How do you say "bitter" in Russian?

горький

gor'kij

Adjective Cyrillic

In Russian, "bitter" is горький (gor'kij).

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Pronunciation

Aim for gor'kij when you say it aloud, keeping the accent on "kij", letting the remaining sounds slide by quickly.

Writing and usage

горький is written using cyrillic. It's a adjective, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.

Example sentence

Тёмный кофе довольно горький.

Temnyj kofe dovol'no gor'kij.

The dark coffee is quite bitter.

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How to remember горький

Picture "gor'kij" and connect it to "bitter" — something like the syllable "gor" in everyday English speech.

Related words

Browse all Russian words in the glossary.

Questions about горький

How do you pronounce горький?

Aim for gor'kij when you say it aloud, keeping the accent on "kij", letting the remaining sounds slide by quickly.

Is горький formal or casual?

горький is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.

How is горький used in Russian?

горький is used the same way as the equivalent English adjective. For example: Тёмный кофе довольно горький. (The dark coffee is quite bitter.).

Where can I practice Russian words for free?

You can play free Russian minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the Russian glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Bitter" in other languages

Curated by Callan Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Russian language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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