# Pronouncing Russian names (like Putin) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 1, 2003, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-russian-names-like-putin/210857 "2003-11-01T18:07:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JRootabega](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e7dd6/32.png) [@JRootabega](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRootabega)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-russian-names-like-putin/210857/21 "2003-11-04T23:14:36Z")
> [@](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > Originally posted by JRootabega > > Related anecdote: Our tour guide at the Kremlin gave our tour in English. She kept saying StalEEN. Don’t know any country in the world that pronounces it like that. > > Well, that’s where the stress is actually supposed to be. D’oh! You learn something new every thread. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Dickerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Scott\_Dickerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Dickerson)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2003, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-russian-names-like-putin/210857/22 "2003-11-07T06:43:43Z")
So, POOtjin. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2003, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-russian-names-like-putin/210857/23 "2003-11-07T06:58:53Z")
**[symbol]P[/symbol]ymuH** ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2003, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-russian-names-like-putin/210857/24 "2003-11-07T08:35:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jomo Mojo \* > \*\***[symbol]P[/symbol]ymuH** \*\* Heh. Cheap but effective, eh **Jomo**? Of course, you’ll never render the reverse-N that way. The only portable way I’ve found to render Cyrillic in arbitrary (or semi-arbitrary) browsers is UTF-8. Unfortunately, UTF-8 HTML entities are not named. You must type in numeric codes by hand for each letter. [This website has a CGI script to convert Unicode Cyrillic to UTF-8 HTML entities.](http://jotpuree.com/utils/encodeCyrillicInHtml.php) As a backup, it also has a long collection of Cyrillic characters right beside the entities that represent them. Copy and paste the entities (ugly buggers beginning with an `&' and ending with a `;’) into a post and the SDMB software will honor them, meaning they’ll show up right on any browser that supports UTF-8 (most modern browsers, even MSIE). For reference, and as an example, here is a tag from [Fark.ru](http://Fark.ru) in HTML entities (courtesy of the script): Чашка кофе - отличный повод для секса (I guess it’s something about Kobe. I have no idea if I’m even close.) ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2003, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-russian-names-like-putin/210857/25 "2003-11-07T08:39:00Z")
Can I retract my guess? I recognize the ф now - it makes an `f’ sound, right? As in Aeroflot? ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2003, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-russian-names-like-putin/210857/26 "2003-11-07T08:50:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Derleth \* > \*\*Can I retract my guess? I recognize the ф now - it makes an `f’ sound, right? As in Aeroflot? \*\* Yes. Or “coffee” ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2003, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-russian-names-like-putin/210857/27 "2003-11-07T08:59:25Z")
**Cicada** : Well, I learned it from looking at the sides of Russian aircraft I saw in pictures. I knew the English spelling of the Russian aviation concern, and I know my way around the Greek alphabet pretty well (due to an interest in physics and math, not the Greek language per se), so once I saw the text the connection was made. I’m still fascinated with the Cyrillic alphabet, and my knowledge of Russian still ends at `da' and `nyet’. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2003, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-russian-names-like-putin/210857/28 "2003-11-07T09:12:54Z")
Russian is a pretty cool language to study, and knowing Greek helps, somewhat. It’s been some years since I studied it–like, 30–so all I really remember is the Cyrillic alphabet, which means I can pick phonetically spelled cognates (I think that’s the word) out, or Russian words that have become known in America (like Pravda). Or words picked up by Russian from English, like “coffee.” My Russian teacher told us if we kept up with the language we would never need facelifts because we’d be working so many more facial muscles, speaking Russian. Unfortunately, didn’t heed her advice . . . ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2003, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-russian-names-like-putin/210857/29 "2003-11-07T09:15:53Z")
. . . on second thought, or even third thought, the Russians probably didn’t pick up êîôå from English . . . ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2003, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-russian-names-like-putin/210857/30 "2003-11-07T09:17:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cicada2003 \* > \*\*. . . on second thought, or even third thought, the Russians probably didn’t pick up êîôå from English . . . \*\* ahem, that should be . . . oh never mind. (I should have been suspicious when it looked right _without_ preview. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2003, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-russian-names-like-putin/210857/31 "2003-11-07T12:42:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Derleth \* > > For reference, and as an example, here is a tag from [Fark.ru](http://Fark.ru) in HTML entities (courtesy of the script): > > Чашка кофе - отличный повод для секса > > (I guess it’s something about Kobe. I have no idea if I’m even close.) \*\* “A cup of coffee: a great reason for sex.” Unless there’s more ocntext, then no. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-russian-names-like-putin/210857/32 "2003-11-08T00:37:53Z")
**Eva** : Given that it’s from FARK, I’d say that’s a very good translation. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-russian-names-like-putin/210857.md?page=1)