What is the Ukrainian 1-2-5 rule?

After a count, the noun takes one of three forms by the last digits: …1 (not …11) uses the nominative singular, …2-4 (not …12-14) uses the nominative plural, and everything else uses the genitive plural. So 1 гривня, 2 гривні, 5 гривень.

How does this differ from Russian?

The big difference is the 2-4 (FEW) slot. In Russian it is the genitive singular (2 рубля), but in Ukrainian it is the nominative plural (2 гривні, 3 роки). The MANY slot is the genitive plural in both languages.

Why do 11 to 14 behave like the many form?

The teens 11-14 are exceptions: even though they end in 1-4, their last two digits fall in the 11-14 band, which always selects the genitive plural. That is why 12 гривень and 21 гривня differ despite both ending in a low digit.

Can I use my own noun?

Yes. Type the three Ukrainian forms into the input boxes — nominative singular, nominative plural, and genitive plural — and the tool will pick the right one for any count and fill the example table with your word.

Does this work for negative numbers?

The rule depends only on the magnitude of the last two digits, so the tool uses the absolute value. A count like -22 is treated the same as 22 and selects the …2-4 form.

Ukrainian Plural Helper

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The Ukrainian Plural Helper picks the grammatically correct noun form to put after a number. Ukrainian, like its Slavic relatives, does not simply add an “s”: the form depends on the last one or two digits of the count, and getting it wrong is one of the most common learner mistakes.

How it works

The tool inspects the last two digits of your count. If the number ends in 1 but is not 11, it selects the nominative singular (form ONE). If it ends in 2, 3, or 4 — but is not 12, 13, or 14 — it selects the nominative plural (form FEW). Every other case, including 0, the teens 11–14, and any ending in 5–9, takes the genitive plural (form MANY). The 11–14 exception is handled by checking the full two-digit remainder before the single-digit rule.

Tips and example

With гривня: 1 гривня, 2 гривні, 5 гривень; then 21 гривня, 22 гривні, 25 гривень.
The crucial Ukrainian–Russian difference is the FEW slot: Ukrainian uses the nominative plural (2 роки), where Russian uses the genitive singular (2 года).
For your own noun, enter the three forms in the order singular → 2-4 → many; the sample table updates so you can sanity-check the pattern.
Negative counts are evaluated by magnitude, so -2 behaves like 2.