Ever wondered what do Russian animals say and how they say it? Well, consider this video your pronunciation guide and this post – the not-so-boring and definitely non-mandatory reading.
I have a bi-lingual cat (here’s his picture). Seriously, my cat is a genius. Not only does he understand everything we tell him whether in Russian or English, he can answer in both languages. Sure, his vocabulary is limited, but his accents are purrfect (pun intended).
Ever wish you could teach your pet Russian? Or maybe you’re packing for a trip to Russia and plan to hit «птичий рынок» [a pet market], «зоомагазин» [a pet store], «зоопарк» [a zoo] or even a local «ферма» [farm] or private «подворье» [backyard]. Whatever your plans are, I guarantee you this post will be either fantastically useful… or totally useless.
Since I have a cat, I’m going to start with cats – «коты» [male cats], «кошки» [female cats] and «котята» [kittens]. When these furry creatures speak Russian, they say «мяу-мяу» [mew] or «мур-мур» [purr]. Every cat in Russia can «мяукать» [to mew] and «мурлыкать» [to purr] fluently.
Next come «собаки» [dogs]. Now, there are two ways to say “a dog” in Russian. One is to use «пёс» [male dog] and «собака» [female dog]. That’s if you want to play it safe or are speaking to amateurs. However, if you are in a company of «собаководы» [dog breeders], «владельцы собак» [dog owners] and «собачники» [people who love dogs], you might find «кобель» [male dog] and «сука» [female dog] more appropriate. But be careful with these two words since taken out of dog ownership content they become serious insults, particularly the former. Regardless of their gender or breed, dogs in Russia know how to «гавкать» [to woof] – «гав-гав» [woof-woof].
Somehow «морские свинки» [guinea pigs], «хорьки» [ferrets], «кролики» [rabbits] and «хомячки» [hamsters] stay silent. You might think it’s because they are so small. However, «мыши» [mice], which are smaller than these, make a «пи-пи» or «пик-пик» sound. Interestingly, «крысы» [rats] stay quiet.
It might be because «мыши» appear frequently in fairy tales where they are very helpful and mischievous. At the same time the only mentions rats get are negative, such as «тыловая крыса» [chair ranger], «корабельная крыса» [ship rat], «офисная крыса» [office rat] and «подопытная крыса» [lab rat], not to mention the whole negative PR in «Щелкунчик» [The Nutcracker].
Out on the farm, «коровы» [cows] say «му-му» [moo-moo]. This is not such a huge departure from what American cows say, is it? The verb for “to moo” is «мычать» which is also used in a rebuke «чья бы корова мычала, а твоя бы молчала» [a pot calling a kettle black].
«Лошади» [horses] on Russian farms don’t “neigh”, but instead say «и-го-го». Now, try to form a verb using this sound… Ok, I’m tricking you. The verb for “to neigh” is, unexpectedly, «ржать». Bizarrely (or not), it is also a verb that describes an act of laughing uproariously and, typically, inappropriately. The noun for such laughter is «ржачка», undignified as it is. It is not to be confused with a noun «жрачка» which, again, rudely, means “grub”. Take note that these two words should not be used in a polite and well-mannered company.
Russian «петух» [cockerel] says «ку-ка-ре-ку» while his flock of «куры» [hens] says «ко-ко-ко» and «цыплята» [chicks] say «пик-пик-пик» (yes, sort of like mice). As for other farm birds, «утки» [ducks] like to «крякать» – to make the sound of «кря-кря» and «гуси» [geese] say «га-га». Which explains my logic in calling «гусыня» [a female goose] at a local lake «Леди Гага» [Lady Gaga]. By the way, the act of making a «га-га» sound is called «гоготать» and can also mean “to laugh loudly, and possibly inappropriately”.
As for the small wild birds, such as «воробьи» [sparrows] or «скворцы» [starlings], they generally say «чик-чирик». More melodious birds, including Russian favorite «соловей» [nightingale] sing «фьють-фьють». Big black «вороны» [female crows, singular «ворона»] and «вороны» [male crows, singular «ворон»] say «кар-кар». The verb is, of course, «каркать» and can also mean “to bring bad luck” or “to prophesy gloom”.
One of the most interesting sounds that you can hear out on the farm is that of «свинья» [a pig] – «хрю-хрю» and not at all the Western “oink-oink”. The verb “to oink” is «хрюкать» and a pig is also referred to as «хрюшка». In fact, one of the beloved TV show characters of Soviet children was a puppet «поросёнок Хрюша» [Khrusha, the piglet].
Sort of to redeem for the tongue-twisting of porcine talk, Russian «лягушка» [frog] says «ква-ква». The verb is «квакать» and a frog itself is frequently called «лягушка-квакушка» in Russian fairy tales.
Of course, this list is far from being exhaustive (although if you got this far, you might be exhausted from reading it). So feel free to add other animal sounds you know or heard.
Want to know more about Russian animal-related words? Check out earlier posts about pet names and Russian sayings about animals.
