The Ukrainian language is a living symbol of national identity (ІДЕНТИЧНІСТЬ), unity (ЄДНІСТЬ), and resilience (СТІЙКІСТЬ). For centuries, during periods of division, foreign rule, and suppression, it has carried the soul, memory, and spirit of the Ukrainian people.
In this article, we explore that richness through famous quotes and proverbs about the Ukrainian language. These expressions show how the language has shaped the way Ukrainians think, feel, relate to each other, and why it remains such a treasured part of our identity.
We also dedicate this article to the Day of Ukrainian Writing and Language (ДЕНЬ УКРАЇНСЬКОЇ ПИСЕМНОСТІ ТА МОВИ), celebrated annually on October 27. So, let’s celebrate and reflect on how the Ukrainian language is the source of inspiration and national pride!
Why do we celebrate the Day of Ukrainian Writing and Language on October 27? What contests are common on this occasion? Join podcast host Anna as she unravels the details in Ukrainian Lessons Podcast Episode 205 in slow Ukrainian!
Proverbs about the Ukrainian language
Folk sayings often capture what entire generations have felt and believed. Ukrainian proverbs (ПРИСЛІВ’Я) about language tell us how deeply people have valued the spoken word as a sign of belonging, a measure of one’s soul, and a force that holds people together.
Some proverbs speak about language as something inseparable from who we are, revealing our roots and sense of pride:
Птицю пізнати по пір’ю, а людину по мові. — You know a bird by its feathers, and a person by their language.
Хто мови своєї цурається, хай сам себе стидається. — Whoever is ashamed of their native language should be ashamed of themselves.
Idioms are one of the most interesting parts of learning a language. Practice Ukrainian comprehension while learning 10 Ukrainian idioms with animals in Ukrainian Lessons Podcast Episode 148!
Few proverbs express the power of words as clearly as the next one. It emphasizes the language as a living force that can comfort or wound, build or destroy.
Шабля ранить тіло, а слово — душу. — A saber wounds the body, but a word wounds the soul.
Some Ukrainian sayings perceive language as something that grows and endures. Just as culture itself, the language takes shape over time. And yet, once rooted, it cannot be easily swept away.
Слово до слова – зложиться мова. — Word by word, a language is formed.
Рідна мова – не полова: її за вітром не розвієш. — The native language is not chaff — the wind cannot scatter it.
Learn to use 20 common Ukrainian idioms and expressions to sound more natural (with pictures and example sentences)!
Quotes of famous Ukrainians about the Ukrainian language
The Ukrainian language began to take its modern shape in the 19th century. This was the time when Ukrainian intellectuals (writers, poets, and educators) became increasingly aware of their roots and cultural heritage.
For centuries, Ukraine’s lands were divided between empires, and the Ukrainian language was often restricted in public use and education, especially in the Russian Empire. Yet, it was precisely under these difficult circumstances that a new cultural awakening began.
The history of Ukraine is long and fascinating, starting in ancient and early medieval times. Our Ukrainian Lessons Podcast history mini-course will help you learn the main historical facts and events in slow, easy-to-follow Ukrainian.
Ukrainian intellectuals of that time understood the importance of preserving their language as a symbol of national identity.
One of the first voices to speak about the importance and beauty of the native language was ТАРАС ШЕВЧЕНКО (Taras Shevchenko) (1814-1861), whose poetry became a cornerstone of Ukrainian literature and identity:
І возвеличимо на диво
І розум наш, і наш язик… (Тарас Шевченко)
And we shall glorify, as a wonder,
both our mind and our language… (Taras Shevchenko)
How did Taras Shevchenko become Ukraine’s prominent symbol, and why is his legacy still so relevant these days? Find out about Shevchenko and his impact on modern Ukraine in our article!
ПАНАС МИРНИЙ (Panas Myrny) (1849-1920), one of the leading Ukrainian realist writers of the 19th century, described language as something sacred, the “living treasury”:
Найбільше і найдорожче добро кожного народу — це його мова, та жива схованка людського духу (Панас Мирний). — The greatest and most precious treasure of every nation is its language — the living treasury of the human soul (Panas Myrny).
ІВАН ФРАНКО (Ivan Franko) (1856–1916), who stands as one of the greatest figures in Ukrainian literature, viewed language as a living organism that develops hand in hand with the nation itself:
Мова росте елементарно, разом з душею народу (Іван Франко). — Language grows naturally, together with the soul of the people (Ivan Franko).
In this Ukrainian Lessons Podcast episode in slow and simple Ukrainian, you will learn about Ivan Franko, a writer and intellectual who has a whole city named after him.
СИДІР ВОРОБКЕВИЧ (Sydir Vorobkevych) (1836-1903), a Ukrainian poet and composer from Bukovyna, turned his love for the native word into pure lyrical emotion:
Мова рідна,
слово рідне,
хто вас забуває,
той у грудях не серденько,
тільки камінь має (Сидір Воробкевич).
Native language,
native word —
who forgets you,
has no heart within their chest,
only a stone (Sydir Vorobkevych).
The 20th century was a turbulent yet deeply creative period in Ukrainian history. Many leading figures of this time devoted their lives either to the cultural awakening of Ukraine or to its long and difficult struggle for independence.
Even when some lived and worked under the new empire — the Soviet Union — and faced censorship, persecution, or exile, their devotion to the Ukrainian language never wavered.
The words of ОЛЕКСАНДР ОЛЕСЬ (Oleksandr Oles) (1878-1944), a Ukrainian poet who spent the last years in emigration, capture the simple truth that language is life itself, the foundation on which everything else stands:
Без усякої іншої науки ще можна обійтися, без знання рідної мови обійтися не можна (Олександр Олесь). — You can live without any other science, but you cannot live without knowing your native language (Oleksandr Oles).
This episode of the Ukrainian Poetry series delves into the importance of preserving and cherishing the native language and homeland in a powerful poem by Oleksandr Oles.
To ІВАН ОГІЄНКО (Ivan Ohienko) (1882-1972), a scholar, theologian, and Ukrainian Orthodox bishop, the language was a sacred bond connecting people through faith, culture, and history:
Мова – душа кожної національності, її святощі, її найцінніший скарб (Іван Огієнко). — Language is the soul of every nation, its sacred essence, its most precious treasure (Ivan Ohienko).
One of Ukraine’s most refined poets of that time — МАКСИМ РИЛЬСЬКИЙ (Maksym Rylsky) (1895-1964) — believed that the language must be nurtured with care and love, which he reflected in these gentle lines:
Як парость виноградної лози,
Плекайте мову (Максим Рильський).
Like a young vine shoot,
Cherish your language (Maksym Rylsky).
Another famous Ukrainian poet of Rylsky’s generation, ВОЛОДИМИР СОСЮРА (Volodymyr Sosiura) (1898-1965), celebrated the Ukrainian language as something infinite and boundless, like the human heart:
Яке прекрасне рідне слово! Воно — не світ, а всі світи (Володимир Сосюра). — How beautiful is the native word! It is not one world — it is all the worlds (Volodymyr Sosiura).
In ULP Episode 226, enjoy the intricate universe of romantic love in Volodymyr Sosiura’s poem “Так ніхто не кохав” (“No one has ever loved like that“), explained in slow and clear Ukrainian.
ОЛЕСЬ ГОНЧАР (Oles Honchar) (1918–1995), a Ukrainian novelist, understood language as a relationship — something intimate and emotional:
Щоб мова тобі повністю відкрилася, маєш бути залюбленим в неї (Олесь Гончар). — For a language to fully reveal itself to you, you must be in love with it (Oles Honchar).
ЛІНА КОСТЕНКО (Lina Kostenko) (b. 1930), one of the most powerful voices of modern Ukrainian poetry, wrote these words as both a warning and a truth learned from history. Her generation lived through the years when the Ukrainian language was silenced or marginalized, yet her poetry proved that no empire can erase it completely:
Нації вмирають не від інфаркту. Спочатку їм відбирає мову (Ліна Костенко). — Nations do not die of heart attacks. They die when their language is taken away (Lina Kostenko).
Episode 230 of our Ukrainian Poetry series explores “Страшні слова, коли вони мовчать” (“Words are scary when they are silent“) ― poem by brilliant Lina Kostenko.
In the years following Ukraine’s independence, the Ukrainian language entered a new chapter — one of renewal, reflection, and self-affirmation. For writers, thinkers, and public figures of modern Ukraine, the Ukrainian language is something to be deepened, celebrated, and spoken with pride.
ОКСАНА ЗАБУЖКО (Oksana Zabuzhko) (b. 1960), a leading representative of modern Ukrainian literature, writes about language as the living memory of a people, turning collective experience into shared identity:
Мова пам’ятає все. Вона огортає порізнених людей незримою грозовою хмарою спільного духа, даючи їм силу не просто існувати — бути (Оксана Забужко). — Language remembers everything. It embraces scattered people in an invisible storm cloud of shared spirit, giving them the strength not merely to exist — but to be (Oksana Zabyzhko).
The words of СЕРГІЙ ЖАДАН (Serhiy Zhadan) (b. 1974) — a Ukrainian poet, novelist, and musician — remind us that for a language to stay alive, it must carry tenderness and affection:
Мова зникає, коли нею не говорять про любов (Сергій Жадан). — A language disappears when no one speaks of love in it (Serhiy Zhadan).
And last but not least, a person who does not need an introduction — ВОЛОДИМИР ЗЕЛЕНСЬКИЙ (Volodymyr Zelenskyy) (b. 1978) reflects how the Ukrainian language, once a symbol of survival, has become a symbol of strength and resistance:
Наша мова — це могутня зброя українського народу, мова свободи й волі (Володимир Зеленський). — Our language is a powerful weapon of the Ukrainian people, the language of freedom and will (Volodymyr Zelenskyy).
Learning Ukrainian and looking for great resources? Check out our list of 1000 most common words in Ukrainian with interactive flashcards. You can also learn Ukrainian step by step wherever you are with our free Ukrainian Lessons Podcast.
