One of the first and most exciting steps in learning ру́сский язы́к [Russian language] is mastering its алфави́т [alphabet]. At first glance, learning a new script might seem daunting, but don’t worry! Ру́сский алфави́т [the Russian alphabet] is про́ще, чем вы ду́маете [easier than you think]. Once learn the Russian alphabet, you’ll be able to read almost any Russian word, even if you don’t know its meaning yet!
Similar Letters and Sounds
Good news! Some ру́сские бу́квы [Russian letters] look exactly like English letters and even sound the same:
- А а, К к, М м, О о, Т т – these letters have the same pronunciation in both languages!
- В в, Е е, Н н, Р р, С с, У у, Х х – they look familiar, but their sounds are different from English.
Beyond the letters, we also have plenty of похо́жие зву́ки [similar sounds]. After all, Russians use their гу́бы [lips], зу́бы [teeth], язы́к [tongue], рот [mouth], and го́рло [throat] to produce зву́ки [sounds] just like everyone else!
Cyrillic: Alphabet Basics
The ру́сский алфави́т is also known as кири́ллица [Cyrillic alphabet] and consists of 33 бу́кв [letters]:
- 10 гла́сных [vowels]
- 21 согла́сная [consonants]
- 2 знака́ [two pronunciation marks] that don’t have their own sounds
Unlike in English, where spelling and pronunciation can be unpredictable (think: though, enough, knight), Russian words are read по пра́вилам [according to rules]. Once you learn the letters, you’ll be able to прочита́ть лю́бое ру́сское сло́во [read any Russian word], even if you’ve never seen it before!
How to Start Learning the Alphabet?
Since we use зву́ки [sounds] when мы говори́м [we speak], it makes more sense (and saves time!) to learn the зву́ки of the letters rather than their назвáния [names]. So if your goal is to start говори́ть по-ру́сски [speaking Russian] as soon as possible, let’s begin by focusing on pronunciation!
Нажми́те на аудиопле́ер [Click the audio player], listen, and repeat after me по о́дному зву́ку [one sound at a time].
The Hard and Soft Signs
Near the end of the alphabet, you’ll encounter two unusual letters:
- Ъ ъ – твёрдый знак [hard sign] (tvyórdy znak)
- Ь ь – мя́гкий знак [soft sign] (myáhky znak)
These знáки don’t make any sound, but they игра́ют ва́жную роль [play an important role] in pronunciation.
- Твёрдый знак acts as a раздели́тель [separator] and prevents смягче́ние [softening] of the preceding consonant: подъéзд [entrance]
- Мя́гкий знак makes the preceding consonant мя́гким [soft], changing the way a word sounds: у́гол [corner] – у́голь [coal]
Practice Makes Perfect!
Pronounce the зву́ки as often as you need—after all, повторе́нье – мать уче́ния [repetition is the mother of learning]!
Ready to learn the Russian alphabet — the names of all the letters, plus some extra useful vocabulary? In my video tutorial, I use an old сове́тская а́збука [Soviet ABC book] to guide you through the alphabet just like Russian children learned it decades ago. Watch the video and practice with me!
If you’d like to go further, you can also explore how Russian letters look in real handwriting by reading my article on Russian cursive!
