Russian is written in the Cyrillic alphabet. It looks foreign, but a third of it you already know, and most of the rest takes an afternoon. This guide covers every letter: its name, its sound, an example word, and the traps English speakers fall into.
Beginner · A018 min read33 lettersAudio for every letter
Your first Russian sign, decoded. Blue letters you already know; red ones are false friends: Е says “ye” and Р says “r”.
Three ways you’ll see it
ЯCAPITALяSMALLяITALIC
Я in real words
ЯяNew shape 33 of 33
Soundya · ya as in “yard”Nameя · “ya”
A letter with no English twin. See its memory hook in section 4.
Tap any letter to hear it and see how it works. Tap a colour to highlight that group: blue letters you already know, red false friends, grey new shapes, and black signs with no sound.
The short answer
The Russian alphabet has 33 letters: 10 vowels, 21 consonants and 2 signs that have no sound of their own. Five letters look and sound like English (А, К, М, О, Т), seven look familiar but sound different (В, Е, Н, Р, С, У, Х), and the rest are new shapes. Most learners can read slowly within a day.
1. All 33 letters at a glance
Each row shows the capital and small letter, what Russians call the letter when spelling aloud, the sound it makes, and a common word that uses it. Tap the example to hear it.
Letter
Name
Sound
Example
Аа
а“a”
aa as in “father”
Бб
бэ“beh”
bb as in “bed”
Вв
вэ“veh”
vv as in “van”
Гг
гэ“geh”
gg as in “go”
Дд
дэ“deh”
dd as in “dog”
Ее
е“yeh”
yeye as in “yes”
Ёё
ё“yo”
yoyo as in “yogurt”
Жж
жэ“zheh”
zhs as in “pleasure”
Зз
зэ“zeh”
zz as in “zoo”
Ии
и“ee”
eeee as in “see”
Йй
и кра́ткое“ee KRAT-ka-ye”
yy as in “boy”
Кк
ка“ka”
kk as in “kit”
Лл
эль“el’”
ll as in “bottle”
Мм
эм“em”
mm as in “map”
Нн
эн“en”
nn as in “no”
Оо
о“o”
oo as in “port” (stressed)
Пп
пэ“peh”
pp as in “pen”
Рр
эр“er”
ra rolled r, as in Spanish
Сс
эс“es”
ss as in “sun”
Тт
тэ“teh”
tt as in “top”
Уу
у“oo”
oooo as in “boot”
Фф
эф“ef”
ff as in “fun”
Хх
ха“kha”
khch as in Scottish “loch”
Цц
цэ“tseh”
tsts as in “cats”
Чч
че“cheh”
chch as in “chair”
Шш
ша“sha”
shsh as in “shop”, harder
Щщ
ща“shcha”
shcha long, soft “sh”
Ъъ
твёрдый знак“TVYOR-diy znak”
—hard sign: a tiny pause
Ыы
ы“ɨ”
ɨ“ee” with the tongue pulled back
Ьь
мя́гкий знак“MYAKH-kiy znak”
—soft sign: softens the letter before
Ээ
э“eh”
ee as in “met”
Юю
ю“yoo”
yu“you”
Яя
я“ya”
yaya as in “yard”
2. The five letters you already know
А, К, М, О and Т look and sound almost exactly like their English twins. With just these five you can already read real Russian words:
One small catch: О only sounds like “o” when it’s stressed. Otherwise it sounds like “a”, which is why ма́ма and кот sound as you’d expect but молоко́ (milk) is said “ma-la-KO”. More on that in section 6.
3. The seven false friends
These are the letters that trip everyone up. They look like English letters but make a completely different sound. Learn these seven first and Russian stops looking like scrambled English.
Top: the English letter your brain sees. Bottom: the Russian letter and the sound it really makes.
ВSounds like “v”, not “b”.The single most common trap. Read В as “v”, always.
ЕSounds like “ye”, not “e”.At the start of a word or after a vowel it’s “ye”. After a consonant it softens it.
НSounds like “n”, not “h”.Н is the Russian “n”. There’s no letter H in Russian at all.
РSounds like “r”, not “p”.A rolled “r”, like in Spanish or Scottish English.
СSounds like “s”, not “c”.Always “s”, never “k”.
УSounds like “oo”, not “y”.A vowel, like “oo” in “boot”.
ХSounds like “kh”, not “x”.A breathy sound from the back of the throat, like clearing it gently.
4. The new shapes, with memory hooks
The remaining letters don’t exist in English. The easiest way to learn them is with a picture or a link to a sound you already know.
5. Hard and soft vowels, and the two signs
Russian has 10 vowels, and they come in pairs. Each pair makes the same basic vowel sound. The difference is what happens to the consonant (any letter that isn’t a vowel) in front: a “soft” vowel makes it soft, as if you added a tiny “y” sound to it.
Top row: hard vowels. Bottom row: their soft partners, which add a “y” glide (а → я is “a” → “ya”).
Two letters have no sound at all. The soft sign ь softens the consonant before it, and the hard sign ъ adds a small break before a soft vowel. Compare these pairs:
The only difference is ь. It makes the т soft: your tongue presses flat against the roof of your mouth.
Same again. Many verbs end in -ть, so you’ll hear this soft т constantly.
ъ keeps с hard and adds a small break before е: “s-yel”.
6. Stress: the rule the alphabet doesn’t show
Every Russian word has one stressed syllable, the one you say louder and longer. Normal Russian text doesn’t mark it, but it matters: vowels that aren’t stressed change their sound. The biggest change is о, which turns into an “a” sound when it isn’t stressed.
Three о’s on paper, but only the stressed one sounds like “o”. That’s why we mark stress on every word on Evolang.
7. Italic and handwriting surprises
In italics and handwriting, a few small letters change shape so much they look like different Latin letters. You’ll see these in books, menus and on signs.
т→тItalic т looks like an English m.
д→дItalic д looks like a g or a curly d.
и→иItalic и looks like an English u.
п→пItalic п looks like an English n.
г→гItalic г looks like a backwards s.
8. Read these words
All of these are words English borrowed or shares with Russian. Sound each one out letter by letter, then reveal the answer.
такси́
метро́
ко́фе
рестора́н
телефо́н
футбо́л
компью́тер
шокола́д
9. Handwriting: how Russians actually write
Russians write in a joined-up cursive script, and several letters look completely different from print. You’ll see this on handwritten notes, menus, signs and in schools. The italic forms below are close to the handwritten shapes.
т→тLooks like an English m. The most surprising one.
д→дWritten like a g, with a tail below the line.
и→иWritten like an English u.
п→пWritten like an English n.
г→гLooks like a backwards s, or a small z.
л→лStarts with a small hook at the bottom left.
м→мAlso starts with the same small hook.
ш→шLike a w; often has a line under it to tell it apart.
A famous puzzle for learners: the handwritten word лишишь (“you deprive”) looks like a row of identical waves. Russians solve it by writing a line over т and under ш.
10. Typing in Russian
You don’t need a special keyboard. Every computer and phone can switch to Russian in its settings. Choose the layout that suits you.
Phonetic layoutEach Russian letter sits on the English key that sounds like it: а on A, б on B, д on D. Easiest for beginners.
Standard ЙЦУКЕНThe layout printed on Russian keyboards, named after its top row. Faster once learned, and what every Russian uses.
On your phoneAdd “Russian” in your keyboard settings. Swipe or tap the globe key to switch between English and Russian.
No keyboard?Type the transliteration below and paste it into a free online converter, or use the on-screen keyboards on Evolang.
11. Transliteration: Russian in English letters
Transliteration means writing Russian with English letters, as on passports and in our pronunciation guides. It’s a bridge while you learn Cyrillic, not a replacement: real Russian is always written in Cyrillic.
аa
бb
вv
гg
дd
еye / e
ёyo
жzh
зz
иi
йy
кk
лl
мm
нn
оo
пp
рr
сs
тt
уu
фf
хkh
цts
чch
шsh
щshch
ъ"
ыy
ь’
эe
юyu
яya
Example: Москва́ → Moskva, Чайко́вский → Chaykovsky, Хрущёв → Khrushchyov. Different systems exist, so you’ll see some names spelled more than one way.