-ный

Russian

Alternative forms

• -ний (-nij)
• -но́й (-nój) (when the ending is stressed)

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *-ьnъ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [nɨj]

Suffix

-ный • (-nyj)

1. -ish, -ic, -al, -ed; having a particular quality of, pertaining to, associated with; forms adjectives from nouns, and sometimes from verbs

   культу́ра (kulʹtúra, “culture”) → культу́рный (kulʹtúrnyj, “cultural”)

   ме́сто (mésto, “place”) → ме́стный (méstnyj, “local”)

   наро́д (naród, “people”) → наро́дный (naródnyj, “folk”)

   не́га (néga, “comfort”) → не́жный (néžnyj, “gentle”)

   нормати́в (normatív, “norm”) → нормати́вный (normatívnyj, “normative”)

   свобо́да (svobóda, “freedom”) → свобо́дный (svobódnyj, “free”)

   учёба (učóba, “studies, training”) → уче́бный (učébnyj, “educational, (attributive) training”)

   се́рия (sérija, “series”) → сери́йный (seríjnyj, “serial”)

   грех (grex, “sin”) → гре́шный (gréšnyj, “sinful”)

   не- (ne-) + обы́чай (obýčaj, “custom”) → необыча́йный (neobyčájnyj, “unusual, extraordinary”)

   German molekular → молекуля́рный (molekuljárnyj, “molecular”)

   German Kassation → кассацио́нный (kassaciónnyj, “(attributive) appeal, cassation”)

   томи́ть (tomítʹ, “to tire, to exhaust”) → то́мный (tómnyj, “languid, languorous”)

Declension

Declension of -ный (short class a)

		masculine	neuter	feminine	plural
nominative		-ный -nyj	-ное -noje	-ная -naja	-ные -nyje
genitive		-ного -novo		-ной -noj	-ных -nyx
dative		-ному -nomu		-ной -noj	-ным -nym
accusative	animate	-ного -novo	-ное -noje	-ную -nuju	-ных -nyx
	inanimate	-ный -nyj			-ные -nyje
instrumental		-ным -nym		-ной, -ною -noj, -noju	-ными -nymi
prepositional		-ном -nom		-ной -noj	-ных -nyx
short form		-ен -en	-но -no	-на -na	-ны -ny

Usage notes

Note the following properties:

• A velar (as well as ц) normally turns into a palatal as a result of the Slavic first palatalization. This and the following several properties are due to the *ь that was formerly present at the beginning of the suffix.

  не́га (néga, “comfort”) → не́жный (néžnyj, “gentle”)

  грех (grex, “sin”) → гре́шный (gréšnyj, “sinful”)

  се́рдце (sérdce, “heart”), genitive plural серде́ц (serdéc) → серде́чный (serdéčnyj, “cordial”)

• A stem ending in -л turns into -ль before the suffix; contrariwise, all other stems ending in -ь lose this.

  глаго́л (glagól, “verb”) → глаго́льный (glagólʹnyj, “verbal”)

  ла́герь (lágerʹ, “camp”) → ла́герный (lágernyj, “(attributive) camp”)

• With reducible nouns, the stem assumes its non-reduced form before the suffix. With feminine and neuter nouns, this form is found only in the genitive plural. This applies even to nouns with no plural.

  земля́ (zemljá, “land”), genitive plural земе́ль (zemélʹ) → земе́льный (zemélʹnyj, “(attributive) land”)

  ядро́ (jadró, “nucleus”), genitive plural я́дер (jáder) → я́дерный (jádernyj, “nuclear”)

  ёлка (jólka, “Christmas tree”), genitive plural ёлок (jólok) → ёлочный (jóločnyj, “(attributive) Christmas tree”) (к is palatalized in accordance with a preceding property)

  во́дка (vódka, “vodka”), genitive plural *во́док (*vódok) → во́дочный (vódočnyj, “(attributive) vodka”)

  литьё (litʹjó, “casting”), genitive plural *лите́й (*litéj) → лите́йный (litéjnyj, “(attributive) casting”)

• ё may turn back into е before the suffix.

  учёба (učóba, “studies, training”) → уче́бный (učébnyj, “educational, (attributive) training”)

• The stress is sometimes (but not always) drawn onto the preceding syllable.

  не- (ne-, “un-”) +‎ обы́чай (obýčaj, “custom”) → необыча́йный (neobyčájnyj, “unusual, extraordinary”)

  се́рия (sérija, “series”) → сери́йный (seríjnyj, “serial”)

• Foreign nouns ending in invariant -е change this to stressed -е́й before the suffix.

  ко́фе (kófe, “coffee”) → кофе́йный (koféjnyj, “(attributive) coffee”)

  шоссе́ (šossɛ́, “highway”) → шоссе́йный (šossɛ́jnyj, “(attributive) highway”)

• Some adjectives in -ия, -ие change this to stressed -е́й before the suffix (as if they ended in -ья, -ье/-ьё).

  ору́жие (orúžije, “weapon, arms”) → оруже́йный (oružéjnyj, “(attributive) weapon, gun, arms”)

  ли́ния (línija, “line”) → лине́йный (linéjnyj, “linear”)

• But some adjectives in -ия, -ие have the expected change to -и́й:

  ору́дие (orúdije, “large gun”) → оруди́йный (orudíjnyj, “(attributive) large gun”)

  се́рия (sérija, “series”) → сери́йный (seríjnyj, “serial”)

• Adjectives in -ный may be formed directly from foreign nouns or adjectives, as in молекуля́рный (molekuljárnyj, “molecular”) and кассацио́нный (kassaciónnyj, “(attributive) appeal, cassation”) (there is no such adjective *молекуля́р and no such noun *кассацио́н).

Note in particular that nouns in -ка (-ka), -ко (-ko) have corresponding adjectives in unstressed -очный.

Derived terms

Russian terms suffixed with -ный