Ulitsa Meaning: Russian Street Names and Addresses Explained
Ulitsa means "street" in Russian. In addresses it is shortened to ul., so ul. Ilyushina is Ilyushina Street, and the street name usually comes after the word ulitsa rather than before it. In everyday speech na ulitse also simply means "outside", as in "it is cold outside".
We see this word every day in delivery orders from customers abroad who are sending flowers to parents, friends or partners in Russia. A Russian address contains several unfamiliar terms besides ulitsa, and a mistake in one of them can send a courier to the wrong building. Below is a practical guide to reading and writing Russian addresses, based on the questions customers ask us most often.
Ulitsa and the other words for a street
Ulitsa is the general word for a street, but Russian cities use several other types, and the type is part of the official name. Prospekt (pr.) is a wide main avenue, like Nevsky Prospekt in Saint Petersburg. Pereulok (per.) is a lane or side street. Bulvar (bulv.) is a boulevard with a green strip in the middle, shosse (sh.) is a highway, usually leading out of the city, and ploshchad (pl.) is a square.
Naberezhnaya (nab.) means embankment, a street running along a river or canal. Saint Petersburg has many of them, and one of our shops is on Obvodny Canal Embankment, written in Russian order as naberezhnaya Obvodnogo kanala. Proezd is a short connecting passage, and tupik is a dead end. Saint Petersburg also has a unique system on Vasilievsky Island, where streets are called liniya (line) and numbered, for example 5-ya liniya.
The type matters because two different streets can share a name. A city may have both a ulitsa and a pereulok named after the same person, sometimes far apart. When you copy an address for a delivery, always keep the type word, not only the name.
Why the street name looks different in Russian
Customers often notice that the same street appears with different endings. This is grammar, not a typo. Many streets are named after people, and the person's name is put in the genitive case, meaning "street of": ulitsa Pushkina is literally "street of Pushkin". Our shop on Ilyushina Street is ulitsa Ilyushina in Russian.
Other names are adjectives that agree with the word ulitsa, which is feminine: Sadovaya ulitsa (Garden Street), Srednerogatskaya ulitsa, where another of our shops is located. With prospekt, which is masculine, the ending changes: Moskovsky prospekt. In this case the name often comes before the type word, so both orders are correct.
For a delivery order this means you can write the street as the recipient writes it, in Latin letters, and the operator will recognise it. Do not translate the name itself: Sadovaya should stay Sadovaya, not Garden Street, because the courier searches for the Russian name on the map.
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After the street: dom, korpus, kvartira
The street is only the first part. Dom (d.) means house or building number. Korpus (k. or korp.) is a block within the same address, common in large housing estates where several buildings share one number. Stroenie (str.) is a separate structure on the same plot, and in Saint Petersburg you will often see litera (lit.), a letter that distinguishes buildings at one address. Kvartira (kv.) is the flat number.
Two more words matter to a courier but are not part of the postal address. Podyezd is the entrance or stairwell: a large block can have ten or more entrances, and the flat numbers are spread across them. Etazh is the floor. Kod domofona is the intercom code, which some buildings need to let anyone in. When customers include all three in the order comments, the courier reaches the door much faster.
Russian addresses are traditionally written from large to small: city, street, house, korpus, flat. So an address can look like this in Latin letters: Saint Petersburg, ul. Sadovaya, d. 10, korp. 2, kv. 45, podyezd 3, etazh 5. Write it exactly in that order and the operator can check it without guessing.
Common address mistakes in flower orders
The most frequent problem we see is a missing korpus. Customers copy "house 12, flat 30" from an old message, but at that address there are three buildings numbered 12, and flat 30 exists in each of them. The second is a translated street name, when "Garden Street" or "Peace Avenue" is written instead of Sadovaya ulitsa or prospekt Mira. The third is an outdated name: some streets were renamed decades ago, and older relatives may still use the previous one.
The most reliable solution is the recipient's phone number. The courier calls the recipient about 15 minutes before arrival, which is also the moment to confirm the entrance and the intercom code. If you want to keep the surprise, the recipient only hears that flowers are on the way, because delivery is anonymous by default and the courier does not name the sender.
If the recipient is not at home, we agree a second delivery the same day or, with your consent, hand the flowers to a neighbour or the concierge. For suburbs and remote districts, where addresses are less standard, the operator confirms the delivery price when confirming the order. If something about an address raises doubt, you can call us at 8 (812) 507-67-05.
Sending flowers to a Russian address
Pyat Tsvetov has been working since 2011 and has three of its own flower shops in Saint Petersburg, on Ilyushina Street, Obvodny Canal Embankment and Srednerogatskaya Street. We deliver flowers across Russia. City delivery costs 500 RUB, and the full conditions are on the Delivery and payment page. Before comparing offers from different sites, it is useful to read Free Delivery Flowers: What It Really Means and What to Check.
In large cities express delivery takes one to two hours after the order is confirmed. You can also choose an exact time (plus or minus 30 minutes), a window of 09-12, 12-15, 15-18 or 18-21, or pre-order one to thirty days ahead. In Saint Petersburg delivery is around the clock, so a bouquet can arrive late in the evening or early in the morning.
Payment is online on the site by bank card, SBP or Yandex Pay, and foreign bank cards are accepted through Robokassa. A card with your text is free. Pick a bouquet in the Bouquets catalogue, enter the address with ulitsa, dom, korpus and kvartira in the right order, and add the entrance and intercom code in the comments.
Frequently asked questions
What does ulitsa mean?
Ulitsa means "street" in Russian. In written addresses it is shortened to ul., and the colloquial na ulitse means "outside".
What is the difference between ulitsa and prospekt?
Ulitsa is an ordinary street, while prospekt is a wide main avenue. The type is part of the official name, so keep it when writing an address.
What do dom, korpus and kvartira mean in a Russian address?
Dom is the building number, korpus is a block within the same address, and kvartira is the flat. Missing the korpus is a common reason a courier goes to the wrong building.
Should I translate a Russian street name into English?
No. Write the name in Latin letters as it sounds in Russian, for example Sadovaya rather than Garden Street, so the courier can find it on the map.
Can I send flowers to Russia with a foreign bank card?
Yes. Payment is online on the site by bank card, SBP or Yandex Pay, and foreign bank cards are accepted through Robokassa.
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