Thursday in Russian: четверг
Pronounced cheet-VYERK — literally “fourth (day)”.
Thursday in Russian at a Glance
| Cyrillic | четверг |
|---|---|
| Transliteration | chetverg |
| On Thursday | в четверг (v chetverg) |
| Pronunciation | cheet-VYERK (чет·ве́рг) |
| Literal meaning | fourth (day) |
| Abbreviation | Чт |
From четыре (chetyre, “four”): Thursday is “the fourth day” of the Monday-first week. The final г is pronounced like k — “chit-VYERK” — because Russian devoices final consonants.
How to Pronounce четверг
cheet-VYERK — syllable by syllable: чет·ве́рг.
- Unstressed o sounds like “ah” — that's why понедельник starts with “pah-”, not “poh-”.
- The soft sign ь has no sound of its own; it softens the consonant before it.
- Stress matters: stressing the wrong syllable can make a word hard to recognize.
Example Sentences with четверг
How to Say “Happy Thursday” in Russian
Russians wish each other a good day using the genitive case: the phrase literally means “(I wish you) a good Thursday”. It's common in texts and at the end of phone calls.
All 7 Days of the Week in Russian
Russian day names tell a story: three are numbers (second, fourth, fifth day), one means “middle”, one comes from the Sabbath, one means “resurrection”, and Monday literally means “the day after doing nothing”. The week starts on Monday in Russia.
| English | Russian | Transliteration | Pronunciation | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | понедельник | ponedel'nik | puh-nee-DYEL-neek | |
| Tuesday | вторник | vtornik | FTOR-neek | |
| Wednesday | среда | sreda | sree-DAH | |
| Thursday | четверг | chetverg | cheet-VYERK | |
| Friday | пятница | pyatnitsa | PYAT-nee-tsuh | |
| Saturday | суббота | subbota | soo-BOH-tuh | |
| Sunday | воскресенье | voskresen'ye | vuhs-kree-SYEN-yeh |
See the full guide: Days of the Week in Russian.
Cultural Notes: Thursday in Russian-Speaking Countries
Russian has its own “when pigs fly” built on this day: после дождичка в четверг (“after a little rain on Thursday”) means “never”. It mocks the old pagan promise that the thunder god Perun, lord of Thursday, would bring rain.
Did You Know?
From четыре (chetyre, “four”): Thursday is “the fourth day” of the Monday-first week. The final г is pronounced like k — “chit-VYERK” — because Russian devoices final consonants. Curious how English got its name for Thursday? See our guide to the origins of the days of the week.
How to Use четверг in a Sentence
Use в + accusative case for “on”: в четверг (v chetverg) = on Thursday. For “every Thursday” Russians say по четвергам (po chetvergam). The case ending changes for feminine day names, so memorize the в-phrase as a unit.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say Thursday in Russian?
Thursday in Russian is четверг (chetverg), pronounced “cheet-VYERK”. It literally means “fourth (day)”.
What does четверг mean in English?
From четыре (chetyre, “four”): Thursday is “the fourth day” of the Monday-first week. The final г is pronounced like k — “chit-VYERK” — because Russian devoices final consonants.
How do you pronounce четверг?
It's pronounced “cheet-VYERK” — broken into syllables: чет·ве́рг. Use the audio button on this page to hear a recording.
Is четверг capitalized in Russian?
Russian weekday names are written in lowercase — четверг, not Четверг — unlike English. They're only capitalized at the start of a sentence.
How do you say “Happy Thursday” in Russian?
Хорошего четверга! (Khoroshego chetverga!). Russians wish each other a good day using the genitive case: the phrase literally means “(I wish you) a good Thursday”. It's common in texts and at the end of phone calls.
How is Thursday abbreviated in Russian?
Thursday (четверг) is abbreviated Чт on Russian calendars and schedules.
How do you say “on Thursday” in Russian?
в четверг (v chetverg) — the preposition в plus the accusative case. For “every Thursday”, use по четвергам (po chetvergam).
How do you write Thursday in Russian Cyrillic?
четверг — and remember it's lowercase in Russian unless it starts a sentence. The calendar abbreviation is Чт.
How do you say “today is Thursday” in Russian?
Сегодня четверг (Segodnya chetverg). Russian drops the verb “to be” in the present tense, so it's literally just “today Thursday”.