Results 1 to 10 of 10

Thread: Words that look the same but have different meanings!?

  1. #1
    Hanna
    Guest

    Words that look the same but have different meanings!?

    This certainly exists in other languages too (English for example) but it seems to be particularly common in Russian. LOL - замок !! (I was tricked! )
    Let's make a list!

    замок lock
    замок castle

    What are some other ones?

  2. #2
    Завсегдатай Ramil's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Other Universe
    Posts
    8,499
    Rep Power
    30

    Re: Words that look the same but have different meanings!?

    They are called omonyms.
    норка (a small animal and a hole in the ground)
    ключ (a water spring or a key - funny that a spring is an omonym too in Engilsh)
    наряд (a work order or a garment)
    ласка (a small animal or tenderness)
    колода (a card deck or a block for chopping meat)
    косяк (a doorframe or a flock or birds, or a swarm of fish or even a joint with marijuana)

    There are very many of such words.

    Edit: Johanna, point taken.
    Send me a PM if you need me.

  3. #3
    Hanna
    Guest

    Re: Words that look the same but have different meanings!?

    Remember it's for learners...
    Got to indicate which meaning has which accent!
    I just know one of these and now I am not sure I have the accent right...

  4. #4
    Завсегдатай Basil77's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Moscow reg.
    Posts
    2,549
    Rep Power
    19

    Re: Words that look the same but have different meanings!?

    The fist one that came in mind is "лук" (means both "onion" and "bow"). And since there is only one vowel they doesn't differ even by stress. These are so called "homonyms". There are some more of them in Russian but not that many.
    Please, correct my mistakes, except for the cases I misspell something on purpose!

  5. #5
    Завсегдатай it-ogo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Ukraine
    Posts
    3,048
    Rep Power
    29

    Re: Words that look the same but have different meanings!?

    Homonyms are words that are exactly the same and even have the same accents but different meanings. They are abundant in any language. Finding them is easy: open any vocabulary and see meaning 1, meaning 2, ...

    In Russian things are more complicated than in English because there are inflections and different forms of the same or different words may coincide (homoforms).

    Example
    три -
    1)three
    2) rub, frictionize (imperative from тереть)
    etc.

    As for words that are the same but accent and meanings... words in Russian in average are longer than in English so there are more accents are possible.
    "Россия для русских" - это неправильно. Остальные-то чем лучше?

  6. #6
    Старший оракул CoffeeCup's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Snowbearia
    Posts
    902
    Rep Power
    14

    Re: Words that look the same but have different meanings!?

    Quote Originally Posted by Johanna
    замок lock
    замок castle
    Some time ago I was really surprised to know that in German these two very different beings are also described by one word "Schloß" (Schloss).
    So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

  7. #7
    Властелин wanja's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Russia,Obninsk
    Posts
    1,467
    Rep Power
    17

    Re: Words that look the same but have different meanings!?

    мука - flour.
    мука - torture.

    плачу - I pay.
    плачу - I cry.
    Семь бед, один Reset

  8. #8
    Hanna
    Guest

    Re: Words that look the same but have different meanings!?

    Quote Originally Posted by CoffeeCup
    Quote Originally Posted by Johanna
    замок lock
    замок castle
    Some time ago I was really surprised to know that in German these two very different beings are also described by one word "Shloß" (Shloss).
    Wow, how interesting. Actually I thought lock in German was Sperr and that schlossen was more like closing. But I am not very good at German and I am not sure about that. Either way it's surely more than a co-incidence!

    I didn't know there was a word for such similar looking words!

  9. #9
    SAn
    SAn is offline
    Почтенный гражданин SAn's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Сколково
    Posts
    397
    Rep Power
    10

    Re: Words that look the same but have different meanings!?

    стрелки — riflemans (singular — стрелок)
    стрелки — arrows (like these: ←↑→↓↔↕), clock hands (singular — стрелка)

  10. #10
    SAn
    SAn is offline
    Почтенный гражданин SAn's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Сколково
    Posts
    397
    Rep Power
    10

    Re: Words that look the same but have different meanings!?

    Вспоминаем: «Косил косой косой косой».

    Коса — plait, tress, braid.
    Коса — scythe.
    Коса — spit.
    Коса = косая = покосившаяся — lopsided, leaning, tilted, askew.
    Коса = косая = косоглазая — [she is] squint-eyed.

Similar Threads

  1. Meanings of так
    By radomir in forum Grammar and Vocabulary
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: May 12th, 2010, 09:32 AM
  2. Songs - please help me with their meanings? (4)
    By emeraldeyez in forum Translate This!
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: April 11th, 2009, 03:30 PM
  3. different words, different meanings?
    By Remyisme in forum Grammar and Vocabulary
    Replies: 15
    Last Post: February 17th, 2008, 03:49 PM
  4. Multiple meanings of words - Check it out.
    By basurero in forum Grammar and Vocabulary
    Replies: 10
    Last Post: February 18th, 2006, 04:39 AM
  5. Просто так meanings
    By Mordan in forum Grammar and Vocabulary
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: September 1st, 2005, 06:29 AM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  


Russian Lessons                           

Russian Tests and Quizzes            

Russian Vocabulary