Ukrainian military nouns, by stem consonant

Слава Україні! My Ukrainian teacher cried when she realized that I know how to say “trench” and “massive hemorrhage,” but not “carrot” or “baby.” Nonetheless: military vocabulary is just as good for morphophonology exercises as anything else. So, here is a list of Ukrainian military nouns, organized by stem-final consonant for your declensional pleasure.

Soft: біно́кль (binoculars), броня́ (armor), в’я́зень (prisoner), вбивця (murderer (female)), вого́нь (fire, as in gunfire or suppressing fire), га́убиця (howitzer), злочинність (crime, criminality), їда́льня (chow hall), ку́ля (bullet (projectile of)), міць (power, force), міше́нь (target), патру́ль (patrol), столи́ця (capital (of a country)), стрілець (shooter)

Hard: полк (regiment), флот (navy), дрон (drone), зонд (probe), льох (root cellar), мир (peace), міст (bridge), пульт (remote control), склеп (root cellar? crypt??), ствол (barrel of firearm), танк (tank), чуб (Cossack hairlock), шнур (cord), цинк (canister), штурм (assault)

Palatals or Р: сабота́ж (sabotage), блінда́ж (improvised trench shelter), ніж (knife), меч (sword), переклада́ч (interpreter), бу́нкер (bunker), затво́р (bolt (of firearm))

Feminine nouns in -ка: сержантка (sergeant (female)), апте́чка (IFAK), арафатка (shemagh), безпе́ка (safety), вибухі́вка (explosive), гвинті́вка (rifle, not automatic), гуманіта́рка (humanitarian aid (slang)), за́сідка (ambush), за́сувка (bolt, bar; fastener), зені́тка (antiaircraft gun), контрро́звідка (counterintelligence), краді́жка (theft, stealing, robbery), кри́шка (cover, lid, e.g. of spring in AK-47), па́стка (trap), пора́зка (defeat), пу́шка (gun, pistol), рі́чка (river), ро́зві́дка (intelligence), розтя́жка (tripwire, booby trap), рукави́чка (glove), рукоя́тка (grip (of firearm)), су́мка (bag, e.g. carried by refugees), терористка (terrorist (female))

Feminine nouns in -ія: а́рмія (army), артиле́рія (artillery), диве́рсія (diversion), диві́зія (division), евакуа́ція (evacuation), мі́сія (mission), пози́ція (position), ра́ція (two-way radio), траєкто́рія (trajectory)

Feminine nouns with other consonants: би́тва (battle), бо́мба (bomb), брига́да (brigade), війна́ (war), гарма́та (cannon), грана́та (grenade), каза́рма (barracks), ка́рта (map), кінно́та (cavalry), мі́на (mine), піхо́та (infantry), пружи́на (spring (device)), раке́та (rocket; missile), ро́та (company), стріляни́на (shooting), фо́рма (uniform), шко́да (damage)

Neuter nouns in o or e: дуло (muzzle (of firearm)), вби́вство (murder), по́нчо (poncho), село́ (village)

Neuter nouns with double consonants: вто́ргнення (invasion), запа́лення (inflammation), запа́морочення (dizziness, lightheadedness), очи́щення (cleaning; clearing), спостере́ження (observation, watching), бомбардува́ння (bombardment), знебо́лювання (analgesia), приці́лювання (aiming, pointing, sighting), порівня́ння (comparison)

Neuter nouns with other double consonants: життя́ (life), сухожи́лля (tendon), прикриття́ (concealment (from enemy view), піднебіння (palate (anatomy)), укриття́ (shelter, e.g. bomb shelter)

Neuter nouns for baby animals: щеня́ (puppy), кошеня́ (kitten), цуценя́ (puppy) It might seem odd to have this category, but (a) no Ukrainian military position is complete without its dog or cat–there is a kitten playing with my rifle’s sling as I write this–and (b) words referring to baby animals have special morphology in Ukrainian.

Masculine nouns in -ій: бій (battle, fight), зло́дій (thief), воді́й (driver)

E or o in the final syllable: to drop, or not to drop? авіано́сець (aircraft carrier), ви́рок (verdict), вого́нь (fire, as in gunfire or suppressing fire), во́рог (enemy), гранатоме́т (RPG, bazooka), доброво́лець (military volunteer), куро́к (trigger), офіце́р (officer), оско́лок (shell fragment), плаве́ць (swimmer), по́рох (gunpowder)

No singular OR no plural: берці (combat boots), кров (blood), вода (water), штани (pants)

Velar shift (also see feminine nouns in -ка above): му́ха (fly; front sight), бреху́ха (liar), завірю́ха (blizzard, snowstorm), риба́ха (fisherwoman? fisherman?) (Yes, I had to allow for a bit of drift out of the military lexical field to find some good examples of this stem type), свекруха (mother-in-law); допомо́га (help, aid), нога́ (leg), обло́га (siege), перемо́га (victory), тривога (alarm, alert; anxiety), підлога (floor), дорога, тринога (tripod), двонога (bipod)

Do you have some cool additions? Please tell us about them in the comments. If you would like to support my work in Ukraine, you can do so via PayPal to kevin.cohen@gmail.com. For tax-deductible options, please contact me directly. Photo: Hospitallers (Hospitalières) Medical Battalion MEDEVAC crew. Photographer: unknown.