You're looking for a single word. Most English speakers starting out with Slavic languages just want a quick translation—a "Russian version" of that tiny, two-letter English workhorse. But here is the kicker: there isn't one. If you want to know how to say of in russian, you have to stop looking for a word and start looking for a relationship.
In English, "of" is a glue word. It connects "the city" to "London." It connects "a glass" to "water." In Russian, that glue is usually invisible. It’s baked right into the ends of the nouns themselves. It’s called the Genitive Case. Honestly, it’s the biggest hurdle for beginners, but once it clicks, the whole language starts to feel less like a code and more like a puzzle.
The Secret Ingredient is the Genitive Case
Russian is an inflected language. That basically means the endings of words change depending on what they are doing in a sentence. When we want to express possession or relationship—the stuff "of" usually handles—Russians use the Genitive Case (Родительный падеж).
Imagine you have the word "Student" (Студент). If you want to say "The book of the student," you don't add a word. You change the ending. Kniga studenta. That 'a' at the end of studenta is doing all the heavy lifting. It literally translates to "of the student."
It’s efficient. It’s fast. But for us? It’s a massive headache because every gender handles these endings differently. Masculine nouns usually grab an -a or -ya. Feminine nouns often swap their endings for -y or -i. Neuter nouns go their own way too. You aren't just memorizing a vocabulary word; you're learning a grammatical shapeshifting trick.
When "Of" Actually Becomes a Word
Sometimes, Russian does use a preposition that mimics our "of," but the context is hyper-specific. Take the word из (iz). It means "out of" or "from." If you are talking about a ring made of gold, you might use iz zolota.
Then there is от (ot). This one is more about "away from." Think of it as the "of" in "the key of the door" (though even that is often just Genitive) or "a gift from/of someone."
But don't get sidetracked. 90% of the time, when you think "of," you should be thinking about that Genitive ending. If you try to force a preposition like iz into every sentence where we use "of," you're going to sound like a literal translation bot from 2004. Nobody wants that.
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Possession and "The House of My Father"
Let's look at ownership. This is the most common use case. In English, we have two ways to do this: "My father's house" or "The house of my father."
Russian prefers the second structure, but again, without the "of."
Dom (House) + Otets (Father).
To make it "of the father," Otets becomes Ottsa.
Dom ottsa.
Simple? Kinda. Until you realize that if the father is plural, the ending changes again. If the house is being lived in, the word dom changes too. It’s a cascading effect. Linguists like Roman Jakobson spent their entire careers mapping out how these cases function because they aren't just "rules"—they are the DNA of the Russian thought process.
The Weird World of Quantities
One thing that trips everyone up is how Russian handles "of" when you’re counting. In English, we say "five of the cats" or "a lot of water."
In Russian, words for quantity demand the Genitive case.
Mnogo (Much/Many) + Voda (Water) becomes Mnogo vody.
Pyat (Five) + Koshka (Cat) becomes Pyat koshek.
Notice how the word for cat changed completely? That's the Genitive plural. It’s often called the "Zero Ending" because you actually take letters away sometimes. It’s the opposite of English where we just keep piling on more letters to make things plural. Russian is a subtractive sculptor in this regard.
Why Location Matters
Sometimes "of" is used to describe where someone is from. "He is of the North." In Russian, this is where из (iz) finally gets its time to shine.
Ya iz N'yu-Yorka (I am from/of New York).
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But wait! If you're saying "The center of the city," you go back to the case system. Tsentr goroda. Why? Because the center belongs to the city. It’s part of its identity. Russian makes a psychological distinction between "originating from" and "being a part of."
Common Mistakes You’ll Probably Make
You're going to use the nominative case. Everyone does. You'll say Stakan voda (Glass water) instead of Stakan vody (Glass of water). People will understand you, sure. But it sounds like "Me Tarzan, you Jane."
Another big one is overusing the preposition о (o). In Russian, о means "about," not "of." If you say "I am thinking of you," you use o tebe. But if you say "The book of you" (your book), you use the Genitive tebya. Mixing these up is a classic "foreigner" move.
Practical Strategies for Mastering the Shift
You can't just memorize a list and call it a day. You have to hear the rhythm. Listen to how Russians say "The Department of Finance" (Departament finansov) or "The Hero of the People" (Geroy naroda).
- Focus on the nouns first. Don't worry about adjectives yet. Just get the base noun endings down.
- Think in pairs. Instead of learning "Book" and "Student," learn them as a pair: Kniga studenta.
- Use the 'No' Trick. The Genitive case is also used to say you don't have something. Net deneg (No money—literally "of money there is none"). This is the easiest way to practice the "of" endings.
The Cultural Nuance of Connection
There’s a reason Russian is so specific about this. The language is built on the idea of interconnectedness. When you use the Genitive case to replace "of," you are literally welding two concepts together. It’s a tighter bond than the English "of," which feels like a separate link in a chain.
When a Russian speaker says Krasota prirody (The beauty of nature), the y at the end of prirody makes the beauty an inseparable quality of the nature itself. It’s poetic. It’s dense. It’s why Russian literature feels so heavy and meaningful—the grammar doesn't allow for loose connections.
Real World Examples to Stick in Your Brain
Look at some famous titles or phrases to see this in action:
Master i Margarita (The Master and Margarita) — No "of" here, but if it were "The Master of Margarita," it would be Master Margarity.
Chaykovskiy — Many Russian last names are actually based on this "of" logic, referring to places or ancestors.
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If you go to a restaurant in Moscow and want a "cup of coffee," you say Chashka kofye. Coffee (kofye) is indeclinable, so it stays the same. Lucky you! But if you want a "cup of tea," Chay becomes Chaya. Chashka chaya.
Moving Forward with the Russian "Of"
Stop looking for a translation of the word "of." It doesn't exist in the way you want it to. Instead, start looking at nouns as objects that can change their shape.
Start by practicing the Genitive masculine ending -a. It’s the most common. Use it for everything for a day just to get your mouth used to the sound. "The phone of the brother," "The car of the friend," "The office of the boss."
Next, tackle the feminine -y or -i.
Once you stop hunting for a two-letter word and start embracing the shifting endings, the Russian language stops being a wall and starts being a door. You'll begin to see how the logic of the language flows—not through extra words, but through the evolution of the words you already know.
Pick five objects in your room. Find their Russian names. Now, find the names of their owners. Try to pair them up using the Genitive case. This hands-on association is the only way to hardwire the Russian "of" into your brain.
Actionable Next Steps
- Identify the Gender: Before you can say "of," you must know if the noun is masculine, feminine, or neuter. You can't skip this step.
- Learn the "A" and "Y" Rules: Masculine nouns get an -a (like Ivana), and Feminine nouns get a -y (like gazety). This covers roughly 70% of daily interactions.
- Practice Negation: Use the word Net (there is no) to practice these endings. "No bread" is Net khleba. "No water" is Net vody. It’s the fastest way to master the Genitive case without getting bogged down in complex sentences.
- Listen for the "A" Sound: When listening to Russian media, pay attention to how many words end in that short "ah" sound. Most of the time, that's your "of" in action.