#37 Russian Words Derived from English

Modern Russian contains many words that have been borrowed from English.

For example, words such as компью́тер (computer), интерне́т (internet), and би́знес (business) are relatively easy to understand if you already know English.

In particular, modern Russian continues to adopt new words of English origin in fields such as the internet, IT, business, and fashion.

In this article, I will introduce some of the Russian words that have been borrowed from English and explain the historical background of this borrowing as well as the characteristics of these words.

1. Russian Contains Many Words of English Origin

Throughout its long history, Russian has incorporated vocabulary from a variety of languages.

Words borrowed from French, German, Dutch, Italian, and other languages have become established as part of Russian vocabulary. The languages from which Russian borrowed most heavily varied from one period to another, reflecting Russia’s political, economic, and cultural contacts with other countries.

Among these languages, English has become particularly influential in modern Russian. In Russian, words and expressions borrowed from English are sometimes referred to as англици́зм (Anglicism or English loanword).

Examples include:

• компью́тер — computer
• интерне́т — internet
• би́знес — business
• ме́неджер — manager
• ма́ркетинг — marketing
• диза́йн — design
• файл — file
• сайт — website
• бренд — brand
• о́фис — office

These words are not limited to specialists. Today, they are widely used in everyday life, the workplace, news, advertising, the internet, and many other contexts.

When new technologies, services, or professions appear, it is also common for their foreign-language names to enter Russian together with the concepts themselves.

Particularly from the second half of the 20th century into the 21st century, the spread of computers and the internet, the expansion of international business, and the growth of popular culture led to the adoption of a large number of English-derived words.

2. The History of Borrowing from English

When you think about the influence of English on Russian, you may imagine that it began with the spread of the internet. However, the borrowing of English vocabulary into Russian has a much longer history.

Russian had already been adopting vocabulary from foreign languages for centuries. From the late 17th century to the early 18th century, contact with Western Europe expanded considerably, and new vocabulary began to enter Russian from a variety of Western European languages, including English.

During this period, a particularly large number of words were borrowed from Dutch and German, but words of English origin also entered Russian through increasing contact with Britain. Foreign linguistic influence became especially noticeable in areas connected with maritime affairs, trade, and other forms of interaction with Western Europe.

Later, as modern sports spread during the 19th and 20th centuries, English sporting terms such as футбо́л (football) and те́ннис (tennis) also became established in Russian.

During the 20th century, the influence of English expanded further through science and technology, music, film, and popular culture. English-derived words were also adopted during the Soviet period and were used in a variety of fields, including technology and sport.

A major change occurred after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. As Russia shifted toward a market economy and economic and cultural exchanges with Western countries expanded, new vocabulary related to business, advertising, finance, and other fields rapidly became widespread. Words such as би́знес (business), ме́неджер (manager), and ма́ркетинг (marketing) are representative examples.

Furthermore, as computers and the internet became more widespread during the 1990s and 2000s, new English-derived vocabulary entered Russian rapidly, particularly in the field of IT. Today, new words continue to spread through social media, video-streaming services, online games, and other forms of digital communication.

3. English Words Are Written in Cyrillic

When English words are adopted into Russian, they are usually written in Cyrillic based on their English pronunciation or spelling.

• computer → компью́тер
• business → би́знес
• manager → ме́неджер
• marketing → ма́ркетинг
• blog → блог

When these words are written in Cyrillic, they are adapted to fit the sound system and writing conventions of Russian.

Once they have entered Russian, their pronunciation also develops characteristics specific to Russian. This is because English and Russian have different sound systems, and Russian words have their own fixed stress patterns.

For this reason, you should not simply pronounce these words in the same way as their English originals. Instead, it is important to learn the pronunciation that has become established in Russian.

Once a borrowed word becomes part of Russian vocabulary, it is also incorporated into the Russian grammatical system. For example, блог and ме́неджер are treated as masculine nouns and change their endings according to grammatical case.

• блог (nominative) → бло́га (genitive) → бло́гу (dative)
• ме́неджер (nominative) → ме́неджера (genitive) → ме́неджеру (dative)

In this way, even words originally borrowed from English decline in the same manner as ordinary Russian nouns.

4. English-Derived Russian Words Related to IT and the Internet

One of the clearest areas in which you can see the influence of English on modern Russian is vocabulary related to IT and the internet.

Many new technologies and services associated with computers and the internet developed primarily in English-speaking countries. As a result, the words used to describe them were often borrowed directly from English.

Examples include:

• компью́тер — computer
• ноутбу́к — laptop
• файл — file
• сайт — website
• бра́узер — browser
• се́рвер — server
• блог — blog
• пост — post
• чат — chat
• спам — spam

Many of these new words spread first among younger people and online communities through the internet, social media, and video-streaming platforms, and some eventually became part of general vocabulary.

At the same time, internet culture changes rapidly, so some words may become popular for a short period and later fall out of use.

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5. English-Derived Words Used in Business

Business is another field in which many English-derived words can be found.

During the 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia’s transition to a market economy and growing interaction with foreign companies created a need for new terminology related to corporate activity, marketing, and other areas that had previously been less common in Russian society.

As a result, many business terms were borrowed from English.

Examples include:

• би́знес — business
• ме́неджер — manager
• ма́ркетинг — marketing
• бренд — brand
• старта́п — startup
• о́фис — office
• фрила́нсер — freelancer
• дедла́йн — deadline

Some of these words are now used so routinely that speakers may hardly be conscious of their foreign origin.

Others spread together with relatively new working styles and corporate practices. This shows that the types of vocabulary borrowed from English change according to the social and economic conditions of each period.

6. Summary

Russian contains a large number of words borrowed from English.

The main points can be summarized as follows:

English-derived vocabulary provides a familiar example of how modern Russian incorporates new expressions in response to changes in society and technology.

Rather than viewing loanwords simply as “foreign words that entered Russian,” I think it is also interesting to examine how they are transformed and integrated into the Russian language. Understanding this process is one of the many fascinating aspects of learning Russian.

Yuri Miyajima

Writer

I’m a Japanese writer with a deep interest in Russia. Through my articles, I explore a wide range of topics related to the country, including its culture, history, traditions, food, everyday life, and language.