How do you say "cheerful" in Russian?

жизнерадостный

zhizneradostnyj

Adjective Cyrillic

In Russian, "cheerful" is жизнерадостный (zhizneradostnyj).

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Pronunciation

Pronounce it zhizneradostnyj; leaning into "ost" as you say it, and the rest of the word stays relatively even. Once you've said it a couple of times it starts to feel automatic.

Writing and usage

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

Example sentence

Он весело помахал рукой.

On veselo pomahal rukoj.

He gave a cheerful wave.

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How to remember жизнерадостный

Link the sound "zhiz" in "zhizneradostnyj" to something like the syllable "zhiz" in everyday English speech, since the word means "cheerful".

Related words

Browse all Russian words in the glossary.

Questions about жизнерадостный

How do you pronounce жизнерадостный?

Pronounce it zhizneradostnyj; leaning into "ost" as you say it, and the rest of the word stays relatively even. Once you've said it a couple of times it starts to feel automatic.

Is жизнерадостный formal or casual?

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

How is жизнерадостный used in Russian?

жизнерадостный is used the same way as the equivalent English adjective. For example: Он весело помахал рукой. (He gave a cheerful wave.).

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.

"Cheerful" in other languages

Curated by Jack 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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