Travel
Station names, menus, and official forms in Ukraine are in Ukrainian. Knowing Russian is not a substitute, and treating it as one is noticed.
Learn Ukrainian
Learn Ukrainian with short lessons, vocabulary, pronunciation practice and interactive quizzes — organised by CEFR level.
- Speakers
- Tens of millions, mostly in Ukraine and the diaspora
- Where it sits
- Official language of Ukraine
- In the app
- Cyrillic with і, ї, є, ґ; uk-UA audio
Where it's used
Ukrainian is the state language of Ukraine. It is not a dialect of Russian. The two share a family and a script family; the vocabulary, the sounds, and the official status are different. You will also hear Ukrainian in diaspora communities in Canada (especially the Prairie provinces), Poland, and other parts of Europe. Inside Ukraine, cities have their own mix of Ukrainian and other languages; the public language of the state, schools, and most new media is Ukrainian.
- UkraineOfficial and the language of government, schools, and most national media.
- CanadaOne of the larger Ukrainian diasporas. Prairie cities and Toronto have long-standing communities.
- Poland & neighbouring EU statesWork and refugee communities; Ukrainian is increasingly visible in cities.
- Diaspora elsewhereUS, Argentina, and other older communities. Heritage Ukrainian varies.
What it's for
Work and solidarity
NGOs, journalism, and companies working with Ukraine increasingly expect Ukrainian, not a stand-in.
The language itself
A full Slavic language with its own literature and a written standard you can learn from A1.
Cities you'll actually use it
These are cities where Ukrainian is on the signs. What you hear in a café can still mix; the written city is Ukrainian.
Kyiv
Ukraine
Capital. Metro, government, and most new shop signs in Ukrainian.
Lviv
Ukraine
West of the country. Ukrainian in the street as well as on paper. A common first stop.
Odesa
Ukraine
Port city on the Black Sea. Historically mixed; public Ukrainian is the language to use.
Kharkiv
Ukraine
East, close to the Russian border. Ukrainian is the state language here too.
Dnipro
Ukraine
Industrial city on the river. Practical Ukrainian for offices and transport.
Chernivtsi
Ukraine
Near Romania. Older layers of other languages; Ukrainian is what you need now.
Which variety the app uses
Audio is uk-UA. The letters і, ї, є, and ґ do not exist in Russian. Do not learn Ukrainian as if it were Russian with different spelling. Lessons grow by CEFR; this page does not invent a full course list.
Who it is for
Ideal if you're starting from the basics or building on a few words you already know.
In the app
Choose Ukrainian as your learning language, set your level and daily goal, and practise with lessons and quizzes. Pronunciation uses uk-UA.
A few words
| Ukrainian | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Привіт | Pryvit | Hello |
| Мене звати... | Mene zvaty... | My name is... |
| Як справи? | Yak spravy? | How are you? |
| Приємно познайомитись | Pryyemno poznayomytys | Nice to meet you |
