In the old text, a simple funnel was called a лейка.
На шее у фотографа висела старая лейка.
An old Leica camera hung around the photographer's neck.
В романе герой бережно прячет лейку в футляр.
In the novel, the character carefully hides the Leica camera in its case.
Рабочий взял лейку с длинным носиком для смазки.
The worker took an oil can with a long spout for lubrication.
Новая лейка даёт мягкий и широкий поток воды.
The new shower head gives a soft, wide flow of water.
Similar words
душевая лейка
камера Leica
фотолейка
дальномерная камера
маслёнка
насадка для душа
сосуд
поливочная лейка
распылитель
черпак
Meanings
Watering can
noun
gardening
neutral
A handled container with a spout, used for pouring water over plants.
Usage
Use лейка for the ordinary garden or houseplant watering can. The word normally suggests a container made for controlled watering, not just any bottle that happens to hold water.
Examples
Утром она налила воду в лейку и полила рассаду.
In the morning she filled the watering can and watered the seedlings.
Маленькая лейка стоит на подоконнике рядом с цветами.
A small watering can is on the windowsill beside the flowers.
Без лейки трудно аккуратно полить молодые ростки.
Without a watering can, it is hard to water young shoots neatly.
Снимите рассекатель с лейки, если нужна тонкая струя.
Remove the rose from the watering can if a thin stream is needed.
После работы в саду он оставил лейку у теплицы.
After working in the garden, he left the watering can by the greenhouse.
Common mistakes
The word is sometimes stretched to any container, and the feminine case endings are often missed.
Incorrect
Correct
Я полил цветы из лейки, хотя это была обычная бутылка.
Я полил цветы из бутылки.
Он купил новый лейка для балкона.
Он купил новую лейку для балкона.
Налей воду в лейка.
Налей воду в лейку.
Similar words
поливальник
поливалка
поливочная лейка
садовая лейка
Shower head
noun
home
neutral
A shower attachment that spreads water into a spray.
Usage
Use лейка for the detachable or fixed spray head of a shower, often as душевая лейка. Context keeps it separate from the garden tool.
Examples
В душевой кабине заменили старую лейку.
They replaced the old shower head in the shower stall.
Новая лейка даёт мягкий и широкий поток воды.
The new shower head gives a soft, wide flow of water.
На лейке есть несколько режимов распыления.
The shower head has several spray settings.
После ремонта мастер закрепил лейку на шланге.
After the repair, the plumber fastened the shower head to the hose.
Душевая лейка засорилась из-за жёсткой воды.
The shower head became clogged because of hard water.
Common mistakes
The shower sense is sometimes mixed with the garden sense, or the adjective душевая is omitted where context is thin.
Incorrect
Correct
Я полил рассаду душевой лейкой.
Я полил рассаду садовой лейкой.
В ванной сломалась садовая лейка.
В ванной сломалась душевая лейка.
Мы заменили старый лейку в душе.
Мы заменили старую лейку в душе.
Similar words
душевая лейка
насадка для душа
душевая насадка
распылитель
Pouring or bailing tool
noun
technical
technical
A specialized or older name for a small vessel, funnel, scoop, or oiling tool used to pour, guide, or bail liquids.
Usage
Use лейка in this sense when reading older or technical Russian. In modern everyday speech, воронка, маслёнка, or черпак is often clearer for the exact tool.
Examples
Механик наливал масло через узкую лейку.
The mechanic poured oil through a narrow funnel.
Вёсла и лейки лежали на дне шлюпки.
Oars and bailers lay in the bottom of the boat.
Рабочий взял лейку с длинным носиком для смазки.
The worker took an oil can with a long spout for lubrication.
В старом тексте лейкой называли простую воронку.
In the old text, a simple funnel was called a лейка.
Из металлической лейки жидкость шла ровной струёй.
From the metal pouring can, the liquid flowed in an even stream.
Common mistakes
The older technical sense can be mistaken for the garden object, especially in historical or workshop contexts.
Incorrect
Correct
В описании лодки лейка означает садовый инструмент.
В описании лодки лейка означает черпак для воды.
Механик смазал деталь садовой лейкой.
Механик смазал деталь масляной лейкой.
В старом рецепте лейка всегда значит ёмкость для полива.
В старом рецепте лейка может значить воронку.
Similar words
воронка
маслёнка
черпак
сосуд
приспособление
Leica camera
noun
photography
informal
An informal Russian name for a Leica camera, especially in older or literary references.
Usage
Use лейка for a Leica camera only where the photography context is obvious. For the brand or company name itself, capitalized Leica or Лейка is safer.
Examples
На шее у фотографа висела старая лейка.
An old Leica camera hung around the photographer's neck.
Он снимал город маленькой лейкой.
He photographed the city with a small Leica camera.
Коллекционер искал довоенную лейку в хорошем состоянии.
The collector was looking for a prewar Leica camera in good condition.
В романе герой бережно прячет лейку в футляр.
In the novel, the character carefully hides the Leica camera in its case.
Эту лейку ценят за компактность и оптику.
This Leica camera is valued for its compactness and optics.
Common mistakes
The camera sense is a homonym and should not be mixed with the watering-can word in ordinary contexts.
Incorrect
Correct
Фотограф поливал цветы своей лейкой.
Фотограф снимал улицу своей лейкой.
Садовник купил лейку фирмы Leica.
Фотограф купил лейку фирмы Leica.
В тексте о фотографии лейка значит душевую насадку.
В тексте о фотографии лейка значит камеру Leica.
Similar words
фотолейка
фотоаппарат Leica
камера Leica
дальномерная камера
Usage
Let context decide the sense: plants point to a watering can, bathroom fittings to a shower head, older technical writing to a pouring tool, and photography to a Leica camera.
Common mistakes
лейка is often overused for any bottle or nozzle, but the usual everyday object is a watering can unless the context points to a shower, workshop, boat, or camera.
Etymology
The common tool word comes from Russian лить, meaning to pour, from a Slavic root connected with pouring. The camera homonym comes from German Leica, shortened from Leitz Camera.
FAQ
What does лейка mean?
лейка most often means watering can, a container for watering plants.
Can лейка mean a shower head?
Yes. In bathroom contexts, лейка or душевая лейка means a shower head or shower nozzle.
Is лейка ever a funnel?
In older or technical use, лейка can refer to a funnel-like tool, oil can, or bailer used with liquids.
What is the camera meaning of лейка?
In informal photography contexts, лейка can mean a Leica camera.
What is the plural of лейка?
The nominative plural is лейки, and the genitive plural is леек.
How is лейка pronounced?
лейка is pronounced /ˈlʲejkə/, with stress on the first syllable.
Comments & contributions
Know this word from another angle? Add a correction, a nuance, or a usage note. New posts go public after a quick review.
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Olive Camel
5 days ago
новая лейка, not новый. feminine nouns still ambush me on the most boring objects
0
Reply
Jolly Curlew
Jul 11
My first Russian flat had a broken лейка and I genuinely did not know if the landlord meant shower or plants until he sent a photo
1
Reply
Early Quokka
Jul 5
садовая лейка and комнатная лейка both sound okay to me. комнатная is the small nice one for houseplants
1
Reply
Fearless Sparrow
Jul 4
dacha word, 100%. Not fancy, not literary, just the thing by the barrel
0
Reply
Teal Stork
Jul 4
If someone says налей в лейку, they mean fill it with water. Learners sometimes try залей лейку and it sounds like you are flooding the can itself.
2
Reply
Sleek Kudu
Jul 3
The camera meaning confused me for a second. I thought two dictionary entries had got glued together lol
1
Reply
Fond Raccoon
Jun 30
у меня дома душевую лейку чаще звали насадкой, но в магазине лейка тоже нормально понимают
1
Reply
Autumn Dolphin
Jun 27
леечка is a cute word for the tiny windowsill plant one, not only baby talk
1
Reply
Wise Starling
Jun 27
i always forget the genitive plural леек. Russian just deletes the vowel and walks away
2
Reply
Contribution
Giddy Ermine
Jun 26
For oiling machinery, лейка is a word you meet in older texts or workshop descriptions. In normal modern speech I would expect маслёнка much sooner.
2
Reply
Contribution
Cobalt Shrew
Jun 23
There is also шайка-лейка, totally separate fixed phrase. It means a dodgy little crowd or gang, usually with a disapproving feel, not anything garden related.
3
Reply
Contribution
Violet Bunting
Jun 22
The Leica meaning is very old-photo coded now. Soviet FED and Zorky cameras got called лейки too because they copied Leica, but if you call a random modern Canon лейка it sounds like you are doing a bit.
4
Reply
Contribution
Lunar Tanager
Jun 21
in plumbing shops лейка by itself often means the hand shower head. If you are not already talking about a bathroom, say душевая лейка, otherwise someone may imagine the plant one
5
Reply
Contribution
Sunny Lark
Jun 16
Small grammar trap: из лейки and лейкой are both possible, but not the same construction. Я полил цветы из лейки, or Я полил цветы лейкой. Mixing those is what makes learner sentences sound off.
6
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Contribution
Eager Puma
Jun 16
For the garden one, the sprinkler cap on the end is usually рассеива́тель in proper Russian. At home people also say ситечко, because it really does look like a tiny sieve.