77 most common Russian adjectives
Ranked by how often each adjective is actually spoken in films and TV series, with the English meaning and a short example. Free to download for Anki, Quizlet, Excel or print.
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The list
77 adjectives
| # | Russian | English and example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | должныйdolzhnyyadjective | must, supposed to, owingЯ должен идти домой. I have to go home. |
| 2 | хорошийkhoroshiyadjective | goodОн очень хороший врач. He is a very good doctor. |
| 3 | нужныйnuzhnyyadjective | needed, necessary, rightВот нужный нам документ. Here is the document we need. |
| 4 | первыйpervyyadjective | firstЭто мой первый день. This is my first day. |
| 5 | новыйnovyyadjective | newУ нас новый учитель. We have a new teacher. |
| 6 | большойbolshoyadjective | big, largeУ них большая семья. They have a big family. |
| 7 | последнийposledniyadjective | lastЭто последний автобус домой. This is the last bus home. |
| 8 | уверенныйuverennyyadjective | sure, confidentЯ уверен, что он придёт. I'm sure he will come. |
| 9 | радradadjective | gladЯ рад тебя видеть. I'm glad to see you. |
| 10 | лучшийluchshiyadjective | best, betterТы мой лучший друг. You are my best friend. |
| 11 | дорогойdorogoyadjective | dear; expensiveЭта машина очень дорогая. This car is very expensive. |
| 12 | добрыйdobryyadjective | kind, goodОн очень добрый человек. He is a very kind person. |
| 13 | прошлыйproshlyyadjective | last, pastЯ видел его в прошлом году. I saw him last year. |
| 14 | маленькийmalenkiyadjective | small, littleУ нас маленькая квартира. We have a small apartment. |
| 15 | единственныйyedinstvennyyadjective | only, soleТы мой единственный друг. You are my only friend. |
| 16 | правpravadjective | right, correctТы был прав, как всегда. You were right, as always. |
| 17 | милыйmilyyadjective | sweet, cute, dearТвоя собака очень милая. Your dog is very cute. |
| 18 | готовыйgotovyyadjective | ready, preparedУжин готов, садитесь за стол. Dinner is ready, sit down at the table. |
| 19 | настоящийnastoyashchiyadjective | real, genuineЭто настоящее золото или нет? Is this real gold or not? |
| 20 | следующийsleduyushchiyadjective | next, followingСледующий поезд будет через час. The next train will be in an hour. |
| 21 | готовgotovadjective | ready, preparedТы готов к экзамену? Are you ready for the exam? |
| 22 | живойzhivoyadjective | alive, livingРыба была еще живая. The fish was still alive. |
| 23 | плохойplokhoyadjective | bad, poorЭто был плохой день. That was a bad day. |
| 24 | второйvtoroyadjective | secondЭто моя вторая чашка кофе. This is my second cup of coffee. |
| 25 | уверенuverenadjective | sure, certainТы уверен, что это правильно? Are you sure this is right? |
| 26 | старыйstaryyadjective | oldУ нас очень старый дом. We have a very old house. |
| 27 | полныйpolnyyadjective | full, completeЭтот стакан уже полный. This glass is already full. |
| 28 | остальнойostalnoyadjective | the rest, remainingГде остальные члены нашей команды? Where are the other members of our team? |
| 29 | отличныйotlichnyyadjective | excellent, greatУ тебя отличный вкус. You have excellent taste. |
| 30 | согласныйsoglasnyyadjective | agreeing, in agreementЯ полностью согласен с тобой. I completely agree with you. |
| 31 | похожийpokhozhiyadjective | similar, alikeУ нас похожие вкусы. We have similar tastes. |
| 32 | мертвыйmertvyyadjective | deadМертвая птица лежала на дороге. A dead bird lay on the road. |
| 33 | счастливыйschastlivyyadjective | happy, luckyОна счастливая и улыбается. She is happy and smiling. |
| 34 | главныйglavnyyadjective | main, chiefЭто наша главная проблема. This is our main problem. |
| 35 | красивыйkrasivyyadjective | beautiful, handsomeУ тебя красивое платье. You have a beautiful dress. |
| 36 | крайнийkrainiyadjective | extreme, last, outermostКто крайний в очереди? Who is last in the line? |
| 37 | общийobshchiyadjective | common, shared, generalУ них общая цель. They have a common goal. |
| 38 | спокойныйspokoyniyadjective | calm, quietОн очень спокойный человек. He is a very calm person. |
| 39 | важныйvazhniyadjective | importantЭто очень важный день. This is a very important day. |
| 40 | сильныйsilniyadjective | strong, powerfulОн очень сильный человек. He is a very strong person. |
| 41 | прекрасныйprekrasniyadjective | beautiful, wonderfulКакой прекрасный день сегодня! What a wonderful day today! |
| 42 | странныйstrannyiadjective | strange, oddЭто очень странный звук. This is a very strange sound. |
| 43 | разныйrazniyadjective | different, variousУ нас разные вкусы. We have different tastes. |
| 44 | многойmnogoyadjective | many, muchМногие из них уже ушли. Many of them have already left. |
| 45 | ужасныйuzhasniyadjective | terrible, awfulЭто был ужасный день. It was a terrible day. |
| 46 | небольшойnebolshoyadjective | small, not bigУ нас небольшой дом. We have a small house. |
| 47 | святойsvyatoyadjective | holy, saintДля них это святое место. For them this is a holy place. |
| 48 | подобныйpodobniyadjective | similar, suchЯ не люблю подобные шутки. I don't like such jokes. |
| 49 | простойprostoyadjective | simple, easyЭто очень простой вопрос. This is a very simple question. |
| 50 | любимыйlyubimiyadjective | favorite, belovedЭто мой любимый фильм. This is my favorite film. |
| 51 | каковkakovadjective | what kind of, howКаков твой план на завтра? What is your plan for tomorrow? |
| 52 | занятzanyatadjective | busy, occupiedЯ сейчас очень занят. I'm very busy right now. |
| 53 | целыйtseliyadjective | whole, entireЯ ждал целый час. I waited a whole hour. |
| 54 | виноватvinovatadjective | guilty, to blameЯ правда не виноват. I'm really not to blame. |
| 55 | счастливschastlivadjective | happyСегодня я так счастлив! Today I'm so happy! |
| 56 | занятыйzanyatyyadjective | busyОн очень занятый человек. He is a very busy man. |
| 57 | огромныйogromnyyadjective | hugeУ них огромный дом. They have a huge house. |
| 58 | готовоgotovoadjective | ready, doneВсё готово, можно идти. Everything is ready, we can go. |
| 59 | собственныйsobstvennyyadjective | ownУ меня есть собственная машина. I have my own car. |
| 60 | старшийstarshiyadjective | older, seniorМой старший брат живёт в Москве. My older brother lives in Moscow. |
| 61 | сумасшедшийsumasshedshiyadjective | crazyТы просто сумасшедший, правда? You are just crazy, aren't you? |
| 62 | осторожныйostorozhnyyadjective | carefulБудь осторожным, пожалуйста. Be careful, please. |
| 63 | молодойmolodoyadjective | youngОн ещё очень молодой. He is still very young. |
| 64 | легкийlegkiyadjective | easy, lightЭто лёгкий вопрос. This is an easy question. |
| 65 | связанныйsvyazannyyadjective | connected, relatedЭти два события связаны между собой. These two events are connected. |
| 66 | свободныйsvobodnyyadjective | freeУ тебя есть свободная минута? Do you have a free minute? |
| 67 | знакомыйznakomyyadjective | familiarЭто очень знакомый запах. This is a very familiar smell. |
| 68 | белыйbelyyadjective | whiteУ неё белое платье. She has a white dress. |
| 69 | беременныйberemennyyadjective | pregnantМоя сестра беременна. My sister is pregnant. |
| 70 | третийtretiyadjective | thirdЭто моя третья чашка кофе. This is my third cup of coffee. |
| 71 | способныйsposobnyyadjective | capable, ableОн очень способный студент. He is a very capable student. |
| 72 | страшныйstrashnyyadjective | scaryЭто очень страшный фильм. This is a very scary film. |
| 73 | связанsvyazanadjective | connected, tiedОн связан с этим делом. He is connected to this case. |
| 74 | бывшийbyvshiyadjective | former, ex-Это мой бывший муж. This is my ex-husband. |
| 75 | обязанobyazanadjective | obliged, indebtedЯ тебе очень обязан. I am very much indebted to you. |
| 76 | мёртвыйmyortvyyadjective | deadЭтот человек давно уже мёртв. This man has long been dead. |
| 77 | вкусныйvkusnyyadjective | tastyМама, какой вкусный суп! Mom, what a tasty soup! |
How this list was made
Most frequency lists count newspapers and books. This one counts what people say on screen: word counts from the OpenSubtitles 2018 collection of film and TV subtitles (155 million Russian words), published by the FrequencyWords project.
Different forms of the same word are counted together under the dictionary form, so every form of a verb adds to the verb's rank. Names, English words, typos and swear words were removed. Nouns are shown with their article where the language has one, so you learn the gender with the word.
Ranking: OpenSubtitles 2018 via FrequencyWords by Hermit Dave (CC BY-SA 4.0). This list is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Questions
How many Russian words do you need to understand films and TV?
In 155 million words of Russian subtitles, the 100 most common words make up 51.5% of everything said, the top 500 make up 68.3% and the top 1000 make up 72.7%. The rest are rarer words that are easiest to pick up from the shows themselves, in context.
How do I import this list into Anki?
Download the Anki deck (.apkg) and open it, or in Anki choose File, Import and pick the file. The cards arrive in the order of the list, most common first, with the meaning and an example on the back. AnkiDroid and AnkiMobile open the same file.
Can I use it in Quizlet?
Yes. Open the Quizlet file, copy everything, then in Quizlet create a set, choose Import and paste. Keep "Tab" between term and definition and "New line" between cards. Knowt and Brainscape accept the same text.
Is it free to use and share?
Yes. Download it, print it and share it. The list is published under CC BY-SA 4.0: if you publish it or a changed version, credit Fluent by Accident and the FrequencyWords project and share it under the same licence.
Where do the translations and examples come from?
The ranking comes only from real word counts. The English meanings and example sentences were drafted with AI and can contain small mistakes. If you spot one, write to rk@coldabry.com.