How do you say "poor" in Russian?

бедный

bednyj

Adjective Cyrillic

In Russian, "poor" is бедный (bednyj).

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Pronunciation

English speakers can read it as bednyj, putting emphasis on "nyj", and the rest comes out fairly flat. Try whispering it first, then say it at normal speed.

Writing and usage

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

Example sentence

Они были бедны, но счастливы.

Oni byli bedny, no schastlivy.

They were poor but happy.

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How to remember бедный

Notice how "bed" echoes something like the syllable "bed" in everyday English speech — a small bridge to remembering "poor".

Related words

Browse all Russian words in the glossary.

Questions about бедный

How do you pronounce бедный?

English speakers can read it as bednyj, putting emphasis on "nyj", and the rest comes out fairly flat. Try whispering it first, then say it at normal speed.

Is бедный formal or casual?

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

How is бедный used in Russian?

бедный is used the same way as the equivalent English adjective. For example: Они были бедны, но счастливы. (They were poor but happy.).

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.

"Poor" 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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