Home  
  Russia  
  Russian  
  Recipes  
  Entertainment  
  Traditional  
  Services  

The Russian Alphabet

The Russian (Cyrillic) alphabet consits of 33 letters:
10 vowels (а, е, ё, и, о, у, ы, э, ю, я) and 23 consonants.

Letter

Russian
name

Pronunciation (with English examples)

Transcribed

Audio samples  as text

A a

a

a - long as in 'father";
short as in 'mother"

a

long: янвàрь
short: в январé

Б б

be

b - hard as in 'boss' or soft as in 'Bjorn'

b

hard: быть
soft: бить

В в

ve

v - hard as in 'vase' or soft as in 'view'

v

hard: новый
soft: новейший

Г г

ge

g - hard as in 'God' or soft as in 'argue'

g

hard: много
soft: многие

Д д

de

d - hard as in 'day' or soft as in 'dew'

d

hard: награда
soft: наградить

Е е

ye

ye - as in 'yet' - in the initial position, after vowels and after ь and ъ.
yi - as in 'yeast'. Also 'e', 'a', 'i' or 'ɨ'.

Softens  preceding consonants.

ye, yi, e, a, i, ɨ

with y: ехать
without y: побег

Ё ё

yo

Always stressed!
yo - as in 'your' - in the initial position, after vowels and after ь and ъ.
Also 'o'.
Softens  preceding consonants.

yo, o

with y: ёж
without y: жёлтый

Ж ж

zhe

sh as in 'pleasure'

ʒ

жить

З з

ze

z - hard as in 'zero' or soft as in 'resume'

z

завтра

И и

i

i: - stressed as in 'deep';
i - unstressed as in 'pit';
after ж, ш, ц - wie ы (see below).
Softens  preceding consonants.

i:, i, ɨ

один
like 'ы':  машина

Й й

i
krátkoye
(short)

y - as in 'young'

i, y

мой

К к

ka

k - hard as in 'can' or soft as in 'keep'

k

hard: кот
soft: кит

Л л

el

l - hard as in 'lord' or soft as in 'million'

l

hard: белый
soft: белить

М м

em

m - hard as in 'must' or soft as in 'Muse'

m

hard: масло
soft: мясо

Н н

en

n - hard as in 'null' or soft as in 'nude'

n

hard: ныть
soft: нить

О о

o

o - if stressed - long as in 'obey';
shorter then 'a' - if unstressed as in 'together'

o, ə or ɔ

long: нóвый
short: новéйший

П п

pe

p - hard as in 'pot' or soft as in 'peer'

p

hard: пат
soft: пять

Р р

er

r trilled with the tip of the tongue; hard or soft

r

hard: рукá
soft: рюмка

С с

es

s - hard as in 'some' or soft as in 'sue'

s

hard: суд
soft: сюда

Т т

te

t - hard, but unaspirated as in 'time' or soft as in 'tulip'

t

hard: тонуть
soft: тянуть

У у

u

shorter then 'oo' in 'goose'

u

думать

Ф ф

ef

f - hard as in 'fall' or soft as in 'few'

f

hard: кафé
soft: кóфe

Х х

kha

ch - hard similar to 'Lochness' or soft. No English equivalent.

ch

hard: хохотать
soft: хихикать

Ц ц

tse

ts (always hard) as in 'tsar'

ts

цвет

Ч ч

tche

tch (always soft) as in 'cheers'

ʧ

учить

Ш ш

sha

sh (always hard) as in 'sure'

ʃ

школа

Щ щ

tsha

tsch (always soft) as in 'schtschi' (Russian cabbage soup)

ʃ

ещё

Ъ ъ

tvyordyi znak (hard sign)

The hard sign is not pronounced. It is placed between a hard consonant and the vowels -е, -ё, -ю, -я. These vowels are pronounced with the distinct initial 'j' (je, jo, ju, ja).

подъезд

Ы ы

ɨ

A retracted variety of 'i' pronounced with the tongue blocking the throat. No English equivalent.

y

ты

Ь ь

myachkiy znak (soft sign)

The soft sign is not pronounced. It softens a preceeding consonant and indicates the distinct pronunciation of the initial 'j' of the following vowels -е, -ё, -ю, -я (je, jo, ju, ja).

sometimes 'j'

дверь

Э э

ε

'ε' or 'e' similar to 'set'

ε, e

это

Ю ю

yu

ju as in 'you'. In some cases the 'j' is hardly pronounced.
Softens preceeding consonant.

yu, u

юмор

Я я

ya

ja - if stressed as in 'young'
yi - if unstressed as in 'yeast', but shorter. Can sometimes be reduced to 'a' or 'i'.
Softens preceeding consonant.

ya, yi, yə, a, i

яблоко

Lernhilfe Russisches Alphabet
Teach Yourself Beginner's Russian Script
A step-by-step introduction to reading and writing in Russian. Lots of "hands-on" exercises and activities. Practical examples from real-life situations.
$9.31 buy now!

Learn Russian

Russisch lernen mit RusslandJournal.de
Alles über den Podcast
Lernen Sie Russisch mit unserem Podcast-Sprachkurs!
Die Lektionen aus diesem Russisch Kurs können Sie zuhause am PC anhören oder auf einen MP3-Player laden und unterwegs Russisch lernen.
"Play" startet den aktuellen Podcast
Russisch schreiben und lesen lernen
Read Russian Masterpieces
Russian Stories: A Dual-Language Book
12 superb tales by Chekhov, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Bunin, other masters. Excellent word-for-word English translations on facing pages. Also Russian-English vocabulary, biographical/critical introductions to each selection, study questions, more.
$10.36 buy now!
Beautiful Flowers For All Occasions!
Send Flower Surprises to Russia
Experienced florists in Russia and other CIS countries work together and deliver flowers to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and other 276 cities in Russia, 126 cities in Ukraine as well as to other republics of the former Soviet Union.
Send Flowers to Russia now!
Get Russian Language Learning Material
Teach Yourself Beginner's Russian Script
A step-by-step introduction to reading and writing in Russian. Lots of "hands-on" exercises and activities. Practical examples from real-life situations.
$9.31 buy now!
Oxford Russian Grammar And Verbs
Brand new guide to Russian grammar and verbs provides clear and simple explanations of today's written and spoken Russian. Comprehensive and easy to use. Thousands of examples in an instantly accessible layout.
$11.66 buy now!
Russian For Dummies with Audio CD
Russian is spoken by nearly 450 million people, and demand for Russian-speakers is growing. This introductory course includes an audio CD with practice dialogues-just the ticket for readers who need basic Russian for business, school, or travel.
$16.49 buy now!
Get Russian Learning Software
Rosetta Stone Russian Level 1 & 2
With this award-winning method used by NASA and the Peace Corps, you'll learn the way children do - by associating words and phrases with the world around you.
$289.99 buy now!
Rosetta Stone Russian Level 1 with Audio Companion
Russian for Beginners. Learn to introduce yourself in Russian, ask simple questions, talk about everyday life, learn vocabulary you need when go shopping and much more.
$206.10 buy now!
Basic Russian: Learn to Speak and Understand Russian with Pimsleur Language Programs /Audiobook
This effective language-learning program gives you quick command of Russian structure without tedious drills. Learning to speak Russian can actually be enjoyable and rewarding.
$17.22 buy now!
Say It In Russian (PC & Mac)
Effective immersion environment combined with 15 step-by-step lessons. Master listening and speaking skills; participate in interactive conversations. Runs on Palm and Pocket PC for learning on the go.
$69.99 buy now!
Get Russian Dictionaries
The Oxford Russian Dictionary
The most comprehensive Russian-English and English-Russian dictionary available. 180,000 words and phrases, 290,000 translations. Includes business, computing and specialist vocabulary.
$40.95 buy now!
Langenscheidts Pocket Russian Dictionary: Russian <-> English
A convenient reference for writers, students, and businesspeople; anyone who needs the right word at the right time.
$11.86 buy now!
Ectaco English - Russian Bilingual Dictionary
500,000 words. Instant reverse translation. New words recording function for dictionary expansion. 1000 commonly used phrases. Spell-checker, irregular verbs, electronic grammar book. Organizer, calculator, scheduler, metric and currency converters.
$99.95 buy now!