Russian is full of compound words — words built like little puzzles! In this post, we’ll explore five interesting Russian words and how they are formed:
📌 головоломка = голова + ломать
👉 Something that makes your head hurt — a difficult problem or riddle.
📌 очевидец = очи + видеть
👉 Someone who saw something with their own eyes — an eyewitness.
💡 Note: “Очи” is an old or poetic word for ‘глаза’ (eyes).
📌 мышеловка = мышь + ловить
👉 A device used to catch mice — a mousetrap.
📌 книголюб = книга + любить
👉 A person who really loves books and reading — a book lover.
📌 звездопад = звезда + падать
👉 When stars seem to fall from the sky — a meteor shower.
This also helps you recognise patterns in Russian and can make it easier to guess the meanings of new words you come across.
To be continued… More fun Russian word explorations coming soon!
🧩 Do you know any other tricky Russian compound words? Share them in the comments!
Check out my post on Russian plural-only nouns for more vocabulary tips.