Ukraine talk · Languages in Ukraine
All Destinations | Europe | Asia | North America | Africa | South America | Oceania | Hotels
Languages in Ukraine
Languages in Ukraine
Ukrainian is the official language. Near the neighbouring countries, Russian, Romanian, Polish, and Hungarian are spoken. Russian is a close relative of Ukrainian and is most often the language of choice in the south and east of Ukraine. It is safe to assume that virtually any Ukrainian will understand Russian; however, note that in the western parts people may be reluctant to help you if you speak Russian, though to foreigners, Ukrainians will be more forgiving than to Russians.
On the other hand, in the eastern parts and especially Crimea, Russian is the most commonly spoken language. In the central and eastern parts of the country, you may also find people using these two languages simultaneously (so called surzhyk?mix of languages). It is also common for people to talk to others in their native language, irrespective of the interlocutor’s one, so a visitor speaking Russian may be responded to in Ukrainian and vice versa.
Kiev, the capital, speaks both languages, but Russian is more commonly used. So Ukrainian is more frequently met in Central and Western Ukraine, Russian in Eastern and Southern Ukraine.
Young people are more likely to speak a little English, as it is the most widely taught foreign language in school.
If you are traveling to Ukraine, learn either basic Ukrainian or basic Russian beforehand (know your phrase book well) and/or have some means of access to a bilingual speaker, a mobile/cell/handy number (almost everyone has a mobile phone) can be a godsend. Virtually nobody in any official position (train stations, police, bus drivers, information desks, etc.) will be able to speak any language other than Ukrainian and Russian. If you already know another Slavic language, you will, however, be able to communicate as the Slavic languages are closely related.
It is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the Cyrillic alphabet to save you a lot of time and difficulty.
see: Ukrainian phrasebook; Russian phrasebook
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Ukraine
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Ukraine - updated May 2024
SAVE up to 75% on Last Minute deals! Search for discount Ukraine hotels, motels, apartments, hostels, guest accommodations and vacation resorts. Book now and pay at the hotel. Instant email confirmation!
>>> SEARCH FOR DEALS <<<
WHERE TO TRAVEL NEXT IN 2020
Ukraine Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.