Language/Russian/Vocabulary/Learning-the-Cyrillic-Alphabet

Russian Vocabulary → Introduction to Russian Alphabet → Learning the Cyrillic Alphabet

As a Russian language teacher with over 20 years of experience, I know that starting with the basics is the key to mastering any language. In this lesson, we'll be focusing on learning the Cyrillic alphabet, its letters, and sounds. Knowing the Cyrillic alphabet is essential for any beginner who wants to learn Russian.

Importance of Cyrillic Alphabet

The Cyrillic alphabet is the writing system used for the Russian language. It consists of 33 letters and was invented in the 9th century by two Byzantine brothers, Saints Cyril and Methodius, for the purpose of translating religious texts into Old Church Slavonic. It is the official script in Russia as well as other countries including Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine.

Learning the Cyrillic alphabet is therefore the starting point for anyone serious about learning the Russian language. Here are some tips which could help:

Tips for Learning the Cyrillic Alphabet

• Learn the Russian alphabet from the beginning instead of relying on transliteration first. This will help you internalize the sounds and structure of the language.
• Divide the alphabet into manageable parts for study. Group together those letters that have a similar shape or sound.
• Repetition is key to learning. Practice the letters regularly to make the alphabet more familiar to you.
• Look for words that you know in Russian Cyrillic. This would make recognizing Cyrillic letters easier for a beginner.
• Use a set of flashcards or an alphabet chart to help memorize the alphabet.

By following these tips, you will be able to learn the Cyrillic alphabet and be on your way to learning Russian in no time.

Cyrillic Alphabet Chart

Below is a chart of the Cyrillic alphabet characters, along with their names and pronunciations. The column with pronunciation will have the IPA representation of the Russian letter sound. It is important to note that there are some sounds made in Russian that do not have exact equivalents in English. However, we will use approximations as a guide. The chart could be organized as follows:

Cyrillic	Name	Pronunciation	English
А а	а (a)	/a/	Aa (as in “ father”)
Б б	бэ (be)	/b/	Bb (as in “bed”)
В в	вэ (ve)	/v/	Vv (as in “very”)
Г г	гэ (ge)	/g/	Gg (as in “go”)
Д д	дэ (de)	/d/	Dd (as in “dog”)
Е е	е (е)	/je/ (or less commonly /e/)	Ye (as in “yes”)
Ё ё	ё (yo)	/jo/	Yo (as in “yogurt”)
Ж ж	жэ (zhe)	/ʐ/	Zh (as in “measure”)
З з	зэ (ze)	/z/	Zz (as in “zoo”)
И и	и (i)	/i/	Ee (as in “meet”)
Й й	и краткое (i kratkoye)	/j/	Y (as in “boy”)
К к	ка (ka)	/k/	Kk (as in “kite”)
Л л	эл (el)	/l/	Ll (as in “light”)
М м	эм (em)	/m/	Mm (as in “more”)
Н н	эн (en)	/n/	Nn (as in “now”)
О о	о (o)	/o/	Oo (as in “no”)
П п	пэ (pe)	/p/	Pp (as in “pie”)
Р р	эр (er)	/r/	Rr (rolled r sound)
С с	эс (es)	/s/	Ss (as in “sea”)
Т т	тэ (te)	/t/	Tt (as in “tea”)
У у	у (u)	/u/	Oo (as in “boot”)
Ф ф	эф (ef)	/f/	Ff (as in “fine”)
Х х	ха (kha)	/x/	Kh (as in “Bach”)
Ц ц	цэ (tse)	/ts/	Ts (as in “fits”)
Ч ч	чэ (che)	/tʃ/	Ch (as in “chair”)
Ш ш	ша (sha)	/ʂ/	Sh (as in “sheep”)
Щ щ	ща (shcha)	/ʃ/	Shch (as in “fresh cheese”)
Ъ ъ	твёрдый знак (tvjordiy znak)	Not read	–
Ы ы	ы (y)	/ɨ/	U (as in “put”)
Ь ь	мягкий знак (mjagkiy znak)	Not read	–
Э э	э (e)	/ɛ/ (or less commonly /e/)	E (as in “bet”)
Ю ю	ю (yu)	/ju/	Yu (as in “university”)
Я я	я (ya)	/ja/	Ya (as in “yard”)

Conclusion

The Cyrillic alphabet is the foundation of the Russian language. In this lesson, we have covered tips for learning, the importance of the Cyrillic alphabet, and a chart of the characters. Practice is essential to be successful in learning the Cyrillic alphabet, but it can be made fun by recognizing the letters in context, song lyrics, or other areas of interest. As they say in Russia, "Упрямый учится на своих ошибках", meaning: The stubborn one learns from their own mistakes. Embrace your mistakes, learn from them, and you'll be speaking Russian in no time.

Sources

• Cyrillic Alphabets
• Russian Alphabet

Table of Contents - Russian Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Alphabet and Pronunciation

• Cyrillic Alphabet
• Pronunciation Rules

  ---

Basic Phrases and Greetings

• Greetings and Introductions
• Everyday Phrases

  ---

Nouns and Gender

• Noun Gender
• Plurals

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-10
• Telling Time

  ---

Cases and Prepositions

• Nominative Case
• Prepositional Case

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Relationships and Marital Status

  ---

Verbs and Conjugation

• Present Tense
• Past Tense

  ---

Food and Dining

• Common Foods
• Dining Out

  ---

Russian Traditions and Holidays

• National Holidays
• Traditional Celebrations

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Travel Phrases

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Adjective Agreement
• Comparatives and Superlatives

  ---

Hobbies and Leisure Activities

• Hobbies
• Entertainment

  ---

Russian Literature and Arts

• Famous Writers
• Russian Art and Music

Related Lessons

• School
• At the Post Office
• Introduction to Russian Pronunciation
• Count to 10
• Feelings and Emotions
• Architecture
• Bank
• Trees
• Clothes
• Car