From Old Church Slavonic *кънига* (kŭniga), possibly borrowed from Old Turkic *küinig* or *küiniig*, itself traced to Chinese 卷 (*juǎn*, "scroll, volume"). The word spread widely across Slavic languages and is attested in the earliest East Slavic manuscripts, including the 11th-century *Ostromir Gospels*.

Russians have a deep cultural reverence for books and literature. The phrase *«самая читающая нация»* ("the most reading nation") was a Soviet-era claim of national pride, and Russia's literary tradition — Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Pushkin — remains a core part of national identity. Bookshops (*книжные магазины*) and public libraries are still widely used. Note: do not confuse *книга* (book) with *тетрадь* (notebook/exercise book), a common beginner mix-up.