Study the table below to learn the 33 letters of the modern Russian (Cyrillic) alphabet and how each one is pronounced. Most letters have a close English equivalent — and since the alphabet is only 33 letters, it is very learnable!
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| Cyrillic | English Equiv. | Sound | Letter Name |
|---|---|---|---|
А а |
A a | Like "a" in far | "ah" |
Б б |
B b | Like "b" in boy | "beh" |
В в |
V v | Like "v" in very | "veh" |
Г г |
G g | Like "g" in go | "goh" |
Д д |
D d | Like "d" in dad | "deh" |
Е е |
YE ye | Like "ye" in yet | "yeh" |
Ё ё |
YO yo | Like "yo" in yoga | "yo" |
Ж ж |
ZH zh | Like "s" in pleasure | "zheh" |
З з |
Z z | Like "z" in zest | "zeh" |
И и |
EE ee | Like "ee" in see | "ee" |
Й й |
I or Y | Like "y" in toy | "ee kratkoyeh" |
К к |
K k | Like "k" in kitchen | "kah" |
Л л |
L l | Like "l" in little | "ehl" |
М м |
M m | Like "m" in mouse | "ehm" |
Н н |
N n | Like "n" in nice | "ehn" |
О о |
Stressed: O; Unstressed: A | Like "o" in sore / "a" in star | "oh" |
П п |
P p | Like "p" in pan | "peh" |
Р р |
R r | Like "r" in really (rolled) | "ehr" |
С с |
S s | Like "s" in salmon | "ehs" |
Т т |
T t | Like "t" in tip | "teh" |
У у |
U u | Like "oo" in boot | "oo" |
Ф ф |
F f | Like "f" in fish | "ehf" |
Х х |
H h / KH kh | Like "j" in jalapeño or "ch" in Bach | "khah" |
Ц ц |
TS ts | Like "ts" in tsunami | "tseh" |
Ч ч |
CH ch | Like "ch" in chop | "cheh" |
Ш ш |
SH sh (hard) | Like "sh" in shut | "shah" |
Щ щ |
SH sh (soft) | Like "sh" in shelf | "schyah" |
Ъ ъ |
Hard sign | Makes the preceding letter harder | "tvyordiy znahk" |
Ы ы |
I i | Like "i" in bill | "i" |
Ь ь |
Soft sign | Makes the preceding letter softer | "myagkeey znahk" |
Э э |
EH eh | Like "e" in set | "eh" |
Ю ю |
YU yu | Like "u" in use | "yoo" |
Я я |
YA ya | Like "ya" in yacht | "yah" |
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