Russian · phrasebook
My love in Russian
My love in Russian is любовь моя (lyubov moya), with the possessive after the noun. In daily life Russians reach for endearments instead: милая (darling), солнышко (little sun), зайка (bunny), each warmer than the literal phrase.
Aurélien CuvelierAug 9, 2026 · Updated Aug 10, 2026The ways to say it
любовь моя (lyubov moya), the phrase: poetic; the possessive follows the noun
любимый / любимая (lyubimy / lyubimaya), beloved (m / f): the everyday my love between partners
милый / милая (mily / milaya), darling (m / f)
солнышко (solnyshko), little sun: works for partners and children alike
зайка (zayka), bunny: very common; also зайчик
How to use it
Russian affection is built on diminutives: the suffixes -ушк-, -оньк-, -ик turn ordinary nouns into warmth. Солнышко is the sun made small and dear; зайка is a hare made huggable. This machinery is productive, and couples invent their own.
The adjective endearments agree with who you are addressing: любимый and милый to a man, любимая and милая to a woman. The noun ones (солнышко, зайка) are gender-free and safe in both directions.
Watch out
Gender agreement is the classic slip: telling a man милая, or a woman любимый, reverses the ending and the effect. Match the ending to the person you address, not to yourself.
Russian terms of endearment: the everyday pet names, and how couples invent their own
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