Лапа
The Russian word for paw is лапа. It is a perfectly regular second declension noun:
| Sg | Pl | |
| Nom | лапа | лапы |
| Acc | лапу | |
| Gen | лапы | лап |
| Pre | лапе | лапах |
| Dat | лапе | лапам |
| Ins | лапой | лапами |
Just as in English, we can use this word when talking to a dog to make him perform tricks:
| Дай лапу! | Shake a paw! |
Unlike English, Russian can produce a bundle of diminutive forms to say the same thing:
| Дай лапку! Дай лапочку! Дай лапушку! |
Shake a paw! |
Sometimes the word is also used as a derogatory word for human hands as well. For instance, if man makes an unwanted advance, a woman might say:
| Убери лапы, идиот! Я не из таких. | Get your paws off me, you idiot! I'm not that kind of girl. |
But the place where this word gets a lot of mileage is in the diminutive лапушка, which is roughly the equivalent of “a sweetie” or “a cutie” in American English. For instance, if your neighbor shows you a boxful of newborn kittens, you might say:
| Ой, какие лапушки! Можно подержать? | Oh, what little cuties! Can I hold one? |
Tanya, who occasionally writes for this blog, has a little dog named Wiggles. Sometimes she will say to him:
| Виглз, лапушка ты моя, иди, садись к маме. | Wiggles, you little cutie pie, come over here and sit next to Mommy. |
And sometimes that form is even used with people:
| Ванечка, лапушка, как красиво ты сегодня выглядишь! | Johnny, my little sweetie, you look so handsome today! |
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