A handful of the most common Ukrainian nouns do not form their plural by the regular hard/soft rule — they change shape in ways the regular plural page can’t predict. The reassuring news is that these irregulars are not a random scatter to be memorised one by one: they fall into a small number of historical classes, and once you see the class, the members come as a set. This page sorts them into those classes — suppletive forms, the -ин singulatives, the -ата animal-young, the -ен- neuters, and the old dual body-parts — and gives each its genitive plural too, because that is the second form you’ll need constantly (after numbers, after "many," after negation).
Suppletive plurals: a different word entirely
Two of the most frequent nouns in the language replace their stem outright in the plural — "suppletion," the same phenomenon as English person → people or go → went.
| Singular | Nom. plural | Gen. plural | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| люди́на | лю́ди | люде́й | person → people |
| дити́на | ді́ти | діте́й | child → children |
Note how exactly these parallel English: a single human is a люди́на, but "people" is the unrelated stem лю́ди; one child is a дити́на, but "children" is ді́ти. You cannot derive the plural from the singular — learn the pair.
Лю́ди ви́йшли на ву́лиці, бо мовча́ти бі́льше було́ не мо́жна.
People came out onto the streets because staying silent was no longer possible. (лю́ди — suppletive plural of люди́на.)
У них тро́є діте́й, і всі вже хо́дять до шко́ли.
They have three children, and all of them already go to school. (діте́й — genitive plural after the numeral тро́є.)
The -ин singulatives: drop -ин in the plural
A whole productive class of nouns names a single member of a group with the suffix -ин, and forms the plural simply by dropping that -ин. This covers nationalities, regional inhabitants, and "members of a body."
| Singular (with -ин) | Nom. plural (-ин dropped) | Gen. plural | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| громадя́нин | громадя́ни | громадя́н | citizen(s) |
| селя́нин | селя́ни | селя́н | villager / peasant(s) |
| болга́рин | болга́ри | болга́р | Bulgarian(s) |
| кия́нин | кия́ни | кия́н | Kyivan(s) |
The genitive plural is the bare stem — громадя́н, селя́н, болга́р — with a zero ending, which is itself worth noting because it looks "too short" to be a plural.
Усі́ громадя́ни ма́ють пра́во голосува́ти на ви́борах.
All citizens have the right to vote in elections. (громадя́нин → громадя́ни, -ин dropped.)
На я́рмарку було́ бага́то селя́н із навко́лишніх сіл.
There were many villagers from the surrounding villages at the fair. (селя́н — genitive plural, zero ending, after бага́то.)
The -ата animal-young: -а neuter → -ата
Baby animals (and a few diminutive humans) are neuter nouns in -а/-я in the singular, and they form their plural with the suffix -ата/-ята, inserting that whole syllable. This is one of the most charming and regular of the irregulars.
| Singular | Nom. plural | Gen. plural | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| теля́ | теля́та | теля́т | calf / calves |
| курча́ | курча́та | курча́т | chick(s) |
| кошеня́ | кошеня́та | кошеня́т | kitten(s) |
| гуся́ | гуся́та | гуся́т | gosling(s) |
Навесні́ в селі́ всю́ди бі́гають курча́та й каченя́та.
In spring there are chicks and ducklings running around everywhere in the village. (курча́ → курча́та.)
Кі́шка приве́ла п’ятеро кошеня́т — усі́ ру́денькі.
The cat had five kittens — all ginger. (кошеня́т — genitive plural after the collective numeral п’ятеро.)
The -ен- neuters: ім’я → імена
A small, ancient class of neuter nouns inserts -ен- before the plural ending. The two you must know are ім’я ("name") and плем’я ("tribe").
| Singular | Nom. plural | Gen. plural | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| ім’я́ | імена́ | іме́н | name(s) |
| плем’я́ | племена́ | племе́н | tribe(s) |
Watch the apostrophe: ім’я́ and плем’я́ keep the apostrophe in the singular (the м is hard, then a /j/ + а), but the plural імена́, племена́ has no apostrophe because the -ен- breaks up the cluster.
Імена́ всіх заги́блих ви́карбувано на стіні́ па́м’яті.
The names of all the fallen are carved on the wall of memory. (ім’я́ → імена́, with the -ен- insert.)
Do not over-apply this. The similar-looking сім’я́ ("family") is regular: its plural is сі́м’ї (gen. сіме́й), with no -ен-. It just happens to rhyme with ім’я́.
Дві сі́м’ї живу́ть у цьо́му буди́нку вже три́дцять ро́ків.
Two families have lived in this house for thirty years already. (сім’я́ → сі́м’ї — regular, NOT ‘сімена’.)
Old dual body-parts: очі, вуха, плечі
Things that come in pairs preserve a reflex of the old Slavic dual number, which is why several body-part plurals look irregular. The key three:
| Singular | Nom. plural | Gen. plural | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| о́ко | о́чі | оче́й | eye(s) |
| ву́хо | ву́ха | вух | ear(s) |
| плече́ | пле́чі | плече́й (also пліч) | shoulder(s) |
У не́ї таки́ зеле́ні о́чі, що їх не забу́деш.
She has such green eyes that you can't forget them. (о́ко → о́чі.)
Він поти́снув плечи́ма: мовля́в, мене́ це не обхо́дить.
He shrugged his shoulders, as if to say it was none of his business. (пле́чі — and note the instrumental плечи́ма in the set phrase.)
Note that о́чі and ву́ха are Ukrainian-specific in their exact endings and stress — a Russian speaker expects глаза́/у́ши and must re-learn the Ukrainian shapes.
"Regular-but-feels-irregular": друг → друзі, мати → матері
A few words look like they should be regular but aren't quite — worth flagging so you don't generalise from them.
| Singular | Nom. plural | Gen. plural | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| друг | дру́зі | дру́зів | friend(s) — г → з softening |
| брат | брати́ | браті́в | brother(s) — regular! |
| син | сини́ | сині́в | son(s) — regular |
| ма́ти | матері́ | матері́в | mother(s) |
| дочка́ | до́чки | до́чок | daughter(s) |
The trap pair is брат vs друг: брат is fully regular (брати́), but друг changes its final consonant (г → з) to give дру́зі. They feel parallel — both "male companions" — but only one is irregular.
Спра́вжні дру́зі пізнаю́ться в біді́ — це не про́сто при́слів’я.
Real friends are known in times of trouble — that's not just a proverb. (друг → дру́зі.)
Її́ брати́ живу́ть за кордо́ном, але́ телефону́ють щодня́.
Her brothers live abroad, but they call every day. (брат → брати́ — regular.)
Why grouping by class helps
The pedagogical point of this whole page: these forms cluster by historical type, so you can learn them as groups rather than as twenty unrelated exceptions. The animal-young all go -ата; the singulatives all drop -ин; the -ен- neuters are just two words; the body-parts are the old dual. Learn the class, and any new member of the class is predictable. A new baby-animal word you've never met (наприклад, ягня́ "lamb" → ягня́та) you can pluralise on first sight.
Source-language comparison
For a Russian speaker, several of these are flips to re-learn: имена́ matches Ukrainian імена́ in pattern but Ukrainian stresses and spells it its own way; глаза́/у́ши become о́чі/ву́ха with different endings; and the singulative genitive plural (громадя́н, болга́р with zero ending) parallels Russian but with Ukrainian stress. For an English speaker, the comforting anchor is that person→people and child→children are exactly the suppletive pattern of люди́на→лю́ди and дити́на→ді́ти, so the concept of "the plural is a different word" is already familiar — only the specific forms are new.
Common Mistakes
❌ люди́ни / дити́ни as the plural
Incorrect — these are suppletive: the plurals are лю́ди and ді́ти, not regular -и forms.
✅ лю́ди, ді́ти (gen. люде́й, діте́й)
people, children.
❌ громадя́нини, болга́рини (keeping -ин)
Incorrect — the -ин singulative suffix is DROPPED in the plural: громадя́ни, болга́ри.
✅ громадя́ни, болга́ри (gen. громадя́н, болга́р)
citizens, Bulgarians.
❌ сімена (treating сім’я́ like ім’я́)
Incorrect — сім’я́ 'family' is regular: plural сі́м’ї, gen. сіме́й. Only ім’я́/плем’я́ take -ен-.
✅ сі́м’ї (gen. сіме́й); імена́ (gen. іме́н)
families; names.
❌ дру́ги (regular -и for друг)
Incorrect — друг changes г → з in the plural: дру́зі. (Compare брат → брати́, which IS regular.)
✅ дру́зі (gen. дру́зів)
friends.
❌ око́ → о́ка, ву́хо → ву́хи
Incorrect — these are old dual forms: о́ко → о́чі, ву́хо → ву́ха.
✅ о́чі (gen. оче́й), ву́ха (gen. вух)
eyes, ears.
Key Takeaways
- The irregular plurals cluster into four historical classes — learn the class, not the word.
- Suppletive: люди́на → лю́ди (люде́й), дити́на → ді́ти (діте́й) — a different stem, exactly like person→people.
- -ин singulatives drop -ин: громадя́нин → громадя́ни (gen. громадя́н, zero ending); same for селя́ни, болга́ри.
- Animal-young take -ата/-ята: теля́ → теля́та, курча́ → курча́та (gen. -ат); fully productive.
- -ен- neuters: ім’я́ → імена́, плем’я́ → племена́ — but сім’я́ is regular (сі́м’ї).
- Old dual body-parts: о́ко → о́чі (оче́й), ву́хо → ву́ха (вух), плече́ → пле́чі.
- Always learn the genitive plural alongside, since numbers, quantifiers, and negation demand it.
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Start learning Ukrainian→Related Topics
- Forming the Nominative PluralA1 — The regular nominative plural in Ukrainian: hard stems take -и, soft and hushing stems take -і, neuters take -а/-я — and the choice follows stem hardness, while words like стіл→столи reveal the о/і alternation reversing as the syllable opens, a pattern with no Russian parallel.
- Declensions III and IV (ніч, ма́ти, ім’я́, теля́)B1 — The two small declensions carry the biggest surprises: Declension III feminines double the final consonant in the instrumental (ніч→ні́ччю, сіль→сі́ллю) or add an apostrophe (любо́в→любо́в’ю), and Declension IV neuters secretly grow a syllable in oblique cases (ім’я́→і́мені, теля́→теля́ти).
- Genitive Plural: FormsB1 — Ukrainian's hardest ending set, taught as a procedure: the zero ending for feminine -а/-я and neuter -о (often with a fleeting vowel — кни́га→книг, вікно́→ві́кон, сестра́→сесте́р), the -ів/-їв ending for masculines (стіл→столі́в, брат→браті́в), and -ей for soft-feminine -ь and many soft/hushing stems (ніч→ноче́й, кінь→коне́й), with the о/і alternation surfacing in zero-ending forms (нога́→ніг, гора́→гір, шко́ла→шкіл).
- Grammatical Gender: Masculine, Feminine, NeuterA1 — Ukrainian sorts every noun into three genders — masculine, feminine, neuter — and you can predict which about 90% of the time from the nominative singular ending; gender then drives all adjective, pronoun, and past-tense agreement, so it must be learned with each word.
- Russian-Interference Errors (Суржик Awareness)B1 — The most pervasive error source for learners arriving via Russian is interference — Russian words, sounds, and patterns leaking into Ukrainian (суржик). This page raises awareness of the high-frequency interference points and gives the standard Ukrainian correction for each: restoring the vocative (Маріє!), keeping final voicing (хліб not хлеб), pronouncing г as /ɦ/, fixing dative government (дякую вам not дякую вас), and swapping the common russisms (отримати not получити, наступний not слідуючий, брати участь not приймати участь).
- The Apostrophe (Апостроф)A1 — The Ukrainian apostrophe ’ is a full orthographic sign, not punctuation: it marks that a hard consonant is followed by an iotated vowel (я ю є ї) pronounced with a clear /j/ glide — blocking the softening that would otherwise happen. It is written after the labials б п в м ф and after р, and after consonant-final prefixes.