How do you say "midnight" in Russian?

полночь

polnoch'

Noun Cyrillic

In Russian, "midnight" is полночь (polnoch').

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Pronunciation

Say it roughly as "polnoch'", with the emphasis landing on the middle syllable, and English speakers usually flatten the vowels a bit at first, which is fine.

Writing and usage

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

Example sentence

Часы пробили полночь.

Chasy probili polnoch'.

The clock struck midnight.

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How to remember полночь

Think of a scoreboard flashing at a match; the "polnoch'" sound echoes how the word almost sounds like an English cousin, so the two stick together.

Related words

Browse all Russian words in the glossary.

Questions about полночь

How do you pronounce полночь?

Say it roughly as "polnoch'", with the emphasis landing on the middle syllable, and English speakers usually flatten the vowels a bit at first, which is fine.

Is полночь formal or casual?

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

How is полночь used in Russian?

полночь is used the same way as the equivalent English noun. For example: Часы пробили полночь. (The clock struck midnight.).

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.

"Midnight" 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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