-иха

• IPA^(key): [ˈʲixə] (when stressed)
• IPA^(key): [ʲɪxə] (when unstressed)

-и́ха or -иха • (-íxa or -ixa)

1. Forms nouns referring to feminine animals.

   ‎бобр (bobr, “beaver”) + ‎-иха (-ixa) → ‎бобри́ха (bobríxa, “female beaver”)

   бегемо́т (begemót, “hippopotamus”) → бегемо́тиха (begemótixa, “female hippopotamus”)

   барсу́к (barsúk, “badger”) → барсучи́ха (barsučíxa, “female badger”)

   за́яц (zájac, “hare”) (oblique stem зайц- (zajc-)) → зайчи́ха (zajčíxa, “female hare”)

   ёж (jož, “hedgehog”) → ежи́ха (ježíxa, “female hedgehog”)

2. Forms nouns referring to feminine people, often of a colloquial nature.

   врач (vrač, “doctor”) → врачи́ха (vračíxa, “female doctor (colloquial)”)

   портно́й (portnój, “tailor”) → портни́ха (portníxa, “female tailor (normal register)”)

   чува́к (čuvák, “dude, guy (slang)”) → чуви́ха (čuvíxa, “girl, chick (slang)”)

3. Forms nouns referring to objects, of a decidedly colloquial and often pejorative nature.

   шум (šum, “noise”) → шуми́ха (šumíxa, “hype, buzz (colloquial, pejorative)”)

   не- (ne-, “not”) + разобра́ться (razobrátʹsja, “to sort out”) (present tense разберу́сь (razberúsʹ)) → неразбери́ха (nerazberíxa, “muddle, mess, SNAFU (colloquial)”)

The suffix has the following properties:

• The stem may or may not be stressed (more often stressed than not).
• A velar (as well as ц) normally turns into a palatal as a result of the Slavic first palatalization.
• With reducible nouns, the stem assumes its non-reduced form before the suffix.
• A stressed ё turns into е when the stressed variant of the suffix is added.