Money and currency
Cash – наличные (nalichnyie)
The most conventional way to describe physical currency, and one you might use in response to the question of “наличными или картой?” (“cash or card?” – note the use of instrumental case in Russian!). You may also encounter the more colloquial наличка (nalichka). The opposite of cash is, as noted, karta (formal) or kartochka (informal).
Banknote – банкнота (banknota)
Coin – монета (moneta)
Heading a level deeper into cash: these are, respectively, the formal terms for paper and metal money.
Currency – валюта (valyuta)
Whether rubles, dollars, or yuans – when you’re talking about money in regards to its country of origin, this is the term to use.
Transactions
Exchange – обмен (“obmen”)
Speaking of currencies – exchanging them can be a fairly common experience for any tourist or guest of St. Petersburg, and especially international students. Although nearly every exchange point will have prominent English-language signage, this is still a pretty handy word to know, if only so you know how to ask for directions.
ATM – банкомат (“bankomat”)
If you already have a local bank card (such as the kind issued to ITMO students as stipend recipients), you can make a cash withdrawal at one of these – although, these days, cash-only establishments are becoming increasingly rare in major cities like St. Petersburg.
Receipt – квитанция (“kvitanciya”) or чек (“chek”)
At the bank, at the ATM, or in the store: remember to keep yours if you’re tracking your budget – or applying for a refund during work or study trips!
Slang
As in any language, money is an inexhaustible source of slang terms. Some come and go, while others stick around for decades; here are some of the “evergreen” ones:
Money in general may be referred to as kapusta (“cabbage”), zelyen’ (“greens”), or babki (“grandmas”). Don’t even ask about the origins of these – etymologists still haven’t settled on a single explanation for either expression.
Specific denominations can be referred to as полтинник (poltinnik – 50 rubles), пятихатка (pyatikhatka – 500 rubles), or косарь (kosar’ – 1,000 rubles).
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Planning your budget in advance of the new academic year? Be on the lookout for our updated student budget guide, coming on August 11!
