How to Introduce Yourself in Russian: “My Name Is” and “What Is Your Name”

The first thing you say to a new person is usually your name, so it’s also the first thing most people want to learn in a new language. In Russian it takes only two or three words, and you can start using them today. What takes a little longer is knowing which version to pick, because Russian has a polite way and a friendly way to ask someone’s name, and mixing them up can feel awkward.

Here’s how to say my name is in Russian: you say Меня зовут (Menya zovut) and add your name. To ask someone’s name, you say Как вас зовут? (Kak vas zovut?) to a stranger or an older person, and Как тебя зовут? (Kak tebya zovut?) to a friend or a child. This article goes through these phrases one by one, explains why Russian says “they call me” and not “I am,” and shows what to say after the name, so the conversation doesn’t stop after the first sentence.

How to Say My Name Is in Russian: The Short Answer

Start with the simplest version. You say hello, then Меня зовут and your name. That’s all. “Меня зовут Эмма” (Menya zovut Emma) means “My name is Emma,” and “Меня зовут Джон” (Menya zovut Dzhon) means “My name is John.” If your name is not Russian, you just write it with Russian letters the way it sounds, and nobody expects more.

The table below puts the main phrases next to each other, so you can see which one goes where.

Russian	Transliteration	Roughly means
Здравствуйте!	Zdravstvuyte!	Hello! (formal)
Привет!	Privet!	Hi! (casual)
Меня зовут…	Menya zovut…	My name is…
Как вас зовут?	Kak vas zovut?	What’s your name? (formal)
Как тебя зовут?	Kak tebya zovut?	What’s your name? (informal)
Очень приятно	Ochen’ priyatno	Nice to meet you
Приятно познакомиться	Priyatno poznakomit’sya	Nice to meet you (a bit longer)
Рад / Рада познакомиться	Rad / Rada poznakomit’sya	Glad to meet you (man / woman)
А вы? / А ты?	A vy? / A ty?	And you? (formal / informal)

Two small notes before we go on. First, the very first word, Здравствуйте, looks scarier than it sounds: the first в is silent, so people say something like “ZDRAST-vuy-tye.” Second, if you want a friendly reply after hearing someone’s name, you can say Рад познакомиться (Rad poznakomit’sya) if you’re a man, or Рада познакомиться (Rada poznakomit’sya) if you’re a woman. It means “glad to meet you,” and it changes with the speaker’s gender, just like студент and студентка later in this article. People also like to open an introduction with Давайте познакомимся (Davayte poznakomimsya), “Let’s get acquainted.”

Menya Zovut: What the Phrase Really Says

Before you use it, it helps to know what the phrase actually says. If you translate Меня зовут word by word, you get “they call me.” That’s why “Меня зовут Мария” means “My name is Maria,” and why Russian doesn’t say “I am Maria” in the same situation. Elon’s grammar page explains that меня (menya) is the accusative form of “I,” and the name itself stays in its basic form, so you don’t change anything about your name. You just put it at the end.

Can you say “Я Эмма” (Ya Emma), simply “I’m Emma”? Yes, people do say it, especially among friends. In the same Elon dialogue, a girl answers “Очень приятно, я Лена” (Ochen’ priyatno, ya Lena), “Nice to meet you, I’m Lena.” But Меня зовут is the standard, everyday way, and it’s safe in any situation.

There’s one phrase you should avoid, even though it looks logical. Many learners think of “my name” first and try to say “Моё имя Ольга” (Moyo imya Ol’ga). The Polyglottist Language Academy warns that it sounds stiff, and recommends Меня зовут Ольга as the natural one. Russian speakers understand the first version, of course, but it sounds a bit like a form you fill in.

Kak Vas Zovut or Kak Tebya Zovut? Choosing Between Ty and Vy

Now the question side. Russian has two words for “you”: ты (ty) for a friend, a child, a family member, and вы (vy) for a stranger, an older person, or someone you need to be polite with. Вы also means “you” in the plural, when you speak to a group. The question follows the same rule: “Как вас зовут?” is polite, and “Как тебя зовут?” is friendly.

If you’re not sure, start with вы. The Polyglottist Language Academy advises beginners to use it first and switch only when the other person invites you to. In Russian, switching is a small moment in a friendship, and people say it out loud: “Давай на ты” (Davay na ty), “Let’s use ты.” Using ты with someone who expects вы can sound too familiar, for example, saying “Привет!” to a professor. It’s also better not to mix the two forms in one conversation. One more thing for families: adults say ты to a child, but a child says вы to teachers and to adults they don’t know, so a student shouldn’t ask a teacher “Как тебя зовут?”

The reply to “Как вас зовут?” can be as short as the name alone. A person might say “Антон” (Anton) and ask back, “А вас?” (A vas?), “And you?” A friend might say “Лена” (Lena) and ask “А тебя?” (A tebya?). It’s a very natural way to keep a conversation going.

First Name, Patronymic and Short Forms

When Russians say their full name, there are three parts: имя (imya), the first name, отчество (otchestvo), the patronymic, and фамилия (familiya), the surname. The patronymic comes from the father’s first name. According to Cornell’s Russian grammar page, if a father is called Пётр (Pyotr), his son’s patronymic is Петрович (Petrovich) and his daughter’s is Петровна (Petrovna). So a man named Иван becomes Иван Петрович (Ivan Petrovich), and his sister becomes, for example, Мария Петровна (Mariya Petrovna).

When do you use it? Elon’s page on forms of address says the respectful default for an older colleague, a teacher or an official is the first name with the patronymic, together with вы. You might hear “Здравствуйте, Николай Иванович!” (Zdravstvuyte, Nikolay Ivanovich!), “Hello, Nikolai Ivanovich!” or “Мария Сергеевна, можно задать вопрос?” (Mariya Sergeyevna, mozhno zadat’ vopros?), “Maria Sergeyevna, may I ask a question?” Using only the surname sounds cold and official.

What about you, as a learner? The Polyglottist Language Academy says foreign learners usually don’t need to introduce themselves with a patronymic, though it’s very useful to recognize one. So “Меня зовут Эмма” is enough.

Short forms are the other half of Russian names. Александр (Aleksandr) becomes Саша (Sasha), Владимир (Vladimir) becomes Володя (Volodya), and Екатерина (Yekaterina) becomes Катя (Katya). They don’t always follow a simple rule, so it helps to learn them in pairs. The short form is for when the person offers it, usually in their own introduction. If you’re not sure, use the full name. If you’d like to see the most popular names with their short forms, we have a long list in our guide to popular Russian names, and our post on Russian terms of endearment shows how those short forms turn even softer between family members.

What to Say After Your Name

A name is a good start, but a conversation needs a second sentence. Luckily, the next few phrases are easy, and they all follow the same simple pattern.

To say where you’re from, use “Я из…” (Ya iz…) and the place: “Я из Канады” (Ya iz Kanady), “I’m from Canada.” The question is “Откуда вы?” (Otkuda vy?) or, to a friend, “Откуда ты?” (Otkuda ty?). To say where you live, say “Я живу в Нью-Йорке” (Ya zhivu v N’yu-Yorke), “I live in New York,” and ask “Где вы живёте?” (Gde vy zhivyote?), “Where do you live?” One small warning: place names change their endings after из and в, so it’s best to learn your own country and city as whole phrases, and not worry about the rule yet.

You can also add something about your work or studies. A man says “Я студент” (Ya student) and a woman says “Я студентка” (Ya studentka), “I’m a student.” To ask someone, you can say “Чем вы занимаетесь?” (Chem vy zanimayetes’?), “What do you do?” And if you’re learning the language, “Я учу русский” (Ya uchu russkiy), “I’m learning Russian,” and “Я немного говорю по-русски” (Ya nemnogo govoryu po-russki), “I speak a little Russian,” are the two phrases people will be happy to hear.

For age, Russians say “Мне двадцать пять лет” (Mne dvadtsat’ pyat’ let), “I’m twenty-five,” and the question to a friend is “Сколько тебе лет?” (Skol’ko tebe let?). That one is more for children and friends. With a stranger, you can skip it.

It’s also useful to know that these questions are normal. According to the Polyglottist Language Academy, “Откуда вы?”, “Где вы живёте?” and “Чем вы занимаетесь?” are practical and not intrusive. It also says that many Russian speakers can seem more reserved at first, so a neutral face doesn’t mean the person is cold.

Putting It Together: Two Short Introductions

Let’s see how this looks in real life. First, a polite introduction at a meeting. Emma says, “Здравствуйте! Меня зовут Эмма. Я из Канады” (Zdravstvuyte! Menya zovut Emma. Ya iz Kanady), “Hello, my name is Emma. I’m from Canada.” The other person might answer, “Очень приятно, Эмма. Меня зовут Ирина Петровна” (Ochen’ priyatno, Emma. Menya zovut Irina Petrovna), “Nice to meet you, Emma. My name is Irina Petrovna.” Notice that Irina uses her patronymic, because she’s an older colleague, and Emma, as a learner, doesn’t have to.

Now the casual version, at a party or between students. “Привет! Как тебя зовут?” (Privet! Kak tebya zovut?), “Hi! What’s your name?” “Антон. А тебя?” (Anton. A tebya?), “Anton. And you?” “Лена. Очень приятно!” (Lena. Ochen’ priyatno!), “Lena. Nice to meet you!” That’s it, and it’s shorter than the polite one, because friends don’t need the extra steps.

So here’s a simple way to choose. With a stranger, an older person or a teacher, say Здравствуйте, Как вас зовут and Меня зовут. With a friend, a child or a classmate, say Привет, Как тебя зовут and Меня зовут, or even just your name. In both cases, finish with Очень приятно, and you’re done. If you want to know how to answer in a conversation after that, our guide on how to say OK in Russian will help. If you ever hear “Что?” and don’t know how to respond, we explain it in our guide on how to say what in Russian.

Frequently Asked Questions About Saying Your Name in Russian

01

How do you say “my name is” in Russian?

You say “Меня зовут…” (Menya zovut…) and add your name, like “Меня зовут Эмма.” It literally means “they call me Emma.”

02

What is the difference between “Как вас зовут?” and “Как тебя зовут?”

Both mean “What’s your name?” The first one is polite, for strangers, older people or a group. The second one is friendly, for a friend, a child or a classmate.

03

Can I say “Моё имя…” in Russian?

You can, and people will understand you, but it sounds stiff. “Меня зовут…” is the natural way to introduce yourself.

04

What is a patronymic, and do I need one?

It’s a middle name made from your father’s first name, like Иванович (Ivanovich) or Ивановна (Ivanovna). Russians use it with a first name to show respect to older people, teachers or officials. As a learner, you don’t need to introduce yourself with one.

05

What do I say after “Меня зовут…”?

Add where you’re from, “Я из Канады,” or just say “Очень приятно.” Then ask “А вы?” or “А ты?” to keep the conversation going.

What to Do Next

A name is a small phrase, but saying it out loud to a real person is what makes it stick, and children usually learn it fastest in a group lesson. If your child hasn’t started Russian yet, our Russian as a foreign language course begins with exactly these basics. If your family already speaks Russian at home and the challenge is reading and writing, take a look at Russian for bilinguals.

Palme School gives you two free lessons before you decide anything. The first is an introductory session with a curriculum specialist, and the second is a trial lesson online in a small group. Each lesson lasts 40 minutes, and students range in age from 4 to 17. Maybe your child’s first Russian sentence will be this one: “Меня зовут…”