kopeks

Kopeks are the subunit of the ruble in Russia and several other countries that use a ruble-based currency. One ruble is equal to 100 kopeks. The kopek is typically issued as coins and has a long history as the small denomination used in everyday transactions, price notation, and accounting.

Historically, kopeks were first minted in the Russian state’s copper coinage in the 16th century and remained a staple of the currency through the Russian Empire, the Soviet era, and into modern times. The unit has carried over into post-Soviet economies, where the word and concept remain in use, though the exact denominations and minting patterns have changed with political and economic shifts.

In contemporary Russia and many successor states, kopeks exist as coins, with small denominations playing a smaller practical role due to inflation. As a result, prices may be quoted with emphasis on rubles or on the integer value of kopeks, while the smallest coins see limited circulation in daily life. The kopek continues to be the official minor unit in official accounting and monetary notation.

The term kopeks has entered many languages as a loanword for small monetary amounts. In English-language usage, the singular is kopeck and the plural kopeks or kopecks. The kopek also holds interest for numismatists, with imperial, Soviet, and modern Russian coins collected and studied for historical and monetary value.