St. Petersburg Slang: Passing for a Local

St. Petersburg slang comprises only a small part of a much larger collection of Russian slang words and phrases. While you should of course keep in mind that slang is informal and rarely official, it is nonetheless an extremely important part of any language, one which helps imbue the lexicon with cultural meaning and gives insight into local histories and traditions. As with most other countries in the world, there are two main groups of slang in Russia. Common slang is used throughout the national territory, whereas local slang is used more often or even sometimes exclusively in certain regions. It is on the latter that I will focus in this article, and as I am interning in St. Petersburg, I thought I’d share with you 7 local terms to help you feel a bit more at home in the city.

Kúra (кура) and Grécha (Греча)

Kura (кура) and grecha (греча) are the local terms in St. Petersburg for chicken (kuritsa, курица) and buckwheat (grechka, гречка) respectively. While there is no interesting story behind these ones, they are both pretty commonplace products in St. Petersburg, and so knowing the local terms for them will be very helpful in day-to-day life.

Badlón (бадлон)

Badlon (бадлон) is the word used in St. Petersburg for a Turtleneck sweater. Elsewhere in Russia, the word most often used is vodolazka (водолазка). Бадлон is quite an outdated term, and is probably more in place during the Soviet era. However, as the Turtleneck has – unfortunately – come back into fashion, you’re likely to hear this word more often in the city now.

Búlka (булка)

Bulka (булка) is the word used in St. Petersburg for a baguette, which Russians would probably call simply baton (батон). Interestingly, булка is not just an alternative term, but rather refers to a kind of baguette which is shorter and fatter than the typical baguette you might find in Europe or, indeed, elsewhere in Russia.

Píshka (пышка)

Pishka (пышка) is probably the most ‘St. Petersburg’ word on this list, as it refers to the city’s local sweet. Pishka is essentially a doughnut, however the actual Russian word for doughnut is Ponchik (пончик). In fact, pishka is so specific to St. Petersburg that it is an injustice to even call it a doughnut – pishka is just pishka. There is even a specific type of shop called a Pischechnaya (пышечная) where they are sold. If you are ever in St. Petersburg eating pishka is a must. Click here to read our article about this tasty snack to find out where you can grab some, and even how to make them yourself!

Parádnaya (парадная)

Paradnaya (парадная) is the word that locals in St. Petersburg use to refer to the main entrance-way of multi-storey buildings, known elsewhere in Russia as a pod’ezd (подъезд). Paradnaya comes from the Tsarist times, when the paradnyi pod’ezd was used as the primary entrance-way for guests, visitors and residents of Petersburg’s opulent palaces, and the chyornyi pod’ezd was used as the entrance-way for delivery of supplies and the like. The term has been carried over throughout history, and is now used to refer to the main entrance-way for the majority of large residential buildings in the city.

Kengurúkha (кенгуруха)

Kengurukha (кенгуруха) is a funny one. Kенгуруха is used in St. Petersburg to refer to a hoodie, which is otherwise known in Russia as a balakhon (балахон) or simply khudi (худи). It is actually surprisingly specific however, and usually refers to a pullover hoodie without a zip and with pockets at the waist, resembling the pouch of a kangaroo (kengaru (кенгару)), which is where the term comes from.

There is of course a far larger range of slang words used in St. Petersburg, but the above should at least give you a good head-start if you want to immerse yourself more in the culture and try to trick the locals into thinking you’re a true native. Even if they call your bluff, they will doubtless be impressed by your knowledge of the local dialect!

Posted by Aedan McCabe