Ulitsa Means Street: Reading and Writing a Russian Address
"Ulitsa" is the Russian word for "street", and in addresses it is shortened to "ul.", so "ul. Ilyushina" means Ilyushina Street. The word comes before the street name in most addresses, but when the name is an adjective, as in Sadovaya ulitsa (Garden Street), it can come after it.
Customers abroad ask us about this word almost every week, usually while filling in an order for someone in Saint Petersburg and staring at an address their relative sent in transliteration. This guide explains ulitsa and the other street types you will see, how the rest of a Russian address is built, and what details a courier actually needs to bring flowers to the right door.
Ulitsa and the other types of street
Russian addresses always say what kind of thoroughfare it is, and ulitsa is only the most common one. A "prospekt" (pr.) is a wide avenue, such as Nevsky prospekt; a "pereulok" (per.) is a lane or side street; a "bulvar" (bul.) is a boulevard with a green strip in the middle; "shosse" (sh.) is a highway, often leading out of the city; a "proyezd" (pr-d) is a short connecting passage; and a "ploshchad" (pl.) is a square, which in Russia often has houses with their own numbering.
Saint Petersburg adds two you need to know. A "naberezhnaya" (nab.) is an embankment along a river or canal: one of our own shops is on the Obvodny Canal Embankment, written in Russian order as "naberezhnaya Obvodnogo kanala". A "liniya" is one of the numbered lines of Vasilyevsky Island, and each side of a street there carries its own line number, so "4-ya liniya" and "5-ya liniya" are opposite sides of the same street.
The type matters because the same name can exist in several forms in one city. There can be a Sadovaya ulitsa and a Sadovy pereulok, or a street and a square with the same name, and each has its own house numbers. When a relative sends you an address, keep the type word exactly as they wrote it. For the language side of the word itself, see our short guide to ulitsa meaning.
Word order and grammar in street names
Street names are built in two main ways. When the name honours a person, it stands in the genitive case after the type word: "ulitsa Ilyushina" is literally "street of Ilyushin", which is why the English version on our site is Ilyushina Street, not Ilyushin Street. You will see the same with "ulitsa Pushkina" or "prospekt Prosveshcheniya" (Enlightenment Avenue).
When the name is an adjective, it agrees in gender with the type word and usually comes first: "Srednerogatskaya ulitsa", where our third shop is, is feminine because ulitsa is feminine, while prospekt is masculine, giving "Nevsky prospekt" and "Moskovsky prospekt". In everyday speech people often drop the type altogether and just say "na Nevskom" or "na Sadovoy".
For an order form, you do not need to get the grammar right; you need to copy it faithfully. Write the name exactly as the recipient gives it, including endings like "-aya", "-y" or "-a", because those endings tell the courier which street is meant. Translating the name into English (writing "Garden Street" for Sadovaya) only adds a step where something can go wrong.
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The rest of a Russian address: dom, korpus, kvartira
A Russian address runs from large to small: city, street, building, then flat. After the street comes "dom" (d.), the house or building number. Large blocks are often split into a "korpus" (k., a separate block within one number) or "stroyeniye" (str., a separate structure), and in Saint Petersburg you will frequently see "litera A" or "lit. B", which distinguishes buildings sharing one number. A typical line looks like "ul. Ilyushina, d. 10, k. 2, kv. 45".
"Kvartira" (kv.) is the flat number. Russian blocks have several entrances, each called a "podyezd", and flats are numbered across the whole building, so the courier also needs the entrance number, the floor ("etazh") and the intercom code ("kod domofona") if there is one. Without these, finding flat 145 in a nine-storey block can take longer than the drive.
Postal codes ("indeks") are six digits, but couriers do not use them, so for a flower order they are optional. What does matter is the recipient's phone number in the international format +7, because the courier will call before arriving.
What our couriers ask for on a Saint Petersburg order
The most useful details on an order are the full street name with its type, the building number with korpus or litera, the flat, entrance, floor and intercom code, and a phone number the recipient will actually answer. In the historic centre add whether the entrance is from the street or through the courtyard; many old buildings are entered through an arch, and the door to the flat may be on the far side of one or two courtyards.
If you only have part of the address, the order can still go ahead with a working phone number, since the courier calls the recipient about 15 minutes before arriving and can clarify the way in. Our article on sending flowers to an address without a street number covers this situation in detail.
If the recipient is not home, we agree a second delivery the same day or, with your consent, hand the flowers to a neighbour or concierge. Delivery is anonymous by default, so if you want to be named, write your name on the card; the card with your text is free.
Delivery times, prices and payment
Pyat Tsvetov has worked since 2011 and has three of its own shops in Saint Petersburg: on Ilyushina Street, Obvodny Canal Embankment and Srednerogatskaya Street. In Saint Petersburg we deliver around the clock, and we also deliver across Russia. City delivery costs 500 RUB; for remote districts and suburbs the operator confirms the price when confirming the order.
In large cities express delivery takes 1 to 2 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 1 to 30 days ahead, which is the best option when you know the date in advance and want to be sure the address details are settled.
You pay online on the site by bank card, SBP or Yandex Pay. Foreign bank cards are accepted, with payment via Robokassa, so you can order from abroad without a Russian account. The full conditions are on our delivery and payment page, and bouquets are in the catalogue.
A quick checklist before you press order
Copy the address from the recipient's own message rather than retyping it, and keep the type word (ul., pr., nab., per.) and the endings intact. Check that the building number includes any korpus, stroyeniye or litera. Add the flat, entrance, floor and intercom code, plus the recipient's phone in +7 format.
Remember the local etiquette for the bouquet itself: an odd number of stems for a gift, since even numbers are associated with funerals in Russia. If anything in the address is unclear, or you want to check whether the street is in a district with a separately confirmed delivery price, call us on 8 (812) 507-67-05 (from abroad, +7 812 507-67-05) before placing the order.
Frequently asked questions
What does "ulitsa" mean?
Ulitsa means "street" in Russian. In addresses it is shortened to "ul." and usually placed before the street name, as in "ul. Ilyushina".
What is the difference between ulitsa and prospekt?
A prospekt is a wide, major avenue, while ulitsa is an ordinary street. Both appear in addresses and are not interchangeable, because a city can have a street and an avenue with the same name.
What do d., k. and kv. mean in a Russian address?
"D." is dom, the building number; "k." is korpus, a block within that number; and "kv." is kvartira, the flat number. In Saint Petersburg you may also see "lit." for litera.
Should I translate the street name into English on the order?
No. Write it in transliteration exactly as the recipient gives it, including the type word and endings. Translated names make it harder for the courier to find the street.
Can I order flowers if I am not sure of the full address?
Often yes, as long as you give the recipient's working phone number, because the courier calls about 15 minutes before arrival. If in doubt, call us on 8 (812) 507-67-05 before ordering.
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