This list includes 35 Russian words that start with J, from “евро” to “ёшка (colloquial for ёжик diminutive)”. The entries mix loanwords, diminutives, and colloquial forms common in conversation, travel, and simple texts.
Russian words that start with J are Russian headwords that appear with a Latin J when transliterated, often because they are loanwords or informal nicknames. Because Russian uses Cyrillic, these entries reveal interesting contacts with other languages and everyday speech.
Below you’ll find the table with English gloss, Cyrillic headword, and example sentence with translation.
English gloss: You get a short, clear English meaning so you can recognize the word quickly and remember its basic use.
Cyrillic headword: This shows the exact Russian spelling so you can learn pronunciation, look the word up, and read it in context.
Example sentence: A brief Russian sentence plus its English translation demonstrates natural usage and the word’s grammatical role.
Russian words that start with J
| Headword (Cyrillic) | Transliteration (Latin) | Part of speech | Example (Russian — English) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| йога | joga | noun | Она занимается йогой каждый день. – She practices yoga every day. | “Yoga” (calm-register), common word for physical/mental practice; used in sports, health contexts. |
| йогурт | jogurt | noun | Я купил йогурт в магазине. – I bought yogurt at the store. | “Yogurt”, everyday food word, neutral register; supermarkets, recipes. |
| йод | jod | noun | В аптеке продают йод. – They sell iodine at the pharmacy. | “Iodine”, scientific/medical term, neutral; used in chemistry, first aid. |
| йота | jota | noun | В этом слове нет ни йоты. – There’s not a jot in this word. | “Jot/iota”, figurative small amount; literary or conversational. |
| язык | jazyk | noun | Русский язык сложен. – Russian language is difficult. | “Language” or “tongue”, core vocabulary, neutral; linguistics, everyday talk. |
| яблоко | jabloko | noun | Она съела яблоко. – She ate an apple. | “Apple”, common fruit word, neutral; food, markets, cooking. |
| яйцо | jajco | noun | Я варю яйцо на завтрак. – I boil an egg for breakfast. | “Egg”, everyday food; cooking and recipes. |
| ядро | jadro | noun | Ядро системы важно. – The core of the system is important. | “Core/nucleus”, neutral/formal; computing, physics, politics metaphor. |
| яма | jama | noun | Машина упала в яму. – The car fell into a pit. | “Pit/hole”, common noun, neutral; roads, terrain descriptions. |
| яркий | jarkij | adjective | У неё яркая рубашка. – She has a bright shirt. | “Bright/vivid”, neutral; colors, descriptions, stylistic contexts. |
| ярмарка | jarmarka | noun | На ярмарке много людей. – There are many people at the fair. | “Fair/market”, cultural/events vocabulary, neutral. |
| ясный | jasnyj | adjective | Ответ был ясным и кратким. – The answer was clear and brief. | “Clear/obvious”, neutral; speech, writing, instructions. |
| юг | jug | noun | На юге летом жарко. – It’s hot in the south in summer. | “South”, geographic term, neutral; weather, travel. |
| юбка | jubka | noun | Она купила новую юбку. – She bought a new skirt. | “Skirt”, clothing vocabulary, neutral/informal. |
| юноша | junosha | noun | Молодой юноша помог мне. – A young man helped me. | “Young man/lad”, neutral/formal; literature, descriptions of youth. |
| юрист | jurist | noun | Он работает юристом в фирме. – He works as a lawyer at a firm. | “Lawyer”, profession term, neutral/formal; legal contexts. |
| юный | junyj | adjective | Юная спортсменка победила. – The young athlete won. | “Youthful/young”, slightly literary or formal; describing age. |
| юбилей | jubilej | noun | У них был юбилей свадьбы. – They had a wedding anniversary. | “Anniversary/jubilee”, formal/neutral; celebrations, events. |
| ювелир | juvelir | noun | Ювелир оценил кольцо. – The jeweler appraised the ring. | “Jeweler”, trade/profession, neutral; jewelry, appraisal contexts. |
| есть | jest | verb | Я хочу есть сейчас. – I want to eat now. | “To eat”/existential “to be”, extremely common verb, neutral/conversational. |
| еда | jeda | noun | Еда на столе горячая. – The food on the table is hot. | “Food”, basic vocabulary, everyday use. |
| ехать | jekhat | verb | Я буду ехать завтра. – I will go (by vehicle) tomorrow. | “To go/ride by vehicle”, common verb, travel contexts. |
| ездить | jezdit | verb | Он любит ездить на дачу. – He likes to go to the dacha. | “To travel (habitually) by vehicle”, frequentative verb, everyday use. |
| если | jesli | conjunction | Если пойдёт дождь, останемся дома. – If it rains, we’ll stay home. | “If/when”, essential conjunction for conditional sentences, everyday language. |
| евро | jevro | noun | Цена указана в евро. – The price is indicated in euros. | “Euro” (currency), neutral; finance, prices. |
| ель | jel | noun | В лесу растёт ель. – A fir grows in the forest. | “Fir/spruce”, common tree name, neutral; nature, forestry. |
| епископ | jepiskop | noun | Епископ благословил церковь. – The bishop blessed the church. | “Bishop”, ecclesiastical term, formal; religion. |
| ёж | jozh | noun | Во дворе живёт ёж. – A hedgehog lives in the yard. | “Hedgehog”, common animal name, neutral/informal. |
| ёлка | jolka | noun | Дети украсили ёлку. – The children decorated the tree. | “Fir/Christmas tree”, neutral; holidays, decorations. |
| ёмкость | jomkost | noun | Ёмкость бака большая. – The tank’s capacity is large. | “Capacity/volume”, technical or everyday usage; containers, specs. |
| ёшка (colloquial for ёжик diminutive) | jozhik | noun | Малыш нашёл маленького ёжика. – The child found a small hedgehog. | Diminutive of ёж, colloquial/affectionate; children’s talk, stories. |
| ещё | jeshcho | adverb | Я хочу ещё чаю. – I want more tea. | “More/yet/still”, very common adverb, conversational. |
| юннат (youth naturalist club) | junnat | noun | Юннат ухаживал за растениями. – The young naturalist tended the plants. | Short for “юный натуралист”, colloquial/educational term for student naturalists. |
| ясли | jasli | noun | Ребёнка отдали в ясли. – The child was put in nursery. | “Nursery/daycare”, childcare vocabulary, neutral. |
| ящик | jashchik | noun | Я положил книгу в ящик. – I put the book in the box. | “Box/crate”, everyday noun; storage, shipping contexts. |
Descriptions
йога
йогурт
йод
йота
язык
яблоко
яйцо
ядро
яма
яркий
ярмарка
ясный
юг
юбка
юноша
юрист
юный
юбилей
ювелир
есть
еда
ехать
ездить
если
евро
ель
епископ
ёж
ёлка
ёмкость
ёшка (colloquial for ёжик diminutive)
ещё
юннат (youth naturalist club)
ясли
ящик