The Church Slavonic Alphabet - Historical Cyrillic Letters

Q: What is Church Slavonic?

Church Slavonic is a liturgical language used in religious services: • Created in the 9th century by Saints Cyril and Methodius [2] • Used for translating religious texts into Slavic languages • Still used today in Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic liturgy [2] • It's like Latin for Slavic churches !

Q: What are the unique letters in Church Slavonic?

Church Slavonic has many archaic letters not in modern alphabets: • Yat (ѣ) - special vowel sound, disappeared from most modern Slavic languages • Yus letters (ѫ, ѧ, ѩ) - represented nasal vowels • Izhitsa (ѵ) and fita (ѳ) - borrowed from Greek • Dzelo (ѕ) , ksi (ѯ) , psi (ѱ) - additional historical letters These letters make it distinctly different from modern Cyrillic !

Q: Is Church Slavonic still used today?

Yes! Church Slavonic is still actively used : • Orthodox churches - Russian, Serbian, Bulgarian Orthodox use it in liturgy [2] • Byzantine Catholic churches - also use it in services • Religious education - studied by priests and scholars • Historical research - essential for reading old manuscripts It's been in continuous use for over 1,000 years !

Q: How is Church Slavonic related to modern languages?

Church Slavonic is the ancestor of modern Cyrillic alphabets : • Created the foundation for Russian alphabet [1] • Influenced Bulgarian, Serbian, Ukrainian, Macedonian alphabets • Modern alphabets are simplified versions with fewer letters • Like the difference between Latin and modern Romance languages

Q: What is the difference between Glagolitic and Cyrillic?

These are two different scripts for Slavic languages : • Glagolitic - the original alphabet created by Cyril and Methodius • Cyrillic - developed later, based on Greek letters [2] • Cyrillic gradually replaced Glagolitic in most regions • Cyrillic was easier to write and more similar to Greek • Today, Cyrillic is used by 250+ million people !

Q: Can I learn to read Church Slavonic texts?

Yes! Here's what you need to know: • Learn the archaic letters - yat, yus, izhitsa, etc. • Study Old Slavonic grammar - similar to but different from modern Slavic • Practice with liturgical texts - many resources available online • If you know Russian, Bulgarian, or Serbian , you have a head start! • It's like learning to read Shakespeare in the original !

Church Slavonic Alphabet at a Glance

Early Cyrillic script with numerous letters, including many archaic forms no longer used in modern Slavic languages ^[1]
Created in the 9th century by Saints Cyril and Methodius for translating religious texts ^[2]
Still used today in liturgy by Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic churches ^[2]
Features unique historical letters: yat (ѣ), big yus (ѫ), little yus (ѧ), izhitsa (ѵ), fita (ѳ) ^[1]
Based on the earlier Glagolitic alphabet, but gradually replaced it in most Slavic regions ^[2]
Became the foundation for modern Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, and other Cyrillic alphabets ^[1]
Preserved in religious manuscripts, icons, and liturgical books spanning over 1,000 years

Church Slavonic is a liturgical language using the Early Cyrillic script, created in the 9th century by Saints Cyril and Methodius ^[2] for the purpose of translating religious texts into Slavic languages. The alphabet contains many archaic letters no longer found in modern Cyrillic alphabets, including yat (ѣ), big yus (ѫ), little yus (ѧ), iotified little yus (ѩ), izhitsa (ѵ), fita (ѳ), and dzelo (ѕ). Church Slavonic remains actively used in liturgy by Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic churches ^[2] across Eastern Europe and beyond. The script became the foundation for all modern Cyrillic alphabets, including Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Ukrainian, and Macedonian. Its historical and religious significance makes it essential for understanding Slavic cultural and linguistic heritage.

Church Slavonic Vowels (Uppercase)

[AH]

[YEH]

[EE]

[OH]

[OO]

[YAT]

[BIG YUS]

[LITTLE YUS]

[IOTIFIED LITTLE YUS]

[YERY]

[IZHITSA]

[AH]

Represents the open central unrounded vowel /a/, like "a" in "father"

[YEH]

Represents /je/ or palatalized /e/, like "ye" in "yes"

[EE]

Represents the close front unrounded vowel /i/, like "ee" in "see"

[EE]

Dotted i - represents /i/, used in Church Slavonic texts

[OH]

Represents the mid back rounded vowel /o/, like "o" in "go"

[OO]

Represents the close back rounded vowel /u/, like "oo" in "moon"

[YAT]

Yat - historical vowel, originally /æ/ or /ie/, no longer used in modern Cyrillic

[BIG YUS]

Big yus - nasal vowel /ɔ̃/, like nasalized "o"

[LITTLE YUS]

Little yus - nasal vowel /ɛ̃/, like nasalized "e"

[IOTIFIED LITTLE YUS]

Iotified little yus - represents /jɛ̃/, palatalized nasal vowel

[YERY]

Represents the close central unrounded vowel /ɨ/, unique Slavic sound

[IZHITSA]

Izhitsa - represents /i/ or /v/, borrowed from Greek upsilon

Church Slavonic Vowels (Lowercase)

[ah]

[yeh]

[ee]

[oh]

[oo]

[yat]

[big yus]

[little yus]

[iotified little yus]

[yery]

[izhitsa]

[ah]

Represents the open central unrounded vowel /a/, like "a" in "father"

[yeh]

Represents /je/ or palatalized /e/, like "ye" in "yes"

[ee]

Represents the close front unrounded vowel /i/, like "ee" in "see"

[ee]

Dotted i - represents /i/, used in Church Slavonic texts

[oh]

Represents the mid back rounded vowel /o/, like "o" in "go"

[oo]

Represents the close back rounded vowel /u/, like "oo" in "moon"

[yat]

Yat - historical vowel, originally /æ/ or /ie/, no longer used in modern Cyrillic

[big yus]

Big yus - nasal vowel /ɔ̃/, like nasalized "o"

[little yus]

Little yus - nasal vowel /ɛ̃/, like nasalized "e"

[iotified little yus]

Iotified little yus - represents /jɛ̃/, palatalized nasal vowel

[yery]

Represents the close central unrounded vowel /ɨ/, unique Slavic sound

[izhitsa]

Izhitsa - represents /i/ or /v/, borrowed from Greek upsilon

Church Slavonic Consonants (Uppercase)

[BEH]

[VEH]

[GEH]

[DEH]

[ZHEH]

[DZELO]

[ZEH]

[KAH]

[EHL]

[EHM]

[EHN]

[PEH]

[EHR]

[EHS]

[TEH]

[EHF]

[KHAH]

[TSEH]

[CHEH]

[SHAH]

[SHCHA]

[FITA]

[KSI]

[PSI]

[BEH]

Represents the voiced bilabial plosive /b/, like "b" in "bat"

[VEH]

Represents the voiced labiodental fricative /v/, like "v" in "van"

[GEH]

Represents the voiced velar plosive /ɡ/, like "g" in "go"

[DEH]

Represents the voiced dental plosive /d/, like "d" in "dog"

[ZHEH]

Represents the voiced postalveolar fricative /ʒ/, like "s" in "measure"

[DZELO]

Dzelo - represents /dz/, like "ds" in "adze"

[ZEH]

Represents the voiced alveolar fricative /z/, like "z" in "zebra"

[KAH]

Represents the voiceless velar plosive /k/, like "k" in "kite"

[EHL]

Represents the alveolar lateral approximant /l/, like "l" in "lamp"

[EHM]

Represents the bilabial nasal /m/, like "m" in "mother"

[EHN]

Represents the alveolar nasal /n/, like "n" in "no"

[PEH]

Represents the voiceless bilabial plosive /p/, like "p" in "pen"

[EHR]

Represents the alveolar trill /r/, a rolled "r" sound

[EHS]

Represents the voiceless alveolar fricative /s/, like "s" in "sun"

[TEH]

Represents the voiceless dental plosive /t/, like "t" in "top"

[EHF]

Represents the voiceless labiodental fricative /f/, like "f" in "fun"

[KHAH]

Represents the voiceless velar fricative /x/, like "ch" in Scottish "loch"

[TSEH]

Represents the voiceless alveolar affricate /ts/, like "ts" in "cats"

[CHEH]

Represents the voiceless postalveolar affricate /tʃ/, like "ch" in "church"

[SHAH]

Represents the voiceless postalveolar fricative /ʃ/, like "sh" in "shop"

[SHCHA]

Represents /ʃt/ or /ʃtʃ/, like "sht" in "shtick"

[FITA]

Fita - represents /f/, borrowed from Greek theta

[KSI]

Ksi - represents /ks/, borrowed from Greek xi

[PSI]

Psi - represents /ps/, borrowed from Greek psi

Church Slavonic Consonants (Lowercase)

[beh]

[veh]

[geh]

[deh]

[zheh]

[dzelo]

[zeh]

[kah]

[ehl]

[ehm]

[ehn]

[peh]

[ehr]

[ehs]

[teh]

[ehf]

[khah]

[tseh]

[cheh]

[shah]

[shcha]

[fita]

[ksi]

[psi]

[beh]

Represents the voiced bilabial plosive /b/, like "b" in "bat"

[veh]

Represents the voiced labiodental fricative /v/, like "v" in "van"

[geh]

Represents the voiced velar plosive /ɡ/, like "g" in "go"

[deh]

Represents the voiced dental plosive /d/, like "d" in "dog"

[zheh]

Represents the voiced postalveolar fricative /ʒ/, like "s" in "measure"

[dzelo]

Dzelo - represents /dz/, like "ds" in "adze"

[zeh]

Represents the voiced alveolar fricative /z/, like "z" in "zebra"

[kah]

Represents the voiceless velar plosive /k/, like "k" in "kite"

[ehl]

Represents the alveolar lateral approximant /l/, like "l" in "lamp"

[ehm]

Represents the bilabial nasal /m/, like "m" in "mother"

[ehn]

Represents the alveolar nasal /n/, like "n" in "no"

[peh]

Represents the voiceless bilabial plosive /p/, like "p" in "pen"

[ehr]

Represents the alveolar trill /r/, a rolled "r" sound

[ehs]

Represents the voiceless alveolar fricative /s/, like "s" in "sun"

[teh]

Represents the voiceless dental plosive /t/, like "t" in "top"

[ehf]

Represents the voiceless labiodental fricative /f/, like "f" in "fun"

[khah]

Represents the voiceless velar fricative /x/, like "ch" in Scottish "loch"

[tseh]

Represents the voiceless alveolar affricate /ts/, like "ts" in "cats"

[cheh]

Represents the voiceless postalveolar affricate /tʃ/, like "ch" in "church"

[shah]

Represents the voiceless postalveolar fricative /ʃ/, like "sh" in "shop"

[shcha]

Represents /ʃt/ or /ʃtʃ/, like "sht" in "shtick"

[fita]

Fita - represents /f/, borrowed from Greek theta

[ksi]

Ksi - represents /ks/, borrowed from Greek xi

[psi]

Psi - represents /ps/, borrowed from Greek psi

[YER]

[yer]

[SOFT YER]

[soft yer]

[AH]

[BEH]

[VEH]

[GEH]

[DEH]

[YEH]

[ZHEH]

[DZELO]

[ZEH]

[EE]

[KAH]

[EHL]

[EHM]

[EHN]

[OH]

[PEH]

[EHR]

[EHS]

[TEH]

[OO]

[EHF]

[KHAH]

[OMEGA]

[TSEH]

[CHEH]

[SHAH]

[SHCHAH]

[YER]

[YERY]

[SOFT YER]

[YAT]

[YU]

[LITTLE YUS]

[IOTIFIED LITTLE YUS]

[BIG YUS]

[YAH]

[FITA]

[IZHITSA]

[KSI]

[PSI]

;

(

)

Period (full stop)

Comma

;

Semicolon

Colon

Question mark

Exclamation mark

Apostrophe

Quotation mark

Hyphen

(

Left parenthesis

)

Right parenthesis

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What is Church Slavonic?

What are the unique letters in Church Slavonic?

Is Church Slavonic still used today?

How is Church Slavonic related to modern languages?

What is the difference between Glagolitic and Cyrillic?

Can I learn to read Church Slavonic texts?

References:

[1] Unicode Consortium. "Cyrillic Unicode Block (U+0400-U+04FF)". Retrieved from Unicode Cyrillic Block
[2] Omniglot. "Church Slavonic language and alphabet". Retrieved from Omniglot: Church Slavonic