15 Words That Will Make You Fall In Love With The Ukrainian Language

The Ukrainian language is considered to be one of the most beautiful languages in the world, after French and Italian. It is very melodic and easy on the ear. Local people use the language with tenderness, as Ukrainian has lots of words perfect for expressing a number of emotions accurately. Here are 15 words that will make you fall in love with Ukrainian, instantly.

Україна

Pronunciation: Ukrayina

Meaning: there are two versions of the origin of the name Ukraine. The first one means the ‘bordering land’, while the latter – ‘homeland’.

Кохання

Pronunciation: kohannya

Meaning: a feeling of deep heartfelt affection for a person – love. Its roots can be found in most Slavic languages with the interpretation ‘to take care’.

Мистецтво

Pronunciation: mystetstvo

Meaning: a Ukrainian word mystetstvo comes from German word Meister and means ‘art’.

Незалежність

Pronunciation: nezhaleznist’

Meaning: ‘independence’ in international relations and ‘sovereignty’ in internal affairs.

Краплинка

Pronunciation: kraplynka

Meaning: a droplet or a tiny bit of something.

Полуниця

Pronunciation: polunytsya

Meaning: strawberry.

Серденько

Pronunciation: serden’ko

Meaning: a beloved one. It derives from the word ‘heart’, seartse in Ukrainian, and is typically used in a diminutive form when appealing to somebody.

Краля

Pronunciation: kralya

Meaning: a beautiful girl or woman, a lady. It is considered to be the derivative of the verb ‘palenity’ – to burn brightly.

Парасоля

Pronunciation: parasolya

Meaning: an umbrella for a rainy day, this word comes from the French parasol, formed by the words parare (to protect) and sole (sun).

Блакитний

Pronunciation: blakytnyi

Meaning: a heavenly blue colour. Initially, it was called the colour of pigeons, which later was replaced by dove-coloured.

Божевільний

Pronunciation: bozhevilnyi

Meaning: insane or psychologically ill. The Ukrainian etymology of the word is extremely interesting. The first part of the word sounds like Bozhe which means ‘God’, and the second part vilnyi is translated as ‘free’. So, all together bozhevilnyi indicates a free man by the will of God, whose freedom of expression is perceived mostly negatively.

Затишок

Pronunciation: zatyshok

Meaning: a quiet and cosy place, protected from the wind. In a figurative sense this means means an imperceptible place.

Надихати

Pronunciation: nadykhaty

Meaning: to inspire, cause spiritual uplift.

Берегиня

Pronunciation: beregynya

Meaning: in pre-Christian beliefs, beregynya was a mermaid (from the word bereg meaning ‘shore’). Nowadays, the word is more often used in the figurative sense as a housewife or native home that has preserved the material and spiritual wealth of ancestors, the memory of generations (in this sense, the name combines the words oberigaty – to protect).