Short answer
“beautiful” in Russian is красивый
How to say beautiful in Russian?
The most common way to say beautiful in Russian is красивый (kra-SEE-vy), which means attractive or nice-looking. Because Russian adjectives agree with nouns, you will also use красивая for feminine nouns, красивое for neuter nouns and красивые for plurals. For a stronger, more emotional sense of beautiful — like 'gorgeous' or 'wonderful' — use прекрасный (pre-KRAS-ny). So if you want to know how to say beautiful in Russian, start with красивый and match its form to the thing you describe.
Common pairings
красивый закат (beautiful sunset)красивая девушка (beautiful girl)красивое платье (beautiful dress)красивые глаза (beautiful eyes)очень красивый (very beautiful)прекрасная погода (wonderful weather)
How to use it
- Use красивый for anything that looks good to the eye. Its ending changes: красивый for masculine nouns, красивая for feminine, красивое for neuter, красивые for plural.
- Use прекрасный when you want to emphasize something as gorgeous, magnificent or excellent, e.g. прекрасная идея (a wonderful idea). In everyday speech, красивый is more neutral and common.
- For describing how someone does something, use the adverb красиво (beautifully), not the adjective: она поёт красиво.
Examples
Он красивый мужчина.
He is a beautiful man.
Reading: on kra-SEE-vy mush-CHEE-na. Красивый is the masculine form, so it goes with мужчина (man).
У неё красивая улыбка.
She has a beautiful smile.
Reading: u ne-YO kra-SEE-va-ya oo-LYB-ka. Красивая is the feminine form, used with улыбка (smile).
Это красивое платье.
This is a beautiful dress.
Reading: E-ta kra-SEE-vo-ye PLAT-ye. Красивое is the neuter form, used with платье (dress).
У них красивые глаза.
They have beautiful eyes.
Reading: oo neekH kra-SEE-vy-ye gla-ZA. Красивые is the plural form, used with глаза (eyes).
Это был прекрасный день.
It was a wonderful day.
Reading: E-ta byL pre-KRAS-ny den. Прекрасный is stronger than красивый and also means 'gorgeous' or 'wonderful'.
Common mistakes
| Wrong | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Она |
Она красивая. | Adjectives in Russian must agree with the noun's gender. Since она (she) is feminine, use красивая, not the masculine красивый. |
| Она поёт |
Она поёт красиво. | To describe an action, Russian uses the adverb красиво (beautifully), not the adjective. Красивый describes nouns, not verbs. |
| Unnatural | Natural | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Он |
Он прекрасный человек. | If you want to say someone is a wonderful or kind person, use прекрасный. Calling someone a 'красивый человек' literally means they are good-looking. |
FAQ
- How to say beautiful in Russian?The standard word is красивый (kra-SEE-vy). It means 'beautiful' or 'handsome' and changes its ending to match the noun: красивая (feminine), красивое (neuter), красивые (plural).
- What is the difference between красивый and прекрасный?Красивый is the everyday word for nice-looking. Прекрасный is stronger and more emotional: it can mean 'gorgeous', 'magnificent' or 'wonderful'.
- Is красивый used for both men and women?Yes, but the form changes. For a man say красивый, for a woman красивая. Use красивые for a plural subject.