Family in Russian

Family is very important to the people in Russian-speaking countries and chances are that anyone you meet will have many sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, and cousins. These larger families are very welcoming and if you ever meet someone’s family, it’s important to know not only what their names are but also the relation.

With this lesson under your belt, you’ll be a master at identifying who is брат (brat), дедушка (dedushka), and сестра (sistra) of your new friend. Or perhaps you’re traveling with your family – whoever you meet will want to know who everyone is so it’s important to be able to talk about your own family in Russian as well!

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Resources for further reading:

Pronouncing family in Russian

Practice Your Pronunciation With Rocket Record

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Отец

Atets

father

мать

Mat’

mother

брат

brat

brother

сестра

sistra

sister

дедушка

dedushka

grandfather

бабушка

babushka

grandmother

муж

moosh

husband

жена

zhina

wife

сын

syn

son

дочь

doch

daughter

дядя

dyadia

uncle

тëтя

tyotia

aunt

племянник

plimyannik

nephew

племянница

рlimyannitsa

niece

двоюродный брат

dvaiuradnyi brat

cousin (male)

двоюродная сестра

dvaiuradnaia sistra

cousin (female)

That’s it for this lesson on family members. You’ll be prepared for meeting a family of any size with this vocabulary. To practice your new words on family, try making a family tree of your family and labeling it in Russian! Then share it with your relatives!

Here are a few recommended Russian lessons to try next!

До скорого! (da skorava)

Natalya Dubrov: Rocket Russian

Make It Stick With Rocket Reinforcement

Reinforce your learning from this lesson with the Rocket Reinforcement activities!