A typical Russian keyboard has a similar layout to the standard QWERTY keyboard used in many countries, but with some additional keys specific to the Russian language. The letters of the Cyrillic alphabet, including both uppercase and lowercase characters, are printed on the keys along with their corresponding Latin letter equivalents. In addition to the letters, the keyboard includes keys for numbers, punctuation marks, and various special characters used in the Russian language. The exact layout and design of a Russian keyboard may vary depending on the manufacturer, but the basic features and functionality are generally similar across different models.
In today's lesson, you will learn how to write the different letters of the Cyrillic Russian Alphabet and how to pronounce them by listening to a native speaker. You will also find at the end of this lesson a virtual keyboard so you can type directly in Cyrillic without the need to change the settings of your device.
Russian is a Slavic language, such as Polish or Czech, written with the Cyrillic alphabet, inspired by the Greek alphabet.
The Russian language employs a total of 33 letters in its alphabet, consisting of 10 vowels, 21 consonants, and 2 symbols (ь, ъ). It is an Eastern Slavonic language that bears a close resemblance to Ukrainian and Belorussian, with a significant number of speakers numbering around 277 million individuals in Russia and 30 other countries.
In the table presented below, we will delve into the distinctive sounds of the Cyrillic alphabet and include audio recordings to aid in improving your pronunciation. By carefully listening to and practicing these sounds, you'll be on your way to mastering the pronunciation of Cyrillic letters!
Caps
Minisculs
Name
Prononciation IPA
Transcription
English Equivalent
Sound
Letter Name in Russian
Example
Example (audio)
А
а
а
/a/
a
А а
Like "a" in car
"ah"
а́том
Б
б
бэ
/b/, /bʲ/
b
B b
Like "b" in bat
"beh"
бато́н
В
в
вэ
/v/, /vʲ/
v
V v
Like "v" in van
"veh"
ва́режки
Г
г
гэ
/ɡ/, /gʲ/
g
G g
Like "g" in go
"geh"
гру́ша
Д
д
дэ
/d/, /dʲ/
d
D d
Like "d" in dog
"deh"
ды́ня
Е
е
е
/je/, / ʲe/, /e/
e
YE ye
Like "ye" in yet
"yeh"
ежеви́ка
Ё
ё
ё
/jo/, / ʲɵ/
ë
YO yo
Like "yo" in yonder
"yo"
ёж
Ж
ж
жэ
/ʐ/
ž
Zh zh
Like "s" in measure or pleasure or like "g" in beige (the colour)
"zheh"
жук
З
з
зэ
/z/, /zʲ/
z
Z z
Like "z" in zoo
"zeh"
замо́к
И
и
и
/i/, / ʲi/,, /ɨ/
i
EE ee
Like "ee" in see
"ee"
икра́
Й
й
и краткое
/j/
j
I i or Y y
like "y" in boy or toy
"ee kratkoyeh"
йо́гурт
К
к
ка
/k/, /kʲ/
k
K k
Like "k" in kitten, "c" in cat.
"kah"
клубни́ка
Л
л
эл, эль
/l/, /lʲ/
l
L l
Like "l" in light
"ehl"
лимо́н
М
м
эм
/m/, /mʲ/
m
M m
Like "m" in mat
"ehm"
мали́на
Н
н
эн
/n/, /ɲ/
n
N n
Like "n" in no
"ehn"
носки́
О
о
о
/o/, /ɐ/
o
Stressed: O o
Unstressed: A a
Like "o" in bore
Like "a" in car
"oh"
о́вощи
П
п
пэ
/p/, /pʲ/
p
P p
Like "p" in pot
"peh"
пе́рец
Р
р
эр
/r/, /rʲ/
r
R r
Like "r" in run (rolled)
"ehr"
ры́ба
С
с
эс
/s/, /sʲ/
s
S s
Like "s" in sam
"ehs"
стул
Т
т
тэ
/t/, /tʲ/
t
T t
Like "t" in tap
"teh"
торт
У
у
у
/u/
u
U u
Like "oo" in boot
"oo"
у́дочка
Ф
ф
эф
/f/, /fʲ/
f
F f
Like "f" in fat
"ehf"
фру́кты
Х
х
ха
/x/, /xʲ/
x
H h, KH kh
Like "h" in hello or like the "ch" in Scottish 'loch' or German 'Bach'
"khah"
хво́я
Ц
ц
цэ
/t͡s/
c
TS ts
Like "ts" in bits
"tseh"
ци́фры
Ч
ч
че
/t͡ɕ/
č
CH ch
Like "ch" in chip
"cheh"
ча́шка
Ш
ш
ша
/ʂ/
š
SH sh (hard)
Like "sh" in shut
"shah"
ша́пка
Щ
щ
ща
/ɕɕ/
šč
SH sh (soft)
Like "sh" in sheep
"schyah"
щётка
Ъ
ъ
твёрдый знак
''
Hard Sign
Letter before is hard
"tvyordiy znahk"
съесть
Ы
ы
ы
/ɨ/
y
I i
Like "i" in ill
"i"
ты
Ь
ь
мягкий знак
/ ʲ/
'
Soft Sign
Letter before is soft
"myagkeey znahk"
есть
Э
э
э
/e/
è
E e
Like "e" in pet
"eh"
экра́н
Ю
ю
ю
/ju/, / ʲu/
ju
YU yu
Like "u" in use or university
"yoo"
ю́бка
Я
я
я
/ja/, / ʲa/
ja
YA ya
Like "ya" in yard.
"yah"
блоко
Notes
The Russian l is velar, it is pronounced as English well or as the old French chevals: one pronounced then s of the plural (that is why the pronunciation was then modified in "cheva-or "Then" chevo "writes Chevaux)
At the end of the word, the sound consonants become deaf, as in German, they pronounce then:
b > p
v > f
g > k
d > t
z > s
The Russian has 5 vocalic phonemes noted by 10 graphemes:
a
e
i
o
u
а
э
ы
о
у
After a hard consonant
я
е
и
ё
ю
After a soft consonant or yod
NOTE: If Russian word contains 'ё', the accent is always on this vowel. Therefore, the accent mark is not placed above 'ё'.
The use of the letter 'ё' is mandatory in texts with consistently placed accent marks, in books for young children (including textbooks for elementary school students), in textbooks for foreigners. In ordinary printed texts, it`s written in cases where a misreading of the word is possible, when it`s necessary to indicate the correct pronunciation of a rare word or to prevent a speech error. The letter 'ё' should also be written in proper names. In other cases, the use of 'ё' is optional.
Examples
(In brackets the transcription & bracketed phonetics)
ад (ad) [at] Hell
яд (jad) [jat] poison
мыло (mylo) [mɨlo] soap
мило (milo) [mjilo] nice
лук (luk) [luk] onion
люк (ljuk) [ljuk] hatch
These wet sounds are not necessarily transcribed in French. Thus the name of the first president of Russia was Борис Ельцин in Russian, Boris Yeltsin in English and French: Boris Yeltsin (but pronouncing "Yeltsin").
Italic characters
It's worth noting that some cursive Cyrillic letters differ significantly from their printed counterparts, and we've highlighted these distinct forms in bold for your convenience.
These cursive letters are essential to learn because they are frequently used in everyday Russian handwriting and closely resemble the handwritten form of the language.
By mastering these distinct forms of Cyrillic script, you'll be better equipped to read and write in a variety of settings and contexts.
А а
Б б
В в
Г г
Д д
Е е
Ё ё
Ж ж
З з
И и
Й й
К к
Л л
М м
Н н
О о
П п
Р р
С с
Т т
У у
Ф ф
Х х
Ц ц
Ч ч
Ш ш
Щ щ
Ъ ъ
Ы ы
Ь ь
Э э
Ю ю
Я я
А а
Б б
В в
Г г
Д д
Е е
Ё ё
Ж ж
З з
И и
Й й
К к
Л л
М м
Н н
О о
П п
Р р
С с
Т т
У у
Ф ф
Х х
Ц ц
Ч ч
Ш ш
Щ щ
Ъ ъ
Ы ы
Ь ь
Э э
Ю ю
Я я
Cursive Letters (hand writing
Watch the video below to learn how to write the cursive language letters of the Russian alphabet:
Russian Keyboard
Real Russian Keyboard
A typical Russian keyboard has a similar layout to the standard QWERTY keyboard used in many countries, but with some additional keys specific to the Russian language. The letters of the Cyrillic alphabet, including both uppercase and lowercase characters, are printed on the keys along with their corresponding Latin letter equivalents. In addition to the letters, the keyboard includes keys for numbers, punctuation marks, and various special characters used in the Russian language. The exact layout and design of a Russian keyboard may vary depending on the manufacturer, but the basic features and functionality are generally similar across different models.
Here is an example of keyboard layout below:
Transform your keyboard to write Cyrillic
This video explains how you can write Russian/Cyrillic letter stickers on your native keyboard with the use of Russian letter sticker:
Russian Online Virtual Keyboard
Type directly without the need to change the settings of your device:
Videos
Russian Alphabet Made Easy
Learn the Russian alphabet with examples and pronunciation
