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Learning the Russian alphabet helps you read, write, and connect spoken words with their spelling. Russian uses Cyrillic, a script based partly on Greek that developed in the ninth century. The modern Russian alphabet has 33 letters: 10 vowel letters, 21 consonant letters, and two signs, ь and ъ.
Letters and sounds are different things: one letter may represent different sounds in different positions. The table introduces common sound values, not a complete transcription of each example. Symbols in square brackets are from the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA); [j] means the “y” sound in English “yes,” not the “j” in “jam.” An acute accent marks word stress for learning.
The 33 Russian letters
| Letter | Name | Common sound value | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| А а | а | [a] when stressed | а́рмия — army |
| Б б | бэ | [b], or soft [bʲ] | бал — ball (a dance event) |
| В в | вэ | [v], or soft [vʲ] | вре́мя — time |
| Г г | гэ | [ɡ], or soft [ɡʲ] | горсть — handful |
| Д д | дэ | [d], or soft [dʲ] | да́та — date |
| Е е | е | [je] in some positions; after a consonant, often [e] when stressed with softening | ель — spruce |
| Ё ё | ё | [jo] in some positions; after a consonant, [o] usually with softening | ёж — hedgehog |
| Ж ж | жэ | [ʐ], a hard “zh”-like sound | жизнь — life |
| З з | зэ | [z], or soft [zʲ] | зо́лото — gold |
| И и | и | [i] in many stressed syllables | икра́ — caviar |
| Й й | и краткое | [j], as “y” in “yes” | йод — iodine |
| К к | ка | [k], or soft [kʲ] | ко́жа — skin |
| Л л | эль | hard [ɫ], or soft [lʲ] | ла́па — paw |
| М м | эм | [m], or soft [mʲ] | моро́з — frost |
| Н н | эн | [n], or soft [nʲ] | ночь — night |
| О о | о | [o] when stressed | окно́ — window |
| П п | пэ | [p], or soft [pʲ] | пе́сня — song |
| Р р | эр | [r], or soft [rʲ]; a tongue-tip trill/tap | река́ — river |
| С с | эс | [s], or soft [sʲ] | суд — court |
| Т т | тэ | [t], or soft [tʲ] | та́нец — dance |
| У у | у | [u] | у́тка — duck |
| Ф ф | эф | [f], or soft [fʲ] | файл — file |
| Х х | ха | [x], or soft [xʲ] | хром — chromium |
| Ц ц | цэ | [t͡s], normally hard | цепь — chain |
| Ч ч | чэ | [t͡ɕ], normally soft | чай — tea |
| Ш ш | ша | [ʂ], a hard “sh”-like sound | шо́рох — rustle |
| Щ щ | ща | [ɕː], a long soft hissing sound | щека́ — cheek |
| Ъ ъ | твёрдый знак | No sound of its own; a separating sign | объе́кт — object |
| Ы ы | ы | [ɨ], a central unrounded vowel | мышь — mouse |
| Ь ь | мягкий знак | No sound of its own; softening, separation, or a grammatical spelling role | пье́са — play (theatre) |
| Э э | э | [e] when stressed | э́ра — era |
| Ю ю | ю | [ju] in some positions; after a consonant, [u] usually with softening | юг — south |
| Я я | я | [ja] in some positions; after a consonant, [a] usually with softening | я́хта — yacht |
Vowel letters and consonant softness
Teachers often group the vowel letters as а, о, у, ы, э and я, ё, ю, и, е. “Hard” and “soft” primarily describe the preceding consonant, not two fixed kinds of vowel sounds. The second group usually signals a soft consonant when that consonant has a soft counterpart. Compare лук (onion) and люк (hatch).
Е, ё, ю, and я can represent [j] plus a vowel at the beginning of a word, after another vowel, and after a separating ь or ъ: ель, ёж, юг, яблоко, каюта, пьеса, объект. After a paired consonant, they usually indicate softness instead of a separate [j]: век, берёза, брюки, пряник. И is different: it does not normally start a word with [ji].
This is not a rule that softens every consonant. In ordinary native vocabulary, ж, ш, ц are normally hard, while ч, щ, й are normally soft. И after ж and ш has an ы-like sound, as in жизнь. Some loanwords also retain a hard consonant before е.
Stress and unstressed vowels
Russian stress can fall on different syllables and may change between word forms. Unstressed vowels are often reduced. Unstressed о after a hard consonant is not pronounced as a full [o]: it commonly approaches [ɐ] or [ə], depending on position. Unstressed е after a soft consonant commonly approaches [ɪ]. These are tendencies, not an exact substitution of every о with а or every е with и.
| Word | Meaning | What to notice |
|---|---|---|
| пода́рок | gift | The first о is unstressed. |
| меда́ль | medal | The е is unstressed; the final consonant is soft. |
| Еги́пет | Egypt | The е vowels are unstressed. |
| молоко́ | milk | The first two о vowels are reduced; the final о is stressed. |
Russian does not use vowel length to distinguish words in the same way as some languages do. Still, stressed and unstressed vowels differ in duration and quality. English comparisons are approximate; “on” is not an exact pronunciation model for Russian он across English accents.
Hard and soft consonants
Many Russian consonants form hard/soft pairs: [b]–[bʲ], [k]–[kʲ], [s]–[sʲ], for example. A soft consonant is pronounced with the middle of the tongue raised towards the hard palate. The IPA superscript ʲ marks this; it does not mean you always add a separate “y” sound after the consonant.
Compare угол (angle) and уголь (coal), or полка (shelf) and полька (polka, a dance). The soft sign can distinguish words. In бегать (to run), ь signals a soft final т.
Voicing and devoicing
| Voiced letter | Voiceless counterpart |
|---|---|
| б | п |
| в | ф |
| г | к |
| д | т |
| ж | ш |
| з | с |
Paired voiced consonants are normally devoiced at the end of a word: the final б in хлеб (bread) sounds like [p]; the final д in йод like [t]; the final г in юг like [k]. The letters stay the same in writing.
Nearby consonants can also affect voicing: юбка (skirt) has a [p]-like sound for б before к; рюкзак (backpack) has a [ɡ]-like sound for к before з; просьба (request) has a voiced soft з-like sound for с before б. Do not assume that every voiced consonant makes the preceding one voiced: sonorants and в do not behave like ordinary triggers in this rule.
Recognizing letter shapes
Some familiar shapes
Printed А, К, М, О, Т resemble Latin letters, with roughly familiar sound values. Е is also visually familiar, but its Russian sound and softening role need separate attention. З resembles the digit 3 more closely than a standard Latin Z. Handwritten forms can differ substantially from print.
| Letter | More examples |
|---|---|
| А | А́зия — Asia |
| Е | есть — to eat / there is; век — century |
| З | зал — hall; зе́лень — greenery |
| К | кот — cat; кит — whale |
| М | ма́ма — mother; мир — world / peace |
| О | он — he; молоко́ — milk |
| Т | торт — cake; текст — text |
Russian зе́лень contains soft з, л, and н in its usual pronunciation. Russian cursive lowercase т can resemble Latin m; practise printed and cursive forms separately.
Familiar shapes with different sounds
| Russian letter | Avoid reading it as | Russian sound and examples |
|---|---|---|
| В | Latin B | [v]: вода́ — water; ве́на — vein |
| Н | Latin H | [n]: ноль — zero; ня́ня — nanny |
| Р | Latin P | [r]: рабо́та — work; ребёнок — child |
| С | Latin C | [s], not [k]: со́лнце — sun; си́ла — strength |
| У | Latin Y | [u]: у́лей — beehive; рука́ — hand |
| Х | Latin X | [x]: хозя́ин — owner; хи́мия — chemistry |
Russian р uses a tongue-tip trill or tap, rather than the usual English “r.” Х is a friction sound made at the back of the mouth, as in Scottish “loch”; it is not the ordinary English [h]. In солнце, the л is normally silent. The two alphabets’ similar shapes do not imply identical pronunciation.
Less familiar shapes
| Letter | Examples and guidance |
|---|---|
| Б | бык — bull; брат — brother; broadly b-like |
| Г | грязь — dirt; гол — a goal in sport; usually [ɡ] rather than English soft “g” |
| Д | дом — house; докуме́нт — document; broadly d-like |
| Ё | ёмкость — capacity / container; берёза — birch; ёж means hedgehog, while ёрш is the fish “ruff” |
| Ж | жанр — genre; жира́ф — giraffe; harder and farther back than the sound in English “measure” |
| И | и́скра — spark; игра́ — game; an i-like vowel |
| Й | йо́га — yoga; йо́гурт — yoghurt; волейбо́л — volleyball; [j] as English “y” |
| Л | ло́жка — spoon; лаборато́рия — laboratory; hard and soft l differ |
| П | па́льма — palm tree; пила́ — saw; broadly p-like |
| Ц | цикл — cycle; цена́ — price; [t͡s] is one affricate, similar to the end of “cats” |
| Ч | чек — receipt; челове́к — person; a softer sound than English “ch” |
| Ш | шоссе́ — highway; шокола́д — chocolate; a hard sh-like sound |
| Щ | щит — shield; щётка — brush; a long soft sound, normally without a t in modern standard Russian |
| Э | э́то — this; эгои́ст — egoist; broadly e-like |
| Ю | ю́мор — humour; ю́ность — youth; каю́та — cabin; брю́ки — trousers |
| Я | я́блоко — apple; яд — poison; Япо́ния — Japan; пря́ник — gingerbread |
The combination дж occurs in words such as джаз (jazz). Avoid assuming that every Russian letter is an exact match for an English sound. Russian document is докуме́нт, with stress on the third syllable; лаборатория is лаборато́рия, with stress on the fourth.
Ы, ь, and ъ
Ы represents [ɨ], a central unrounded vowel without an exact standard English equivalent. It is not simply the vowel in English “ill.” Practise it in ты́ква (pumpkin) and мы́ло (soap), preferably with recorded native audio. Ы rarely begins ordinary Russian words, but can begin borrowed names; uppercase Ы is a valid letter.
Ь, the soft sign, has no sound of its own. It can indicate softness, act as a separator before a vowel, or mark a grammatical spelling. Compare угол / уголь and полка / полька. In пла́тье (dress) and пьеса, it signals separation as well as a soft preceding consonant. In мышь, the ш remains hard despite ь.
Ъ, the hard sign, also has no sound of its own. It is a separating sign, often between a prefix ending in a consonant and е, ё, ю, or я. Learn подъём (ascent / rise / lifting) and объя́тие (embrace). Подъём is not the usual word for a political uprising.
Practise reading and spelling
1. Put these words in alphabetical order
Сала́т, ко́фе, бу́ргер, футбо́л, парк, па́спорт, такси́, пиани́ст, ра́дио, чемпио́н, фильм, ви́део. Read each word aloud and compare its stress with the related English word.
Check the order and meanings
Бу́ргер (burger), ви́део (video), ко́фе (coffee), парк (park), па́спорт (passport), пиани́ст (pianist), ра́дио (radio), сала́т (salad), такси́ (taxi), фильм (film), футбо́л (football), чемпио́н (champion).
2. Match place names
Аме́рика, Брази́лия, Украи́на, Фра́нция, Австра́лия, Герма́ния, Кана́да, Аргенти́на, Нью-Йо́рк, Берли́н, То́кио, Ло́ндон, Ки́ев, Мадри́д, Пари́ж, Чика́го. Find their English equivalents, then compare the stressed syllables.
Check the place names
America, Brazil, Ukraine, France, Australia, Germany, Canada, Argentina, New York, Berlin, Tokyo, London, Kyiv, Madrid, Paris, Chicago, in the same order. Америка means America; it is not always a precise synonym for the United States. Киев is the Russian form of Kyiv.
3. Match words, pronunciations, and meanings
Match these words to their meanings before opening the answers: глаза́, ве́чер, доро́га, кварти́ра, любо́вь, ма́льчик, приве́т, спаси́бо, хорошо́, шко́ла. Meanings: road, eyes, boy, thank you, hi, good/well, apartment, evening, school, love. The answers include broad IPA pronunciation; ˈ marks stress and ʲ marks a soft consonant.
Check the vocabulary and pronunciation
| Russian | Broad IPA | English |
|---|---|---|
| глаза́ | [ɡlɐˈza] | eyes |
| ве́чер | [ˈvʲet͡ɕɪr] | evening |
| доро́га | [dɐˈroɡə] | road |
| кварти́ра | [kvɐrˈtʲirə] | apartment |
| любо́вь | [lʲʊˈbofʲ] | love |
| ма́льчик | [ˈmalʲt͡ɕɪk] | boy |
| приве́т | [prʲɪˈvʲet] | hi |
| спаси́бо | [spɐˈsʲibə] | thank you |
| хорошо́ | [xərɐˈʂo] | good / well |
| шко́ла | [ˈʂkoɫə] | school |
Practise a small group of letters each day. Spell familiar words, listen to a native recording, and compare the sounds with the printed form. This builds a more reliable foundation than reading every Russian word through English spelling.
