The Russian alphabet (Кириллица) has 33 letters. Some look and sound like English letters, some look the same but sound different (the "false friends"), and some are completely new. This lesson groups them to make learning faster.
Estimated Time: 45–60 minutes
These letters look and sound similar to their English counterparts. You already know these!
| Letter | Name | Sound | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| А а | ah | "a" as in father | арбуз (arbuz) | watermelon |
| Е е | ye | "ye" as in yes | ел (yel) | ate |
| К к | kah | "k" as in kite | кот (kot) | cat |
| М м | em | "m" as in mother | мама (mama) | mom |
| О о | oh | "o" as in more (when stressed) | он (on) | he |
| Т т | te | "t" as in top | там (tam) | there |
These letters look like English letters but make different sounds. Pay close attention — these trip up beginners the most!
| Letter | Name | Sound | NOT like | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| В в | ve | "v" as in vine | NOT English B | вода (voda) | water |
| Н н | en | "n" as in not | NOT English H | нет (nyet) | no |
| Р р | er | rolled "r" (like Spanish) | NOT English P | рот (rot) | mouth |
| С с | es | "s" as in sun | NOT English C | сок (sok) | juice |
| У у | oo | "oo" as in boot | NOT English Y | утро (utro) | morning |
| Х х | khah | "kh" like Scottish loch | NOT English X | хлеб (khleb) | bread |
💡 Cultural Insight: The word "РЕСТОРАН" on a Russian sign doesn't spell "PECTOPAH" — it spells "restoran" (restaurant)! Knowing the false friends (Р=R, Е=YE, С=S, Т=T, О=O, А=A, Н=N) is the key to reading Russian signs, menus, and maps almost immediately.
These letters are new shapes but have straightforward sounds you already know.
| Letter | Name | Sound | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Б б | be | "b" as in bat | банк (bank) | bank |
| Г г | ge | "g" as in go | год (god) | year |
| Д д | de | "d" as in dog | дом (dom) | house |
| З з | ze | "z" as in zoo | звезда (zvezda) | star |
| И и | ee | "ee" as in see | имя (imya) | name |
| Й й | ee kratkoe | "y" as in boy | май (may) | May |
| Л л | el | "l" as in lamp | луна (luna) | moon |
| П п | pe | "p" as in pen | папа (papa) | dad |
| Ф ф | ef | "f" as in fan | факт (fakt) | fact |
These letters have no close English equivalent. They represent sounds that are distinctive to Russian and Slavic languages.
| Letter | Name | Sound | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ж ж | zhe | "zh" like pleasure | жизнь (zhizn') | life |
| Ц ц | tse | "ts" as in cats | центр (tsentr) | center |
| Ч ч | che | "ch" as in church | чай (chay) | tea |
| Ш ш | sha | "sh" as in ship | школа (shkola) | school |
| Щ щ | shcha | "shch" (longer, softer sh) | щи (shchi) | cabbage soup |
| Э э | eh | "e" as in pet | это (eto) | this |
| Ю ю | yoo | "yoo" as in you | юг (yug) | south |
| Я я | yah | "ya" as in yard | яблоко (yabloko) | apple |
| Ы ы | i | deep "i" — like "ee" but tongue pulled back | мы (my) | we |
| Ё ё | yo | "yo" as in yolk | ёж (yozh) | hedgehog |
In printed Russian, the dots on Ё are often omitted, making it look identical to Е. This means you sometimes have to know a word to pronounce it correctly. For example: все (vsye = "all") vs всё (vsyo = "everything"). Context helps!
These two letters don't make sounds themselves — they modify the consonant before them.
| Letter | Name | Function | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ъ ъ | tvyordiy znak (hard sign) | Creates a brief pause; keeps consonant hard before soft vowel | объект (ob-yekt) | object |
| Ь ь | myagkiy znak (soft sign) | Softens (palatalizes) the preceding consonant | мать (mat') | mother |
💡 Cultural Insight: Before the 1918 spelling reform, the hard sign (Ъ) was written after every word-final consonant, making texts much longer. The reform dropped it from word endings, saving an estimated 3–4% of all printed paper in Russia!
А Б В Г Д Е Ё Ж З И Й К Л М Н О П Р С Т У Ф Х Ц Ч Ш Щ Ъ Ы Ь Э Ю Я
10 vowels · 21 consonants · 2 signs
Russian vowels come in "hard" and "soft" pairs. The soft vowels signal that the preceding consonant is palatalized:
Hard: А, Э, О, У, Ы
Soft: Я, Е, Ё, Ю, И
Think of each soft vowel as its hard partner with a "y" sound in front: А→Я (a→ya), Э→Е (e→ye), О→Ё (o→yo), У→Ю (u→yu), Ы→И (y→i)
— Это что? (Eto shto?) — What is this?
— Это кот. (Eto kot.) — This is a cat.
— А это? (A eto?) — And this?
— Это дом. (Eto dom.) — This is a house.
— Дом? Мой дом! (Dom? Moy dom!) — A house? My house!
1. What sound does the Russian letter "Р" make?
2. Which letter is the "soft sign"?
3. How many letters are in the Russian alphabet?
4. The word "РЕСТОРАН" on a Russian sign means what?
5. What is the Russian letter "Н" equivalent to in English?