Planes Самолёты

11 Russian words on the topic of planes — each with a picture, an audio recording and an example sentence. In the sky. Russian builds its aviation words transparently: самолёт is a “self-flyer”, вертолёт a “spin-flyer”.

English	Russian · Ру́сский	Notes
airplane	самолёт	🔗 Word familyLiterally 'self-flyer': сам 'self' + the root of лета́ть 'to fly'.
fighter jet	истреби́тель	🔗 Word familyLiterally 'exterminator', from истребля́ть 'to destroy'. ⚠️ GenderNouns in -тель are masculine.
pilot	пило́т	International word; the native Russian synonym is лётчик.
wing	крыло́	⚠️ GenderIrregular plural кры́лья. Used for a bird's wing and a plane's wing alike.
engine	дви́гатель	🔗 Word familyFrom дви́гать 'to move' — 'the mover'. ⚠️ GenderMasculine like all -тель nouns. 🌎 RegionColloquial: мото́р.
to take off	взлета́ть	🔗 Word familyPrefix вз- 'up' + лета́ть 'to fly'. ⚠️ IrregularPerfective взлете́ть.
to land	приземля́ться	🔗 Word familyBuilt on земля́ 'earth, ground' — like English 'to land' from 'land'. Reflexive -ся.
cockpit	каби́на пило́та	пило́та is genitive — 'the pilot's cabin'. 🔗 Word familyкаби́на is a cognate of 'cabin'.
helicopter	вертолёт	🔗 Word familyFrom верте́ть+лете́ть — 'spin-fly'.
bomb	бо́мба
radar	рада́р	Stress on the last syllable — рада́р, unlike English 'RAdar'.