Here are some well-known Russian words borrowed from Dutch—mostly related to navy, ships, trade, and sailing, because Peter the Great brought many Dutch nautical terms into Russian:

🇳🇱 → 🇷🇺 Common Dutch Loanwords in Russian

1. матрос (matrós)
   From Dutch matroos – sailor.
2. штурман (shtúrman)
   From Dutch stuurman – navigator/helmsman.
3. бот (bot)
   From Dutch boot – boat.
4. крейсер (kréyser)
   From Dutch kruiser – cruiser (warship).
5. брюк (bryúk / брюква)
   From Dutch raap (via Scandinavian influence) – turnip/swede.
6. киль (kil’)
   From Dutch kiel – keel of a ship.
7. лот (lot)
   From Dutch lood – lead (used in depth measurement).
8. боцман (bótsman)
   From Dutch bootsman – boatswain.
9. рейд (reyd)
   From Dutch rede – roadstead (anchorage area).
10. гардероб (garderób)
    Ultimately from French, but via Dutch garderobe also influenced pronunciation.

Why so many nautical words?

Because in the early 1700s, Peter the Great learned shipbuilding in the Netherlands, bringing Dutch marine vocabulary into Russian.

Here are some of the strangest or funniest Dutch words (with meanings):

1. Gezellig — A cozy, warm, friendly vibe (no exact English translation).
2. Ongelofelijk — Unbelievable (sounds dramatic).
3. Scheveningen — A place name famously used to identify Dutch speakers in WWII.
4. Uitwaaien — Going outside to “let the wind blow through your mind” to relax.
5. Voorpret — The fun or excitement before an event happens.
6. Hagelslag — Chocolate sprinkles (which people eat on bread!).
7. Lekkerbekje — Someone who loves tasty food; literally “tasty little mouth.”
8. Vlinderslag — Butterfly stroke (in swimming).
9. Knikkerbaan — Marble run (funny because of the sound).
10. Handdoek — Towel (literally “hand-cloth”

Good question — there’s no single “exact” number of words in Dutch, because what counts as a “word” depends a lot (dictionary entry, slang, technical, dialect, compound, archaic, etc.). But here are some estimates:

• A major traditional dictionary of Dutch has around 240,000 to 250,000 entries.
• Older, larger reference works — counting historical and regional vocabulary — suggest the language has many hundreds of thousands of words (and new words keep being added).

The Dutch language spread through migration, trade, colonization, and cultural influence over several centuries. Here’s a clear, simple explanation:

How the Dutch Language Spread

1. Trade and Maritime Power (1500s–1700s)

The Dutch were major sea traders during the Golden Age.

They built trading posts and interacted with many regions, which helped spread Dutch terms, especially in:

• Navigation
• Business
• Shipping

Because of this, Dutch loanwords entered many languages.

2. Colonization

Dutch became established in several parts of the world:

a. South Africa

• Dutch settlers (Boers) arrived in the 1600s.
• Their Dutch evolved into Afrikaans, which is still spoken today.

b. Indonesia

• The Dutch ruled Indonesia for about 300 years.
• Dutch was a government and education language.
• Many Indonesian words today come from Dutch (e.g., kantor = office, gratis = free).

c. Suriname & Caribbean

• Dutch became the official language of:
  
• Suriname
• Aruba
• Curaçao
• Sint Maarten

It is still widely spoken there today.

3. Migration

Large Dutch communities migrated to:

• North America (New York—formerly New Amsterdam)
• Australia
• South Africa
• Canada

Some Dutch-language traditions and place names survive there.

4. Influence through Religion and Literature

• Dutch Bibles, church texts, and printing presses helped standardize and spread the language.
• The Dutch Reformed Church played a role in spreading Dutch to colonies.

5. Modern Media and Education

In today’s era:

• Dutch spreads through TV, internet, universities, and business (especially in Belgium and European Union countries).

Where Dutch is Spoken Today

• Netherlands
• Belgium (Flanders)
• Suriname
• Caribbean islands (Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten)
• As a heritage language in South Africa (related to Afrikaans)

• The Netherlands (Europe)

• Belgium (specifically the northern region of Flanders, where it is often called Flemish)

• Suriname (South America)

• Aruba (Caribbean)

• Curaçao (Caribbean)

• Sint Maarten (Caribbean)

People greet each other in Dutch with simple, friendly phrases. Common greetings are:

• Hallo — Hello

• Hoi — Hi (informal)

• Goedemorgen — Good morning

• Goedemiddag — Good afternoon

• Goedenavond — Good evening

• Dag — Bye/Hello (formal but friendly)

In Dutch, the word “de” is a definite article, meaning “the.”

Usage

• de is used for:
  
• Common-gender singular nouns (de tafel = the table)
• All plural nouns (de kinderen = the children)

Examples

• de man = the man
• de vrouw = the woman
• de boeken = the books

Dutch has two main articles:

• de (common gender + all plurals)
• het (neuter singular nouns)

Frisian, German, and Dutch are closely related Germanic languages, and their relationship can be explained simply:

• All three belong to the West Germanic branch of the Germanic language family.
• Frisian is actually the language closest to English, but it still shares strong similarities with Dutch and some with German.
• Dutch is kind of in the middle—more similar to German than English, but simpler than German.
• German is the most complex of the three, with more grammar rules and cases.