Writing Russian-speaking characters
So I have once again been chuckling at some adorable clumsy Russian in Nikolai and Nikto fics, and thus I decided to make a little list that might be helpful for fellow COD writers here. And yes, please, feel free to reach out to me if you need any proofreading of your Russian phrases, I would be glad to assist since google translator can butcher it in ways non-speakers won't be able to notice.
I would really appreciate if you guys shared this post and helped it reach people that might need it, I put way more effort into it than I expected myself <3 Also, I might make a followup with some more words and/or phrases that can be useful, so please feel free to request some, since here I am mostly focusing on terms of endearment.
I will write down Russian words, their (approximate and wonky, sorry for that) transcription/transliteration and what part of speech they are (keep in mind that adjectives can be used as nouns when used to address someone) and provide according translation and use.
Keep in mind that in Russian the gender of the word is important!!! I'll write down them in following order: he/him (Š¾Š½/ŠµŠ³Š¾) version/ she/her (Š¾Š½Š°/ŠµŃ) version/ they/them (Š¾Š½Šø/ŠøŃ
) version. However! They/them is NOT traditionally used as gender-neutral pronouns, it's plural only. Some queer and younger folks do use they/them (myself included), but it does sound wonky as it's direct copy from English. Unfortunately, Russian is not very suitable for gender-neutral writing, but there are ways to go about it (I'll try to note some of that too).
*however, since Nikto is sometimes using plural they/them to describe himself, that would be okay with him since it's plural. I hope that makes sense, lol.
So if you're putting an adjective with a noun (example: Š¼ŠøŠ»ŃŠ¹ ŠŗŠ¾ŃŠøŠŗ) you have to use an adjective in the correct gender form FOR THE WORD! If the noun (ŠŗŠ¾ŃŠøŠŗ here) is masculine, you use masculine adjective form EVEN if you're referring to a person with she/her pronouns.
The main thing I noticed is that y'all use a direct translation of the word "love" - "Š»ŃŠ±Š¾Š²Ń" [l'ubov'] (n) to refer to a person. As in "how are you doing, love?". However, that's wrong. "ŠŃŠ±Š¾Š²Ń" is either a word to describe the feeling, or a name (short version would be ŠŃŠ±Š° [Lyuba]). If you wanna use an affectionate pet name, consider one of the following!
Š“Š¾ŃŠ¾Š³Š¾Š¹/Š“Š¾ŃŠ¾Š³Š°Ń/Š“Š¾ŃŠ¾Š³ŠøŠµ [dorogoy/dorogaya/dorogiye] (adj) - means "darling". Often used between spouses. Mostly used to refer to person directly, sounds a little quirky if you use it to refer to them in third person (as in "my darling went out to buy some strawberries").
Š»ŃŠ±ŠøŠ¼ŃŠ¹/Š»ŃŠ±ŠøŠ¼Š°Ń/Š»ŃŠ±ŠøŠ¼ŃŠµ [l'ubimiy/l'ubimaya/l'ubimiye] (adj) - means "beloved/loved/loved one" and is probably the closest to "love". You can use it to refer to person directly or to talk about them in third person (as in "can't wait to see Š»ŃŠ±ŠøŠ¼ŃŃ". Also yes, the endings are changing depending on the case and I'm not entirely sure how to explain this concisely without going deep into grammar lol).
Š¼ŠøŠ»ŃŠ¹/Š¼ŠøŠ»Š°Ń/Š¼ŠøŠ»ŃŠµ [miliy/milaya/miliye] (adj) - the word means "cute/cutie", but is also used as a general terms of endearment, like "sweetheart". Mainly to refer to someone directly, using it in third person is a little old-fashioned I'd say. Also commonly used by people outside romantic partnership, a kind old lady can definitely call you over with this one asking to help her read expiration date on a milk bottle or something.
Š»ŃŠ±Š¾Š²Ń Š¼Š¾Ń [l'ubov' moya] (n + adj/pronoun) - okay, I kinda tricked you saying you can't use the word "love" to refer to a person. If you say this (means "my love"), you can! It's pretty romantic and I am actually the one person that uses this daily, otherwise it's either very romance-novel/old-fashioned sounding, but there are moments when it's perfectly suitable. Have that fairytale moment! Also please note, that while "Š¼Š¾Ń Š»ŃŠ±Š¾Š²Ń" [moya l'ubov'] (adj/pronoun + n) is grammatically correct, it sounds kinda weird if you use it to address the person directly (like in a phrase "my love, you shine brighter than the stars"). While Russian doesn't have particularly strict rules about word order, it does matter to some extent, and this is a prime example: people just use one order way more often that the other.
I've already told somewhere here my favourite Nikto fic moment: the sweetest, romantic moment, interrupted by him calling reader "Š“ŠµŃŃŠ½ŃŃ", which means "cub" as in baby animal. And while my parents do use this word affectionately, I can assure you, most people don't, and it was clear that this was a result of a clumsy translation of "baby" or something like that. So here are some variants for words like baby, little one and such!
Š¼Š°Š»ŃŃ/Š¼Š°Š»ŃŃŠŗŠ° [malysh/malyshka] (n) - I'd say this feels more "little one" than "baby" to me, it's a tad less sexually charged if you get what I mean. Also, you call "Š¼Š°Š»ŃŃ" a person of any gender/pronouns, while "Š¼Š°Š»ŃŃŠŗŠ°" is strictly for she/her. Obviously can be used for kids too.
Š“ŠµŃŠŗŠ° [d'etka] (n) - this one is definitely "baby" or "babe" as a term of endearment, calling a real kid this would be WEIRD if you're not a really old granny. I would also say that it's more commonly used to refer to female partners, but that might be just my perception and experience. It's still okay to use both ways. Also this word can be very much used if you need a little bit of sleazy/catcalling/bad pickup line energy, like someone shouting after a girl passing by on the street. Yuck.
Š¼Š°Š»ŠµŠ½ŃŠŗŠøŠ¹/Š¼Š°Š»ŠµŠ½ŃŠŗŠ°Ń [mal'en'kiy/mal'en'kaya] (adj) - this just means "little" or "small", I'd say it's used less commonly and usually in this form "Š¼Š°Š»ŠµŠ½ŃŠŗŠøŠ¹ Š¼Š¾Š¹/Š¼Š°Š»ŠµŠ½ŃŠŗŠ°Ń Š¼Š¾Ń" [mal'en'kiy moy/mal'en'kaya moya] (adj + adj/pronoun). I will expand on this a little later here! Can be used to refer to kids too.
While poor Š“ŠµŃŃŠ½ŃŃ is reserved for furry freaks like yours truly, there are some animal nicknames that are very widely spread! Here are some that I think would be most useful for y'all. Granted, some people think that these are a lil' bit cringey, but I think it really just depends on what you're used to hear around you. So if I think calling someone a cub is cute, and bunny is cringe, that probably says more about me :D
ŠŗŠ¾ŃŠøŠŗ [kot'ik] (n) - this is a term of endearment for a cat. NOT same as kitten, mind you! Mostly used to refer to men (since the word is of masculine gender) - in my experience.
ŠŗŠ¾ŃŃŠ½Š¾Šŗ [kot'onok] (second o here is like ƶ in German) (n) - now THIS is "kitten". I would say this is more gender-neutral than the previous one, but the word is still masculine gender.
Š·Š°Š¹ŠŗŠ° [zayka] (n) - I believe this would be an equivalent to "bunny", although it's actually a cute word for a hare, not a rabbit. Definitely used for all genders (also the word can be both masculine and feminine gender), also is okay to use referring to kids (even teachers that are into endearing nicknames can call pupils this and it's not weird. well, in elementary school). You can also say "Š·Š°Š¹ŃŠ¾Š½Š¾Šŗ" [zaych'onok] (n) which is a word for baby hare, even cuter.
ŃŃŠ±ŠŗŠ° [ribka] (n) - a term of endearment for a fish. I think it's viewed as a bit old-fashioned and thus only used jokingly nowadays, but you know what? Nikolai could pull this off 100%. Bonus points if it's "ŃŃŠ±ŠŗŠ° Š¼Š¾Ń" [ribka moya] (n + adj/pronoun). Only used for women and the word itself is of feminine gender.
Š¼ŠµŠ“Š²ŠµŠ¶Š¾Š½Š¾Šŗ [medv'ezhonok] (n) - now, I actually have never met someone who would call their partner this, but I myself would (and I definitely saw it in some media, but that's obv not too reliable). It's a word for a bear cub, so I think it's cute to call a huge ass bear of a military man this word. It's of masculine gender, but I would say it's okay to call a she/her person this too. ALTHOUGH there is a grammatically incorrect (but this only adds to cuteness as it often happens) word "Š¼ŠµŠ“Š²ŠµŠ¶Š¾Š½ŠŗŠ°" [medv'ezhonka] (n) - this would be a female bear cub. My family uses this word, I use it, no, it won't be in a dictionary, but everyone will understand what you mean. Is okay to use for kids too.
ŃŠµŠ½Š¾Šŗ [sh'enok] (if it helps, Ń is like German "schtsch", like in Borschtsch, like sh but soft) (n) - now, this actually is not used as a term of endearment, it's "puppy" and it's suitable for degradation. The word is of masculine gender, but you can call anyone this to be honest. You can tell Nikto he's "Š³Š»ŃŠæŃŠ¹ ŃŠµŠ½Š¾Šŗ" [glupiy sh'enok] (adj + n) (silly puppy) and that man will either bark for you or gut you. If you say "ŃŃŠæŠ¾Š¹" [tupoy] (adj) (dumb) instead of "Š³Š»ŃŠæŃŠ¹" [glupiy] (adj) (silly), it will be downright offensive. You can say "ŃŠµŠ½Š¾ŃŠµŠŗ" [sh'enochek] (n), which is an endearing term for a puppy, so it's a little bit sweete. OR you can use my personal favourite - "ŃŠµŠ½" [sh'en] (n), which is actually also incorrect, but if you've ever heard of a great poet and poetry innovator Mayakovskiy, he was called this word by Lilya Brik. I do NOT have the time to unpack that wild relationship (there was a throuple involved. Russian poetry scene of early XX century was WILD and it's my favourite poetry period hands down), but it's pretty famous. The word "ŃŠµŠ½" consists of the word "puppy" but with the end diminutive suffix cut off. The trick is, that while some words return to their non-diminutive form with such procedure, this one does not - so you're basically inventing a new word that now sounds quite degrading and harsh, but also sexy as hell (personal opinion). I would definitely call Nikto this word.
ŠæŃŠøŃŠŗŠ° [ptich'ka] (n) - that's just "birdie", but I actually wouldn't say many people use it to refer to each other. HOWEVER, Nikolai 100% calls his steel bird this. The word is of feminine gender and if you are calling a person this, it's probably more suitable for a woman.
ŃŃŠæŠ° [tsipa??] (n) or even ŃŃŠæŠ¾ŃŠŗŠ° [tsipoch'ka] (n) - that's a chick, like a baby hen, used only to refer to women (feminine gender word). Honestly I only heard this in foreign films dubbed in Russian or like in jokes/sarcastic phrases. It's kinda rude/indecent/vulgar and the only man that can say that and stay attractive is Captain Jack Sparrow (he used this word in Russian dubbed Pirates like once maybe, talking to Elisabeth, and that was funny cuz he be crazy like that). But maybe you want this, idk.
Unfortunately, I haven't seen anyone translate the word "honey" as "Š¼ŃŠ“" directly, that would be another brilliant laugh (cuz it's wrong to refer to a person like that), but there are some "sweet" words to use!
ŃŠ»Š°Š“ŠŗŠøŠ¹/ŃŠ»Š°Š“ŠŗŠ°Ń [sladk'iy/sladkaya] (adj) - this just means "sweet", like the taste, and it can be sexy or sleazy or just cute. You can call a kid this word too, BUT for a child would be better ŃŠ»Š°Š“ŠµŠ½ŃŠŗŠøŠ¹/ŃŠ»Š°Š“ŠµŠ½ŃŠŗŠ°Ń [slad'en'kiy/slad'en'kaya], which is like one step further into diminutive-endearing department.
ŠŗŠ¾Š½ŃŠµŃŠŗŠ° [konf'etka] (n) - this is a diminutive word for a candy, a sweet, like a caramel or chocolate or whatever. Not very common, but is cute. Also a way to describe a sexy/good-looking person (more likely a woman, the word is of feminine gender) or just something really good (a bit jokingly). The latter is usually used in a phrase build like "Š½Šµ ..., Š° ŠæŃŠ¾ŃŃŠ¾ ŠŗŠ¾Š½ŃŠµŃŠŗŠ°", which is roughly translated "that's not ... that's just plain candy". Might have an actual English equivalent that I can't think of right now. Maybe "a total snack"? Probably that one, yeah. Can be said about anything, a car for example.
I wanna stick in a few more words of endearment and they all are kinda shiny, lol, so here you go!
ŃŠ¾Š»Š½ŃŠµ [solntse] (n) - this means "sun", like that big glowing thingy in the sky, but it's very welcome as a term of endearment. This word is NEUTER gender (explained in the next section). Viktor Tsoy (a famous rock musician with an unfortunate fate and immortal cultural heritage) had a song ("Cuckoo" - "ŠŃŠŗŃŃŠŗŠ°") with the words "ŃŠ¾Š»Š½ŃŠµ Š¼Š¾Ń, Š²Š·Š³Š»ŃŠ½Šø Š½Š° Š¼ŠµŠ½Ń" [solntse moyo, vzgl'yan'i na m'en'ya] (my sun, look at me), so "ŃŠ¾Š»Š½ŃŠµ Š¼Š¾Ń" (n + adj/n) is a good one. You can also use "ŃŠ¾Š»Š½ŃŃŠŗŠ¾" [solnyshko] (n) which is an endearing version of "sun", so it's like "sunshine". Also of neuter gender! Can and should be used to address kids too.
Š·Š¾Š»Š¾ŃŃŠµ [zolottse] (n) - this literally means like... a little gold? A little golden piece? I don't think there's a proper equivalent in English. It's a word of neuter gender and it's very much used for kids too. Another version would be "Š·Š¾Š»Š¾ŃŠ¾Š¹ Š¼Š¾Š¹/Š·Š¾Š»Š¾ŃŠ°Ń Š¼Š¾Ń/Š·Š¾Š»Š¾ŃŃŠµ Š¼Š¾Šø" [zolotoy moy/zolotaya moya/zolotiye moyi] (adj + adj/pronoun) - this is "my golden", it's a little less common and I feel like it's often used to be condescending, but it's not inherenrly bad, so you can use it for a loved one.
ŃŠ¾ŠŗŃŠ¾Š²ŠøŃŠµ [sokrov'ish'e] (once again it's Ń, look previously) (n) - this is a word of neuter gender and it means "treasure". I personally adore this one and it's pretty common. Can be used for any gender and for kids!
Š·Š²ŃŠ·Š“Š¾ŃŠŗŠ° [zv'yozdoch'ka] (n) - this is like a little star/starshine. Wouldn't say it's that common, but I use it a lot. The word itself is of feminine gender, but you can call anyone that! Or you can say "Š·Š²ŠµŠ·Š“Š° Š¼Š¾Ń" [zv'ezda moya] (n + adj/pronoun), which means "my star". Also feminine gender word, but can be used for anyone.
I am not going to go too deep into sexy/sex-related words in this part, because I'll just get overwhelmed with the amount, but I want to go over some words of ownership quickly.
Š¼Š¾Š¹/Š¼Š¾Ń/Š¼Š¾Šø/Š¼Š¾Ń [moy/moya/moyi/moyo] (adj/pronoun) - this means my/mine. It goes really well with many words in this list, especially the adjectives, like "Š¼Š¾Š¹ Š“Š¾ŃŠ¾Š³Š¾Š¹" [moy dorogoy] (my darling) or "ŃŠ¾Š»Š½ŃŃŠŗŠ¾ Š¼Š¾Ń" [solnyshko moyo] (my sun/sunshine). The last version, "Š¼Š¾Ń" [moyo] is neuter gender, it's NOT gender-neutral! It's the "it/its" I guess (not exactly, but let's just stick with this simplyfied explanation). Previously there were some words of that gender, so here you go. BTW I would say that in speech it's more common to put this word before adjectives and after nouns (like in my examples), just sounds better, but it's not wrong to do otherwsise. You can also just say "ŃŃ Š¼Š¾Š¹" [ti moy] (you're mine). Also can be used to refer in third person, like when you're discussing your man with your gossip girls, you can just go "Š° Š¼Š¾Š¹ Š²ŃŠµŃŠ°..." [a moy vch'era] (and mine yesterday...) and everyone will understand that you mean your man. Unless you wee discussing pets, then they'll probably assume it's your cat.
Ń
Š¾Š·ŃŠøŠ½/Ń
Š¾Š·ŃŠ¹ŠŗŠ° [khoz'yain/khoz'yayka] (n) - saw this one too btw. This means "owner" or kiiiinda "master/mistress", and they are gendered, so it's actually wrong to call a woman "Ń
Š¾Š·ŃŠøŠ½" unless there's some kinky genderfuckery going on (which I'm all for, but like. you get what I mean).
Š³Š¾ŃŠæŠ¾Š“ŠøŠ½/Š³Š¾ŃŠæŠ¾Š¶Š° [gospod'in/gospozha] (n) - okay, THAT is definitely master/mistress, also gendered. Standard BDSM terminology and yada yada.
And that's where I'd like to wrap up for today! However, if needed, I can write more - perhaps with curse words or with sex-related words, or some phrases? I dunno, you tell me! Once again, I kindly ask you to share since I think this will help people (and while I understand the struggle of writing in another language and especially using words from language you don't speak at all, I can't help but be a little thrown off every time I see a wrong use of words in text).
Also remember: while Siberia is bigger than USA or even Canada, there are still other regions in Russia that deserve to be mentioned <3 a lot of places with mindblowing nature, cultural heritage etc.