Київ

Carpathian Rusyn

Proper noun

Ки́їв • (Kýjiv) m

1. Kyiv (the capital city of Ukraine)

Ukrainian

Etymology

From Old East Slavic Киевъ (Kievŭ), of uncertain origin.

The traditional etymology is from the name of a legendary founder, Kyi. However, historian Mykhailo Hrushevsky warned that this was an “etymological myth”.

A proposal by linguist Jaroslav Rudnyckyj, accepted by several linguists and supported by multiple lines of evidence, holds that Київ (Kyjiv) comes rather from Proto-Slavic *kyjь (“stick, club, hammer”) (compare to Ukrainian кий (kyj)), in that case meaning a settlement palisaded by poles. See also Киевъ (Kievŭ).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈkɪjiu̯]

• Audio

  (file)

Proper noun

Ки́їв • (Kýjiv) m inan (genitive Ки́єва, uncountable, relational adjective ки́ївський)

1. Kyiv (the capital city of Ukraine)

   у Ки́єві, у Ки́єву ― u Kýjevi, u Kýjevu ― in Kyiv

   у Ки́їв, до Ки́єва ― u Kýjiv, do Kýjeva ― to Kyiv

   з Ки́єва ― z Kýjeva ― from Kyiv

Declension

Declension of Ки́їв (inan sg-only hard masc-form accent-a і-е)

	singular
nominative	Ки́їв Kýjiv
genitive	Ки́єва Kýjeva
dative	Ки́єву Kýjevu
accusative	Ки́їв Kýjiv
instrumental	Ки́євом Kýjevom
locative	Ки́єву, Ки́єві Kýjevu, Kýjevi
vocative	Ки́єве Kýjeve

Derived terms

Derived terms

• Ки́євець (Kýjevecʹ)
• Ки́єво- (Kýjevo-)
• київля́нин (kyjivljányn), київля́нка (kyjivljánka)
• ки́ївський (kýjivsʹkyj)
• Ки́ївська о́бласть (Kýjivsʹka óblastʹ)
• Ки́ївська Русь (Kýjivsʹka Rusʹ)
• Ки́ївщина (Kýjivščyna)
• кия́нин (kyjányn), кия́нка (kyjánka)
• кия́нський (kyjánsʹkyj)

Descendants

Descendants

• → Afrikaans: Kijif
• → Asturian: Kíiv
• → Breton: Kyiv
• → Catalan: Kíiv
• → Danish: Kyiv
• → Galician: Kíiv
• → German: Ky­jiw
• → English: Kyiv, Kiev; Kyïv, Kyjiv, Kyyiv; Kiou, Kiov, Kiow, Kiew, Kiof, Kioff, Kief, Kieff, Kiovia, Kiowia
• → Extremaduran: Kyiv
• → French: Kyïv
• → Icelandic: Kýiv
• → Irish: Cív
• → Japanese: キーウ
• → Luxembourgish: Ky­jiw
• → Manx: Kyiv
• → North Frisian: Kyjiw
• → Norwegian: Kyiv
• → Occitan: Kyiv
• → Piedmontese: Kijv
• → Scots: Kyiv
• → Scottish Gaelic: Coighìbh
• → Walloon: Kiyif
• → Welsh: Kyiv
• → Slovak: Kyjev

Further reading

• Rudnyc'kyj, Ja. (1972–1982) “Ки́їв”, in An Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language, volumes 2 (Д – Ь), Ottawa: Ukrainian Mohylo-Mazepian Academy of Sciences; Ukrainian Language Association, →LCCN, page 660
• Luchyk, V. V. (2014) “Київ”, in Етимологічний словник топонімів України [Etymological Dictionary of Toponyms of Ukraine] (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Academy, →ISBN, page 259
• Stryzhak, O. S., editor (1985), “Кыєвъ”, in Етимологічний словник літописних географічних назв Південної Русі [Etymological Dictionary of Chronicle Geographical Names of Southern Rus'] (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka, page 77
• Melnychuk, O. S., editor (1985), “кий”, in Етимологічний словник української мови [Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language] (in Ukrainian), volumes 2 (Д – Копці), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka, page 430
• “Київ”, in Горох – Словозміна [Horokh – Inflection] (in Ukrainian)
• “Ки́їв”, in Kyiv Dictionary (in English)
• Bilodid, I. K., editor (1970–1980), “Ки́їв”, in Словник української мови: в 11 т. [Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language: in 11 vols] (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka
• A. Rysin, V. Starko, et al. (compilers, 2011–2020), “Київ”, in English-Ukrainian Dictionaries