Russian soft stem nouns

Soft stem nouns are declinable nouns that have a soft final sound in the stem. Generally, these are nouns that have the nominative singular form ending in -ь (soft sign), or letters -й, -я, -е, -ё. Most often, when a soft stem noun is declined, its final letter is replaced by an ending.

Below, you will find the information about Russian soft stem nouns depending on their gender:

Soft stem masculine nouns

• Masculine nouns ending in -й, e.g. музей, санаторий
• Masculine nouns ending in -ь,e.g. писатель, январь

Soft stem feminine nouns

• Feminine nouns ending in -я, e.g. станция, идея, неделя
• Feminine nouns ending in -ь, e.g. дверь, ночь

Soft stem neuter nouns

• Neuter nouns ending in -е, e.g. море, здание, платье
• Neuter nouns ending in -ё, e.g. копьё, ружьё