Study the table below to learn the letters of the modern Russian alphabet and how they are pronounced.
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| Russian Character | English Equivalent | Sound | Letter Name in Russian |
|---|---|---|---|
| A a | 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" |
| E e | 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 o; Unstressed: A a | Like "o" in sore and "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 tsumani | "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 | Letter before is stronger | "tvyordiy znahk" |
| Ы ы | I i | Like "i" in bill | "i" |
| Ь ь | Soft sign | Letter before is 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" |
Notice how most of the letters of the Russian alphabet already exist in English. Although some of the letters and sounds do not exist in English, since the modern Russian alphabet only has 33 letters, it is easy to learn.
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