If you’re learning Russian, you’ll be happy to know that the Russian days of the week are surprisingly logical. Unlike English, where many weekday names come from Norse and Roman gods, most Russian names follow a simple numerical pattern, making them much easier to remember.
In Russia, the week starts on Monday, not Sunday. That’s one reason why the names of several weekdays are based on their position in the week. Another important detail is that in Russian, days of the week are written in lowercase, not capitalized.
- понедельник means “after Sunday.” Long ago, неделя referred to Sunday, the day when people did not work
- вторник comes from второй, meaning “second”
- среда comes from середина, meaning “middle”
- четверг comes from четвёртый, meaning “fourth”
- пятница comes from пять, meaning “five”
- суббота comes from the Hebrew word Sabbat.
- воскресенье means “Resurrection” and reflects the Christian tradition
Learning the origins of Russian words makes vocabulary easier to remember and gives you a deeper understanding of the language and its history.
If you’d like to expand your Russian vocabulary naturally, my online Russian classes combine practical language, grammar, culture, and word origins to help you build confidence and speak Russian with ease.