UN staffer highlights Russian words without single-word English equivalents on Russian Language Day

A United Nations staff member marked Russian Language Day on June 6 by describing several Russian words that, the speaker said, lack single-word equivalents in English.

“Every year on June 6, United Nations celebrates Russian language day,” the staff member said. The speaker, identifying as a Russian speaker, said colleagues at the United Nations supplied examples of words they miss in English.

The speaker offered several examples from the remarks. One was a word (not specified in the transcript) that the speaker said “means a full 24 hours day and night, but there is no such 1 word equivalent in English.” Another example given was the Russian word “adnalub,” which the speaker described as a term that “describes a person who loves only once or stays faithful to 1 person for their entire life.”

A separate remark in the same sequence described a Russian word derived from the root meaning “why,” which the speaker said “refers to a small child who asks a lot of why questions,” giving everyday examples: “Why can't I eat candy for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Why can't I see my ears? Why the sky blue?”

The staff member also noted a word that translates to “cherry” in English but, the speaker said, requires two words to convey the specific meaning in Russian: “sour cherry.” Finally, the speaker pointed to a short Russian word they said “contains a lot of meaning,” characterizing it as reflecting “reliance on chance and also, like, risk taking,” a sentiment summarized as “maybe everything will work out even if the conditions are bad.”

The remarks presented language observations and personal impressions rather than proposals for policy or action. No formal decisions, votes, or agenda items were recorded in the transcript of these remarks.