The Russian Alphabet - Vowels, Consonants, Signs & more

Q: How many letters are in Russian?

There are 33 letters in the Russian alphabet [1] . Out of these, 10 are vowel letters, 21 are consonants, and 2 are special signs (the hard sign Ъ and soft sign Ь) that modify pronunciation.

Q: What makes Russian letters different from English?

Russian uses the Cyrillic alphabet instead of the Latin alphabet. Key differences: • Some letters look the same but sound different: В sounds like "v", not "b" • Some letters look different but sound familiar: Р sounds like "r" • Completely unique letters like Ж (zh) , Ш (sh) , and Щ (shch) • Two special signs that modify sounds but aren't pronounced themselves

Q: What are the hard sign and soft sign in Russian?

These are two unique features of Russian : • Soft sign (Ь) - makes the previous consonant "soft" or palatalized • Hard sign (Ъ) - creates a brief pause and prevents palatalization • Neither represents a sound on its own - they only modify other letters • Example: мать (mat') uses Ь to soften the т sound

Q: Where is Russian spoken today?

Russian is spoken across a vast area: • Russia - where it's the official and primary language • Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan - official language status [2] • Former Soviet republics - widely used as a second language • Russian diaspora in countries like USA, Germany, Israel About 258 million people speak Russian worldwide [2] !

Q: Is Russian hard to learn for English speakers?

Russian has some challenges and surprises : • New alphabet - but you can learn Cyrillic in a few weeks • Grammar cases - 6 cases change word endings • Aspect system - verbs come in perfective/imperfective pairs • Good news : no articles (a/the), flexible word order, phonetic spelling With practice, the Cyrillic alphabet becomes second nature !

Q: What happened to Russian letters in 1918?

The Soviet orthography reform of 1918 simplified Russian: • Removed four obsolete letters : і (dotted i), ѣ (yat), ѳ (fita), ѵ (izhitsa) • Changed from 37 letters down to 33 letters • Made spelling more consistent and easier to learn • Old Russian texts from before 1918 look noticeably different This created the modern Russian alphabet we use today !

Russian Alphabet at a Glance

33 letters: 10 vowels, 21 consonants, and 2 special signs (hard sign and soft sign) ^[1]
Spoken by approximately 258 million people worldwide as native or second language ^[2]
Official language of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan ^[2]
Uses the Cyrillic script, developed in the First Bulgarian Empire in the 9th century ^[1]
Features unique letters not found in other Cyrillic alphabets: Ё (yo), Ы (y), Э (e) ^[1]
Modern alphabet established after the 1918 Soviet orthography reform, which removed four obsolete letters ^[1]
Eighth most spoken language in the world by total number of speakers ^[2]

The Russian alphabet consists of 33 letters, comprising 10 vowels, 21 consonants, and 2 special signs ^[1]. Based on the Cyrillic script, which originated in the First Bulgarian Empire during the 9th century, the Russian alphabet has evolved significantly over the centuries. The vowels include А (a), Е (ye), Ё (yo), И (i), О (o), У (u), Ы (y), Э (e), Ю (yu), and Я (ya), while the consonants range from Б (b) to Щ (shch). The modern Russian alphabet was standardized after the 1918 Soviet orthography reform, which removed four obsolete letters (і, ѣ, ѳ, ѵ) and simplified spelling rules. Russian is spoken by approximately 258 million people worldwide ^[2] as a native or second language, making it one of the most widely spoken languages globally.

Russian Vowels (Uppercase)

[AH]

[YEH]

[YO]

[EE]

[OH]

[OO]

[IH]

[EH]

[YU]

[YAH]

[AH]

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

[YEH]

Represents /je/ or /ʲe/, like "ye" in "yes" (softens preceding consonant)

[YO]

Represents /jo/ or /ʲo/, like "yo" in "yonder" (softens preceding consonant)

[EE]

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

[OH]

Represents /o/ when stressed, reduced when unstressed, like "o" in "go"

[OO]

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

[IH]

Represents the close central unrounded vowel /ɨ/, a unique Russian sound between "i" and "u"

[EH]

Represents /e/, like "e" in "met" (does not soften preceding consonant)

[YU]

Represents /ju/ or /ʲu/, like "yu" in "you" (softens preceding consonant)

[YAH]

Represents /ja/ or /ʲa/, like "ya" in "yard" (softens preceding consonant)

Russian Vowels (Lowercase)

[ah]

[yeh]

[yo]

[ee]

[oh]

[oo]

[ih]

[eh]

[yu]

[yah]

[ah]

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

[yeh]

Represents /je/ or /ʲe/, like "ye" in "yes" (softens preceding consonant)

[yo]

Represents /jo/ or /ʲo/, like "yo" in "yonder" (softens preceding consonant)

[ee]

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

[oh]

Represents /o/ when stressed, reduced when unstressed, like "o" in "go"

[oo]

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

[ih]

Represents the close central unrounded vowel /ɨ/, a unique Russian sound between "i" and "u"

[eh]

Represents /e/, like "e" in "met" (does not soften preceding consonant)

[yu]

Represents /ju/ or /ʲu/, like "yu" in "you" (softens preceding consonant)

[yah]

Represents /ja/ or /ʲa/, like "ya" in "yard" (softens preceding consonant)

Russian Consonants (Uppercase)

[BEH]

[VEH]

[GEH]

[DEH]

[ZHEH]

[ZEH]

[EE-KRAHT-KOY-EH]

[KAH]

[EHL]

[EHM]

[EHN]

[PEH]

[EHR]

[EHS]

[TEH]

[EHF]

[KHAH]

[TSEH]

[CHEH]

[SHAH]

[SHCHAH]

[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 /g/, like "g" in "go"

[DEH]

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

[ZHEH]

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

[ZEH]

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

[EE-KRAHT-KOY-EH]

Represents the palatal approximant /j/, like "y" in "yes" (short i)

[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 /tɕ/, like "ch" in "church"

[SHAH]

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

[SHCHAH]

Represents the long voiceless alveolo-palatal fricative /ɕː/, like "sh" + "ch" in "fresh cheese"

Russian Consonants (Lowercase)

[beh]

[veh]

[geh]

[deh]

[zheh]

[zeh]

[ee-kraht-koy-eh]

[kah]

[ehl]

[ehm]

[ehn]

[peh]

[ehr]

[ehs]

[teh]

[ehf]

[khah]

[tseh]

[cheh]

[shah]

[shchah]

[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 /g/, like "g" in "go"

[deh]

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

[zheh]

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

[zeh]

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

[ee-kraht-koy-eh]

Represents the palatal approximant /j/, like "y" in "yes" (short i)

[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 /tɕ/, like "ch" in "church"

[shah]

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

[shchah]

Represents the long voiceless alveolo-palatal fricative /ɕː/, like "sh" + "ch" in "fresh cheese"

[TVYOR-DY ZNAHK]

[tvyor-dy znahk]

[MYAH-khee ZNAHK]

[myah-khee znahk]

[AH]

[BEH]

[VEH]

[GEH]

[DEH]

[YEH]

[YO]

[ZHEH]

[ZEH]

[EE]

[EE-KRAHT-KOY-EH]

[KAH]

[EHL]

[EHM]

[EHN]

[OH]

[PEH]

[EHR]

[EHS]

[TEH]

[OO]

[EHF]

[KHAH]

[TSEH]

[CHEH]

[SHAH]

[SHCHAH]

[TVYOR-DY ZNAHK]

[IH]

[MYAH-khee ZNAHK]

[EH]

[YU]

[YAH]

[NOHL]

[ah-DEEN]

[DVAH]

[TREE]

[cheh-TIH-reh]

[PYAHT]

[SHEHST]

[SYEHM]

[VOH-syem]

[DYEH-vyeht]

[NOHL]

Zero (ноль)

[ah-DEEN]

One (один)

[DVAH]

Two (два)

[TREE]

Three (три)

[cheh-TIH-reh]

Four (четыре)

[PYAHT]

Five (пять)

[SHEHST]

Six (шесть)

[SYEHM]

Seven (семь)

[VOH-syem]

Eight (восемь)

[DYEH-vyeht]

Nine (девять)

;

(

)

Period (full stop)

Comma

;

Semicolon

Colon

Question mark

Exclamation mark

Apostrophe

Quotation mark

Hyphen

(

Left parenthesis

)

Right parenthesis

Left guillemet (Russian quotation mark)

Right guillemet (Russian quotation mark)

Expand All Collapse All

How many letters are in Russian?

What makes Russian letters different from English?

What are the hard sign and soft sign in Russian?

Where is Russian spoken today?

Is Russian hard to learn for English speakers?

What happened to Russian letters in 1918?

References:

[1] Unicode Consortium. "Cyrillic Unicode Block (U+0400-U+04FF)". Retrieved from Unicode Cyrillic Block
[2] Ethnologue. "Russian Language (RUS) - L1 & L2 Speakers, Status, Map". Retrieved from https://www.ethnologue.com/language/rus/