What's the difference between Russian and Ukrainian?

Question

irusia · Answer

@Mishchenko 
Some words that seem similar at first can mean very different things, for example: "час" - in Ukrainian "time", but in Russian "hour". There are a lot of such words.
Only western dialects have many Polish words, but literary Ukrainian doesn't have so much. Polish and Ukrainian have similar words, because both languages have Slavic origin, not because of borrowing.
On the other hand, Russian has a lot of Church Slavonic borrowings, which makes it very different and mutually unintelligible with other East and West Slavic languages.
I do not know about others, but Russian is no longer spoken (and not even understood by yonger generation) in Baltic states.
Many Ukrainians can speak Russian, but not everybody. For me, it is more difficult  to speak Russian, than to speak English, as I cannot remember many words and must translate in my head first. I cannot say anything about other people though.
And Ukrainian is a native language of most Ukrainians.

irusia · Answer

@kai_25 Why would one even ask such a question? They are different languages, just as English and German are. It's obvious.
They are from the same language family, so it's pretty logical that they are similar. However, they are not mutually intelligible.

P. S. I'm just tired from such questions, really. They are asked millions of times. You just need to look for a similar question (on this site or another) and simply read the answers.

Pen1 · Answer

The same as the difference between Japanese and Chinese😁

Obican_Covek · Answer

These are the different, but close languages.
At first, our alphabets are different. 
2/3 of words are the same or very similar.
The Ukrainian language has a lot of words of Polish origin (unlike Russian).
Russian is international language for former USSR, Ukrainian is local.
Everybody in Ukraine can speak Russian, it's a mother tongue for half of Ukrainians. At the same time only a few Russians can speak Ukrainian, but they can understand the most part.

Obican_Covek · Answer

@kai_25 , much more words. Also the history of literary canon of Russian is longer.

Nasty_Woman · Answer

@kai_25 I think Ukrainian is kinda more difficult than Russian

StasyZ · Answer

Russian is more difficult

StasyZ · Answer

@kai_25 it's easier to read in Ukrainian. But in general they are very similar

UrusShaytan · Answer

@kai_25 Well, judge yourself)
Both languages are really kinda similar, still russians cannot understand Ukrainians.
Around 60% of vocabulary are similar/same. Also, phonetics differ, as well as grammar does.
Shortly, Ukrainian has Vocative case and extra way of making Future (not whole time, just another way). These are basic differences.
Sincerely, Russian will be more useful in a pragmativ way, cause much more people speak it and it is official in a dozen of countries.
It's thought to be a bit more trickier, but scarcely.
And Ukraine will make your learning of western slavic languages if to talk about pragmatic side.
Anyway, have fun in both of `em.

mashao · Answer

Different language and culture

Al1na_Tyan · Answer

This is a fairly complex issue. On the one hand, they are no different, but on the other hand is very different languages. I know Ukrainian and Russian languages, and I believe that the Ukrainian language is difficult, but with the Japanese course can not be compared.))

Nika888888 · Answer

it's different languages,but they are very close,because they are of one family. A lot of words look very similar,and mean the same.

CheekyUnicorn · Answer

All people are different, I think. I think, Ukrainians are more soft - I mean, if something bad happened to person, most of them help. But of course it is not everywhere. Also our language is more soft to - all these words endings make a soft sounding of all sentence. And also many dishes, that foreign people think are Russian, are Ukrainian too - because we are from same "family". I'm sorry for the mistakes, I'm just studying this language)))

VladimirWannaEnglish · Answer

It's more useful to learn Russian language, cause it's understandable by more Ukrainian people

moskalenkodina · Answer

It is very big difference!!

Amefiere · Answer

@kai_25: in Russian sometimes you write one letter but read it like another one. In Ukrainian you read what you write

jeki_ua · Answer

it's difficult to say shortly. In general, languages are different and they might seem similar only to people who know both of them:)
 the ones who speak only Ukrainian or only Russian are not able to understand the other language fully or speak it fluently

Nargis · Answer

@kai_25 I think Russian grammar is more difficult.

valentinapereya · Answer

My sister-in-law is Japanese. A few years she lived in Moscow and studied Russian, then they moved to Kyiv and she studied Ukrainian. In Ukrainian she sounds more natural. Ukrainian phonetics is easier. However in their family they use English grammar(the easiest) and mixture of English, Japanese and Ukrainian vocabulary, e.g. We bought sakana. It's funny.

valentinapereya · Answer

@Psychern What do you mean 'the same grammar'? Even those nouns which sound similar can be of different gender. The comparison of adjectives and adverbs is different. The future tense is not the same. There are seven cases in Ukrainian and six in Russian. We use different prepositions. The list can be continued.

Psychern · Answer

@Nargis that is not true cuz we have the same grammar but Ukrainian has some additional structures

IreneVereshchinska · Answer

Hi , I am Ukrainian girl , I like  Japanese men:)💎

minory · Answer

What's the difference between Japanese and Chinese? Your question is very unpleasant. 2 different nations.

What's the difference between Russian and Ukrainian? See a translation

it's different languages,but they are very close,because they are of one family. A lot of words look very similar,and mean the same.

Russian is more difficult

@kai_25 it's easier to read in Ukrainian. But in general they are very similar

Different language and culture

It's more useful to learn Russian language, cause it's understandable by more Ukrainian people

It is very big difference!!

@kai_25: in Russian sometimes you write one letter but read it like another one. In Ukrainian you read what you write

it's difficult to say shortly. In general, languages are different and they might seem similar only to people who know both of them:) the ones who speak only Ukrainian or only Russian are not able to understand the other language fully or speak it fluently

@kai_25 I think Russian grammar is more difficult.

@Nargis that is not true cuz we have the same grammar but Ukrainian has some additional structures

Hi , I am Ukrainian girl , I like Japanese men:)💎

What's the difference between Japanese and Chinese? Your question is very unpleasant. 2 different nations.

Ask native speakers questions for free

What's the difference between Russian and Ukrainian?

it's difficult to say shortly. In general, languages are different and they might seem similar only to people who know both of them:)
the ones who speak only Ukrainian or only Russian are not able to understand the other language fully or speak it fluently