This list includes 66 Russian words that start with R, from “rabochiy” to “ryzhiy”. They cover common nouns, verbs, and adjectives used in everyday speech, useful for learners, teachers, translators, and travelers.
Russian words that start with R are a mix of native Slavic roots and loanwords, often vivid in sound. For example, “rabochiy” (рабочий) reflects industrial history and everyday adult life in Russian culture.
Below you’ll find the table with English gloss, Cyrillic headword, and example sentence (Russian plus English translation).
English gloss: You get a concise English meaning that helps you recognize and remember each Russian headword.
Cyrillic headword: Shows the Russian spelling so you can learn correct letters and basic pronunciation.
Example sentence: Provides a short Russian sentence with English translation so you see real usage and nuance.
Russian words that start with R
| Word (transliteration) | Cyrillic | Part of speech | Example (Russian — English) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ruka | рука | n. | У меня болит рука. — My arm hurts. | Very common noun meaning “hand/arm”; everyday use. |
| rabota | работа | n. | У меня сегодня много работы. — I have a lot of work today. | Common noun “work, job”; used in many contexts. |
| rabotat’ | работать | v. | Я люблю работать утром. — I like to work in the morning. | Basic verb “to work”; high frequency. |
| reka | река | n. | Эта река очень широкая. — This river is very wide. | Common noun for “river”; geography and travel. |
| restoran | ресторан | n. | Мы идём в ресторан. — We’re going to a restaurant. | Everyday noun “restaurant”; useful for travelers. |
| russkiy | русский | adj. | Он говорит по‑русски. — He speaks Russian. | Adjective meaning “Russian”; also used as demonym/language. |
| rebyonok | ребёнок | n. | Ребёнок спит. — The child is sleeping. | Common noun “child”; colloquial and formal contexts. |
| ray | рай | n. | Парк — настоящий рай. — The park is a real paradise. | Noun “paradise” or “heaven”; figurative use common. |
| rad | рад | adj. | Я рад вас видеть. — I’m glad to see you. | Short predicative adjective “glad”; frequent in speech. |
| raz | раз | adv. | Это произошло один раз. — That happened once. | Means “time/once”; common in counting and expressions. |
| raznyy | разный | adj. | У нас разные мнения. — We have different opinions. | Adjective “different, various”; high frequency. |
| razgovor | разговор | n. | У нас был важный разговор. — We had an important conversation. | Noun “conversation, talk”; everyday. |
| rodina | родина | n. | Он любит свою родину. — He loves his homeland. | Noun “homeland”; emotional/ patriotic register. |
| ryad | ряд | n. | Сад в одном ряду. — The trees are in one row. | Noun “row/series”; also used figuratively. |
| rubl’ | рубль | n. | У меня нет рубля. — I don’t have a ruble. | Currency unit “ruble”; essential for money matters. |
| reforma | реформа | n. | Власть объявила реформу. — The government announced a reform. | Noun “reform”; political/administrative contexts. |
| rezhim | режим | n. | Включите режим сна. — Turn on sleep mode. | Noun “regime/mode”; tech and politics. |
| resurs | ресурс | n. | У нас есть ресурс времени. — We have time as a resource. | Noun “resource”; formal and business use. |
| razvitie | развитие | n. | Экономическое развитие важно. — Economic development is important. | Noun “development”; academic and formal. |
| razum | разум | n. | Он действует по разуму. — He acts by reason. | Noun “mind, reason”; literary and formal. |
| ritm | ритм | n. | Музыка в быстром ритме. — The music has a fast rhythm. | Noun “rhythm”; music and speech. |
| raskaz | рассказ | n. | Я прочитал интересный рассказ. — I read an interesting story. | Noun “short story, tale”; literature. |
| rasskazat’ | рассказать | v. | Расскажи мне историю. — Tell me a story. | Verb “to tell”; common conversational verb. |
| rasshirit’ | расширить | v. | Нам нужно расширить план. — We need to expand the plan. | Verb “to expand, broaden”; formal and practical. |
| radost’ | радость | n. | Эта новость принесла радость. — This news brought joy. | Noun “joy”; emotional register. |
| razdel | раздел | n. | Открой следующий раздел. — Open the next section. | Noun “section/division”; documents and books. |
| reputatsiya | репутация | n. | У фирмы хорошая репутация. — The company has a good reputation. | Noun “reputation”; business and social. |
| retsept | рецепт | n. | Я нашёл новый рецепт. — I found a new recipe. | Noun “recipe” or “prescription”; everyday use. |
| regulirovat’ | регулировать | v. | Машину нужно регулировать. — The machine needs adjusting. | Verb “to regulate/adjust”; technical contexts. |
| rekomendovat’ | рекомендовать | v. | Я могу рекомендовать этот фильм. — I can recommend this film. | Verb “to recommend”; common in speech. |
| rukovoditel’ | руководитель | n. | Руководитель дал указание. — The manager gave an instruction. | Noun “leader/manager”; workplace vocab. |
| ramka | рамка | n. | Фотография в красивой рамке. — Photo in a beautiful frame. | Noun “frame”; everyday object word. |
| razmer | размер | n. | Какой у тебя размер? — What is your size? | Noun “size”; clothing and measurements. |
| ryba | рыба | n. | Я люблю свежую рыбу. — I like fresh fish. | Noun “fish”; food and nature. |
| rod | род | n. | Это мой род. — This is my kin/clan. | Noun “genus/kin/lineage”; grammatical term too. |
| rassvet | рассвет | n. | Мы встали на рассвете. — We woke at dawn. | Noun “dawn”; poetic and everyday. |
| ryzhiy | рыжий | adj. | У него рыжие волосы. — He has red hair. | Adjective “red-haired”; descriptive. |
| rabochiy | рабочий | adj./n. | Это наш рабочий день. — This is our working day. | “Worker” or “working”; common term. |
| rukopis’ | рукопись | n. | Он отправил рукопись издателю. — He sent the manuscript to the publisher. | Noun “manuscript”; literary context. |
| rukovodstvo | руководство | n. | Руководство объяснило правила. — The management explained the rules. | Noun “leadership/guide”; formal. |
| razlichie | различие | n. | Видно небольшое различие. — A small difference is visible. | Noun “difference/distinction”. |
| razbirat’ | разбирать | v. | Нужно разобрать старую машину. — We must disassemble the old car. | Verb “to take apart/consider”; multiple meanings. |
| razbivat’ | разбивать | v. | Он разбил стакан. — He broke the glass. | Verb “to break/knock apart”. |
| raspolozhenie | расположение | n. | Проверяй расположение объектов. — Check the objects’ arrangement. | Noun “location/placement”; spatial contexts. |
| razumnyy | разумный | adj. | Это разумное решение. — That’s a reasonable decision. | Adjective “reasonable/sensible”. |
| region | регион | n. | Этот регион известен вином. — This region is known for wine. | Noun “region”; geography. |
| registratsiya | регистрация | n. | Регистрация начнётся завтра. — Registration starts tomorrow. | Noun “registration”; administrative. |
| reakciya | реакция | n. | Его реакция была быстрой. — His reaction was quick. | Noun “reaction”; science and everyday. |
| risk | риск | n. | В этом есть риск. — There is a risk in this. | Noun “risk”; everyday and business. |
| raskol | раскол | n. | В партии произошёл раскол. — A split occurred in the party. | Noun “split/division”; politics/ideas. |
| ryadom | рядом | adv. | Магазин находится рядом. — The shop is nearby. | Adverb “nearby”; very common. |
| rot | рот | n. | Открой рот, пожалуйста. — Open your mouth, please. | Noun “mouth”; medical and colloquial. |
| rukovodit’ | руководить | v. | Он будет руководить проектом. — He will lead the project. | Verb “to lead/manage”; workplace vocabulary. |
| razdelit’ | разделить | v. | Разделите торт на части. — Divide the cake into parts. | Verb “to divide/share”. |
| razvyazyvat’ | развязывать | v. | Она развязала шнурки. — She untied the laces. | Verb “to untie/solve”; everyday actions. |
| raskazyvat’ | рассказывать | v. | Он любит рассказывать истории. — He likes telling stories. | Imperfective of “to tell”; common verb. |
| rytsar’? | рыцарь | n. | В фильме был храбрый рыцарь. — There was a brave knight in the film. | Noun “knight”; historical/literary. |
| repertoar | репертуар | n. | Театр увеличил репертуар. — The theatre expanded its repertoire. | Noun “repertoire”; arts vocabulary. |
| rekonstrukciya | реконструкция | n. | Идёт реконструкция здания. — The building is under reconstruction. | Noun “reconstruction”; architecture/urban. |
| rebel’stvo | рельеф? (skip) | |||
| rele | реле | n. | Реле сработало вовремя. — The relay triggered on time. | Noun “relay”; technical/electrical term. |
| revidirovat’ | ревидировать | v. | Нужно ревидировать отчёт. — The report needs revising. | Verb “to revise/inspect”; formal. |
| rezultat | результат | n. | Мы довольны результатом. — We’re satisfied with the result. | Noun “result”; common. |
| remont | ремонт | n. | Квартира сейчас на ремонте. — The apartment is being renovated. | Noun “repair/renovation”; everyday. |
| rezhisser | режиссёр | n. | Режиссёр снял новый фильм. — The director made a new film. | Noun “director” (film/theatre); cultural. |
| rezerv | резерв | n. | У нас есть резерв воды. — We have a water reserve. | Noun “reserve”; resources and planning. |
Descriptions
ruka
rabota
rabotat’
reka
restoran
russkiy
rebyonok
ray
rad
raz
raznyy
razgovor
rodina
ryad
rubl’
reforma
rezhim
resurs
razvitie
razum
ritm
raskaz
rasskazat’
rasshirit’
radost’
razdel
reputatsiya
retsept
regulirovat’
rekomendovat’
rukovoditel’
ramka
razmer
ryba
rod
rassvet
ryzhiy
rabochiy
rukopis’
rukovodstvo
razlichie
razbirat’
razbivat’
raspolozhenie
razumnyy
region
registratsiya
reakciya
risk
raskol
ryadom
rot
rukovodit’
razdelit’
razvyazyvat’
raskazyvat’
rytsar’?
repertoar
rekonstrukciya
rebel’stvo
rele
revidirovat’
rezultat
remont
rezhisser
rezerv