4.6. Which Japanese words come from Russian?
Compared to such European languages as English or Portuguese, the Russian language has not been a major source of loan words, most of them representing cultural phenomena peculiar to Russia. Loan words from Russian are mostly spelt in katakana.
Nineteenth century Russian literature had a great influence on formation of the new Japanese novel. Therefore a great deal of gairaigo from Russian pertain to objects and ideas discussed in Russian literature of the period.
List
Here is a list of some words from Russian which have survived until the present day.
| Japanese (rōmaji) | Japanese (kanji/kana) | Russian | English meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| borishichi | ボルシチ | борщ | borscht | |
| burinui | ブリヌイ | блины | pancake | |
| ikura | イクラ ▽いくら |
икра | ikra, (red) caviar | |
| kombināto | コンビナート | комбинат | industrial complex | Originated from the USSR. |
| matoryōshika | マトリョーシカ | матрёшка | matryoshka (Russian dolls) | |
| pechika | ペチカ | печка | Manchurian stove | |
| piroshiki | ピロシキ | пирожки | pirozhki | |
| votoka | ヴォトカ ウォッカ ウォトカ ウォツカ ウオツカ |
водка | vodka |
Here a ▽ marks variations encountered in advertising and product labels.
Acknowledgements
This was a contribution to the "wiki sci.lang.japan FAQ" (see 17.3. FAQ Format). I am currently in search of the contributor's name, which I have mislaid. Apologies.
sci.lang.japan FAQ / 4. Words from other languages
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