Explainer: Why there’s a Y in Kyiv, but no “the” in Ukraine

Ari Winkleman

Generations of Americans have known the Ukrainian capital, and the eponymous chicken dish, as “Kiev.” But most Western media now use “Kyiv.” Why?

The simple answer is that “Kyiv” reflects the Ukrainian version of the city’s name, while “Kiev” comes from the Russian.

The two languages are closely related, but different — think Spanish and Portuguese — and both are spoken in Ukraine. For centuries, Moscow promoted the use of Russian there as the primary language of business and politics.

But since 2014, when independent Ukraine first found itself at war with Russia, language has gotten more political. Ethnic Ukrainians have made an effort to boost the use of Ukrainian in public life, and urged Western governments and media to use the capital’s Ukrainian spelling. In 2019, the US government officially adopted “Kyiv.”

Ok, but how is it pronounced? “Kee-EV” is a loose approximation of the Russian version, which is now a no-no. Lately, some are going with “Keeve” to approximate the Ukrainian – and while that’s not precisely it, it’s close enough. Anything but “kee-EV” and you’re fine.

One thing you should never, ever do, however, is call the country “The Ukraine.” The word “Ukraine” itself comes from a Slavic root meaning “borderlands.” “The Ukraine” connotes an area that is merely a region rather than an independent state or country: think “The Midwest” or “The Riviera.” During the days when Ukraine was part of the Russian and Soviet empires, that label made enough sense. But since 1991, the independent country is simply called “Ukraine.”

These days, using “The Ukraine” is at best a habitual mistake. But at worst, it’s a nod to the position of some Russian nationalists — like Putin himself — who still see Ukraine as, basically, just another part of Russia.

More from GZERO Media

Members of the armed wing of Nelson Mandela's African National Congress line up waiting to vote in a military base north of Pretoria, on April 26, 1994.
REUTERS/Corinne Dufka

On April 27, 1994, Black South Africans went to the polls, marking an end to years of white minority rule and the institutionalized racial segregation known as apartheid. But the “rainbow nation” still faces many challenges, with racial equality and economic development remaining out of reach.

"Patriots" on Broadway: The story of Putin's rise to power | GZERO Reports

Putin was my mistake. Getting rid of him is my responsibility.” It’s clear by the time the character Boris Berezovsky utters that chilling line in the new Broadway play “Patriots” that any attempt to stop Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rise would be futile, perhaps even fatal. The show opened for a limited run in New York on April 22.

TITLE PLACEHOLDER | GZERO US Politics

Campus protests are a major story this week over the Israeli operation in Gaza and the Biden administration's support for it. These are leading to accusations of anti-Semitism on college campuses, and things like canceling college graduation ceremonies at several schools. Will this be an issue of the November elections?

The view Thursday night from inside the Columbia University campus gate at 116th Street and Amsterdam in New York City.
Alex Kliment

An agreement late Thursday night to continue talking, disagreeing, and protesting – without divesting or policing – came in stark contrast to the images of hundreds of students and professors being arrested on several other US college campuses on Thursday.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with Judge Amy Coney Barrett after she was sworn in as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, U.S. October 26, 2020.
REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Some of the conservative justices (three of whom were appointed by Trump) expressed concern that allowing former presidents to be criminally prosecuted could present a burden to future commanders-in-chief.

A Palestinian woman inspects a house that was destroyed after an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, April 24, 2024.
Abed Rahim Khatib/Reuters

“We are afraid of what will happen in Rafah. The level of alert is very high,” Ibrahim Khraishi, the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, said Thursday.

Haiti's new interim Prime Minister Michel Patrick Boisvert holds a glass with a drink after a transitional council took power with the aim of returning stability to the country, where gang violence has caused chaos and misery, on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, Haiti April 25, 2024.
REUTERS/Pedro Valtierra

Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry formally resigned on Thursday as a new transitional body charged with forming the country’s next government was sworn in.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives at the Beijing Capital International Airport, in Beijing, China, April 25, 2024.
Mark Schiefelbein/Pool via REUTERS

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken brought up concerns over China's support for Russia with his counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing on Friday, before meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Flags from across the divide wave in the air over protests at Columbia University on Thursday, April 25, 2024.
Alex Kliment

Of the many complex, painful issues contributing to the tension stemming from the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre and the ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza, dividing groups into two basic camps, pro-Israel and pro-Palestine, is only making this worse. GZERO Publisher Evan Solomon explains the need to solve this category problem.