Russian · Русский
Learn everyday Russian with Momo
Momo teaches 227 everyday Russian words and phrases across 15 picture decks. Every card shows the word in Cyrillic with a roman pronunciation hint, and every word has its own pre-made audio clip, spoken by a clear AI (neural) voice. Play games, try travel phrases and say the words out loud.
Hear it
A few of the 227 words
Straight from the app: the word, its pronunciation hint, and the clip Momo plays. The voices are natural AI voices.
What is inside
15 topic decks, the same in every language
227 everyday words and phrases, each with a picture, a pronunciation hint and its own audio clip.
- Hello & Phrases (18)
- My Family (13)
- Animals (22)
- Food & Drink (21)
- Colors (12)
- Shapes (10)
- Numbers (20)
- My Body (15)
- Feelings (12)
- Nature & Weather (16)
- My Things (19)
- Travel Phrases (16) · not in Little Explorer
- School (12)
- Clothes (12)
- Transport (10)
227 words and phrases
What you learn in Russian
Russian uses the same 227 words and phrases as every other language in Momo, with none left out, so a family learning two languages meets the same topics in both.
15 picture decks
Greetings and everyday phrases, family, animals, food and drink, colours, shapes, numbers 1 to 20, the body, feelings, nature and weather, everyday things, school, clothes, transport and travel.
16 travel phrases
Asking the price, paying by card, asking for the menu and the bill, checking into a hotel, getting a taxi and asking for help, all in Russian with audio. Not in Little Explorer mode.
Four games in Russian
In Find it! you hear a word and tap its picture. Memory match pairs pictures with written Russian words, How many? practises counting, and I spy asks you to find 5 named items in one of three picture scenes.
Say it like Momo
Hear a Russian word, hold the button to record yourself and play it back. Silly voices turn your take into a chipmunk or a robot. No scores and no pressure. Works in every age mode, with bigger buttons in Little Explorer.
Today's word and rewards
One word a day, the same for everyone. Tap it to hear it in Russian, then in your “I speak” language. Along the way, earn up to 3 stars per deck and 40 stickers, and keep a daily streak on your device.
Russian details
How Russian works in Momo
Russian gets all 15 decks and the same games as every language: Find it!, Memory match, How many?, I spy and Say it like Momo. The alphabet, letter tracing, the Dialect lab and the “How everyone says it” box are for Arabic only. Here is how Russian looks and sounds in Momo.
- Cyrillic with a roman hint: each card shows the Russian word in Cyrillic, a roman pronunciation hint, and one line in your own language: English by default, or one of 11 others.
- Just the word, no article: Russian nouns appear on their own, with no article to learn. Only the French, Spanish, Portuguese and German cards include one.
- Russian in the games: Find it! and I spy ask for pictures in Russian, How many? asks its question and says the right number in Russian, and the spoken cheers when you get one right are Russian too.
- A written English prompt: outside Little Explorer, Find it! on picture decks and I spy also show “Where is …?” in English, so you know what to look for before you can read the Russian. Little Explorer hears the prompt only.
Audio
The Russian voice
Every Russian word and phrase has its own pre-made audio clip, spoken by a clear AI (neural) voice. It is a Microsoft voice for Russian as heard in Russia (ru-RU).
- It is computer speech, not a recording of a person.
- Every Russian clip, from words to game prompts and cheers, uses the same voice.
- On learn cards you hear the Russian word, then the same word in your “I speak” language (English by default), spoken by a different AI voice. Tap the card to hear it again.
- The clips play at the same speed in every age mode.
- Your device's own voice steps in for the greeting when you pick Russian, and for any clip that fails to play.
Who it suits
Russian for families, children, travellers, teens and adults
Heritage families
If Russian is spoken at home or by grandparents, start with the greetings and family decks: everyday phrases and the words for close family, each with a clip to copy. Siblings can share one device and switch age modes from the header. On an ordinary account, stars and stickers on that device are shared, not kept per child; a family account (set up by us; you cannot choose one at sign-up yet) keeps them separately for up to 5 people.
Children 2 to 12
Little Explorer (2 to 5) leans on pictures and sound, so children can play before they read Cyrillic. It has bigger buttons, two choices in Find it! and How many?, and game prompts that are spoken, not written. Cards still show the Russian word. Say it like Momo works in this mode too. Big Kid (6 to 12) adds Memory match, travel phrases and a progress page.
Travellers
Heading somewhere Russian is spoken? Alongside prices, menus and taxis, the 16 travel phrases include “Do you speak English?” and “I don't understand”. Before you leave, Save offline downloads the Russian audio (under 10 MB with an English helper), and Momo keeps working offline for up to 7 days between check-ins.
Teens and adults new to Cyrillic
Teens and Grown-ups mode (13+) gives you all 15 decks, the games and the travel phrases. Every word comes with a roman hint, so you can listen and speak before you can read Cyrillic. It is vocabulary and short phrases, not a full course.
Questions
Questions about Russian in Momo
Do I need to read Cyrillic to start?
No. Every word is spoken, and the roman hint under the Cyrillic shows how to say it, so you can start by listening and copying. Tap a card to hear it again as often as you like. In Little Explorer mode, game prompts are spoken rather than written, though cards still show the Russian word.
Does Momo teach the Russian alphabet?
No. The alphabet and letter tracing in Momo are for Arabic only. In Russian you meet Cyrillic one whole word at a time, each with a roman hint and its own audio clip.
Does Momo teach Russian grammar and cases?
No. Momo teaches 227 everyday words and short phrases, each with its own audio clip. It does not explain grammar, cases or verb endings, and it is not a conversation course. Use it to build vocabulary and get used to hearing Russian, and add a class or textbook if you want grammar.
Can a Russian speaker use Momo to learn another language?
Yes. Русский is one of the 12 “I speak” languages. Choose it on the language screen, and each card in the language you are learning shows the word in Russian too, with the Russian word spoken after the target word on learn cards. It works with any of the other 10 languages. If you pick Russian as the language to learn, the helper line switches to English.
Keep exploring
All 11 languages
See what every language shares and what makes each one different.
Learn moreTravel phrases
The 16 phrases, grouped by situation.
Learn moreGames
How Find it!, Memory match, How many? and I spy work.
Learn moreSpeaking practice
Record yourself and play it back. Your voice never leaves the device.
Learn moreTranslation
Every card also shows the word in your own language: English by default, or one of 11 others. A translate tool is coming soon.
Learn more
Start learning Russian
Try Momo free for 90 days, no card needed. It runs in a modern web browser on phone, tablet or computer, and you can add it to your home screen.