10 Ukrainian Homonyms with Illustrative Pictures

The focus of today’s post is words that can be confused with each other. «Слова» [pl. words] that seem to be «однакові» [the same] but really are «різні» [different].  In linguistic terms, these words are defined as «омоніми» [homonyms].

Many, if not all, languages have homonyms. Ukrainian is no exception. It might make things confusing even for someone advanced in the language when you see a word like ручка and don’t know if this time it means a handle or a pen. I’ll give you some examples of Ukrainian homonyms.

1. Метелик —bow-tie; butterfly.

2. Пара – couple; steam.

3. Місяць – the moon, month.

4. Блискавка – lightning; zipper.

5. Люлька – tobacco pipe; cradle.

6. Ручка – pen; hand.

7. Замок – castle; замок – door lock, padlock.

8. Кран – tap; crane.

9. Коса – braid; scythe.

10. Оселедець – herring; top knot, a hairstyle favored by Ukrainian Cossacks.

This is a list of some of the most common homonyms in the Ukrainian language – feel free to add more to it in the comments!

Looking for more resources to improve your Ukrainian vocabulary? Check our 1000 most common words in Ukrainian with interactive flashcards. Also, you can learn Ukrainian step by step with our free Ukrainian Lessons Podcast.