification |
| izvestie | известие | noun | news, tidings |
| izvestnyy | известный | adjective | famous, known |
| imenno | именно | adverb | exactly, precisely |
| indeks | индекс | noun | index, postal code |
| initsiativa | инициатива | noun | initiative |
| investitsiya | инвестиция | noun | investment |
| inzhener | инженер | noun | engineer |
| immunitet | иммунитет | noun | immunity |
| intsident | инцидент | noun | incident |
| iskra | искра | noun | spark |
| ishod | исход | noun | outcome, result |
| izobrazhenie | изображение | noun | image, depiction |
| izuchat’ | изучать | verb | to study, learn |
| idioma | идиома | noun | idiom |
| intervyu | интервью | noun | interview |
| ironiya | ирония | noun | irony |
| iskrenniy | искренний | adjective | sincere |
| ispravlenie | исправление | noun | correction |
| ispravit’ | исправить | verb | to correct, fix |
| isklyuchenie | исключение | noun | exception |
| ispolzovat’ | использовать | verb | to use |
| itog | итог | noun | result, total, outcome |
| izgotovit’ | изготовить | verb | to manufacture, make |
| izvest’ | известь | noun | lime (chemical) |
| izba | изба | noun | wooden hut, traditional house |
| izbavlenie | избавление | noun | relief, deliverance |
| izolyatsiya | изоляция | noun | isolation, insulation |
| izuchaemyy | изучаемый | adjective | being studied |
| ion | ион | noun | ion |
| isten’ | итень | other | (rare dialectal) small stream |
Descriptions
i
common; coordinating conjunction used to join words or clauses. Я и он придём. — He and I will come.
ili
common; simple disjunction used in questions and choices. Чай или кофе? — Tea or coffee?
itak
common; discourse particle often starting summaries or conclusions. Итак, начнём урок. — So, let’s start the lesson.
igra
common; countable; collocates with начать, выиграть. Игра началась. — The game began.
idti
common; imperfective motion verb. Я хочу идти. — I want to go.
ideya
common; countable; collocates: хорошая идея. У меня есть идея. — I have an idea.
imya
common; irregular neuter noun. Его имя неизвестно. — His name is unknown.
inogda
common; frequency adverb. Иногда я читаю ночью. — Sometimes I read at night.
interes
common; abstract/countable; collocates with вызывать, иметь. Мой интерес растёт. — My interest is growing.
informatsiya
common; uncountable in many contexts. Эта информация полезна. — This information is useful.
instrument
common; countable; workshop and musical uses. Инструмент лежит на столе. — The tool is on the table.
inostranets
common; countable; neutral. Он — иностранец. — He is a foreigner.
inostrannyy
common; used before nouns (inostrannyy student). Это иностранный фильм. — This is a foreign film.
iskusstvo
common; uncountable/collective. Искусство вдохновляет людей. — Art inspires people.
iskat’
common; imperfective. Мне нужно искать работу. — I need to look for a job.
istoriya
common; countable/uncountable. История интересна. — History is interesting.
istina
occasional; abstract noun, literary use. Истина важна. — The truth is important.
istochnik
occasional; countable; collocates with воды, информации. Это источник воды. — This is a water source.
iz
common; governs genitive. Я из дома. — I am from home.
izmenenie
occasional; countable/uncountable. Изменение заметно. — The change is noticeable.
izvestie
occasional; somewhat formal. Я получил известие. — I received the news.
izvestnyy
common; used before nouns. Он известный актёр. — He is a famous actor.
imenno
common; emphasizes correctness. Именно это я хотел. — That’s exactly what I wanted.
indeks
common; countable; postal or statistical use. Укажите индекс. — Please indicate the postal code.
initsiativa
occasional; countable; collocates with проявить. Она проявила инициативу. — She showed initiative.
investitsiya
occasional; countable in finance contexts. Инвестиция окупилась. — The investment paid off.
inzhener
common/occasional; countable. Он инженер. — He is an engineer.
immunitet
occasional; uncountable in biology/medicine. Иммунитет сильный. — The immunity is strong.
intsident
occasional; often used in news. Это был инцидент. — That was an incident.
iskra
occasional; countable, literal and figurative. Появилась искра. — A spark appeared.
ishod
occasional; formal/register. Исход неизвестен. — The outcome is unknown.
izobrazhenie
occasional; countable/technical. Изображение чёткое. — The image is clear.
izuchat’
common; imperfective. Я хочу изучать русский. — I want to study Russian.
idioma
occasional; linguistic term. Эта идиома сложна. — This idiom is difficult.
intervyu
common; indeclinable loanword. Я дал интервью. — I gave an interview.
ironiya
occasional; literary or conversational. В этом есть ирония. — There is irony in that.
iskrenniy
common; used about people or speech. Он искренний человек. — He is a sincere person.
ispravlenie
occasional; countable. Это исправление важное. — This correction is important.
ispravit’
common; perfective. Мне нужно исправить ошибку. — I need to correct the mistake.
isklyuchenie
common; countable. Это редкое исключение. — This is a rare exception.
ispolzovat’
common; transitive. Я хочу использовать это. — I want to use this.
itog
common; countable; often in summaries. Итог этого дела ясен. — The result of this matter is clear.
izgotovit’
occasional; perfective, formal. Нужно изготовить деталь. — We need to manufacture the part.
izvest’
rare; building material term. Известь используется в строительстве. — Lime is used in construction.
izba
rare/occasional; archaic/regional. Изба стоит у дороги. — The hut stands by the road.
izbavlenie
rare; literary or formal. Избавление желанно. — Deliverance is desired.
izolyatsiya
occasional; technical/medical. Изоляция важна зимой. — Insulation is important in winter.
izuchaemyy
occasional; used in academic contexts. Это изучаемый вопрос. — This is a subject under study.
ion
rare/technical; chemistry term. Ион имеет заряд. — The ion has a charge.
isten’
rare; dialectal/obsolete—verified in dictionaries. Течёт итень в поле. — A small stream flows in the field.