Non-Russian learners imagine it must be difficult to learn the Russian alphabet. Actual Russian learners know that it’s easily done….and that the real challenges of the language lie elsewhere. In this post, you’ll find three great tricks to help you learn the Russian alphabet in as little as an afternoon and we’ll apply them together to each letter. If you’re going to travel to Russia or just want to impress your friends, that’s all you need. If you’re about to start learning the learning Russian, the post will get you started. Then you’ll need a bit of fine tuning….and a lot of reading and writing practice.
But should you even bother to learn the Russian alphabet?
Is it important to learn the Russian script?
Yes!
Sure, when you start a language like Chinese or Japanese with a more complex system, there’s a strong argument to postpone learning the script.
Not so with Russian.
If you’re going to learn the language, start with the alphabet and with a run through of the sounds of the language.
True, if you’re just visiting Russia, you’ll probably get by without learning to read Russian writing. I travelled in China without knowing the Chinese characters, after all. On the Moscow metro, you’ll find signs in Latin script. It’s the same at the most popular Russian tourist sites, in major hotels and menus in quite a few restaurants and cafes.
But, hey, traveller! You want more than just to get by, don’t you?
If you follow the instructions in this post, you’ll have learned the script in no time and you’ll at once feel so much more of an insider.
It might just stop you ordering the wrong thing at a cafe or getting on the wrong bus!
How difficult is it to learn Russian script?
The Russian script is easy to learn for three reasons.
First, just like the Latin symbols used for English and all other central and Western European languages, it’s an alphabet. That’s to say, it’s writing in which one symbol represents one unit of sound. So, you don’t have to grapple with an unfamilari system such as symbols that stand for the consonants only (Hebrew, Arabic) or a symbol representing an abstract idea (Chinese).
Second, a lot of the symbols are already familiar.
Five letters have roughly the same basic sound value as in the English alphabet: А, Е, Ё, К, М, О, Т. Another six are “false friends”: В, Н, Р, С, У, Х. Their sounds are unexpected but the symbols, at least, you already know. Others still will be easy to remember if you know Greek (or the Greek letters used in mathematics): Г, Д, Л, П, Ф). We’re left with a “hard core” of only 12 really alien symbols (Б, З, Ж, И / Й, Ц, Ч, Ш, Щ, Ъ, Ь, Ю, Я).
Third, the relationship between how words are written in Russian and how they are pronounced is relatively regular. Some letters represent different sounds depending on where they are in a word and whether they are stressed, so the system isn’t perfectly phonetic. That said, written Russian is much more phonetic than English. So much so, that native English speakers have to spend two more years learning to read than Russian children, so estimates the linguist V. K Zhuravlev (that’ll soon be В. К. Журавлев to you 🙂 ).
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Russian alphabet in overview, alphabetical order, names of the Russian letters
There are 33 letters in the Russian alphabet. That’s ten vowels (а, е, ё, и, о, у, ы, э, ю, я), 21 consonants and two, erm, signs.
Here they are in alphabetical order (upper case followed by lower case). We’ve also their rough, basic equivalent of the sound in English and of the name of the letter. I’ve also rendered the Russian name of the letter in a make-shift phonetic way.
| Letter (upper case first) | approx basic sound | name | Letter | approx basic sound | name |
| А а | a | ah | П п | p | peh |
| Б б | b | beh | Р р | r | erh |
| В в | v | veh | С с | s | es |
| Г г | g | geh | Т т | t | teh |
| Д д | d | deh | У у | oo | |
| Е е | ye | yeh | Ф ф | f | eff |
| Ё ё | yo | yoh | Х х | kh | kha |
| Ж ж | zh | zheh | Ц ц | ts | tseh |
| З з | z | zeh | Ш ш | sh | sheh |
| И и | i (ee) | ee | Щ ш | shch | shah |
| Й й | y | i kratkaia | Ъ ъ | hard sign | tvyordyi znak |
| К к | k | kah | Ы ы | i | uhee |
| Л л | l | el | Ь ь | soft sign | myagkii znak |
| М м | m | em | Э э | eh | eh |
| Н н | n | en | Ю ю | yoo | yoo |
| О о | o | oh | Я я | yah | yah |
Remember, these are rough equivalent sound values. Not all the sounds overlap perfectly with their nearest English equivalents and sometimes the way a letter is pronounced changes (due to stress, position in the word). But those are concerns for another day. This post is all about learning the basics.
How to learn the Russian alphabet: the three tricks
To help you learn the Russian alphabet in next to no time, we’ll use three tricks:
First, learn the letters in logical groups rather than in alphabetical order.
Second, use mnemonics. By finding an image to remind us of the x of the 33 letters that don’t stand for more or less the same sounds as identical English letters.
Third, focus on cognates. That’s to say, for each letter, work from the known to the unknown by first trying to decipher some words that are the same or similar in Russian and English. This will help you concentrate on the symbol/sound relationship without having to worry about the meaning.
Now, before we get stuck in, do I really believe that you can learn to read Russian in an afternoon? Yes…., but….
How long does it really take to learn the Russian alphabet?
You certainly could learn the Russian alphabet in an afternoon.
The well-known Russian teacher Betty Lou Lever has described how she teaches the alphabet in twenty minutes by focussing mainly on cognates.
But, what’s the rush?
If you use the techniques recommended in this post and take time to build in some review, you can comfortably learn the Russian alphabet and the rough and ready English pronunciation approximations in a week.
The next stage, if you’re going on to learn Russian is to fine tune the pronunciation. For that, check the second post in this series (coming soon).
Here’s the “but”.
Your early steps in Russian literacy won’t be like reading in English.
Sure, you’ll be able to “decipher” a Russian word, letter for letter but it’ll take a lot or reading practice until you can “hear” the sounds in your head.
It’ll take even more practice until you can read naturally and with ease by taking whole words at a glance so taht it otfen doens’t even matetr if the lerttes are in odrer for you to udnsanedt.
Just like it did with English.
Let’s get stuck in and learn the Russian alphabet. For each letter, I’ll give you a basic approximation – the nearest equivalent sound in English (sounds don’t overlap completely in the two languages), an mnemonic image or two that will help cement the letter and the associated sound in your memory and some cognate words (identical or almost identical the Russian and English) for you to practise reading straight away.
Now, let’s start with what we already know.
Friendly Russian letters that look like English and sound the same (or very similar)
А а (=A) as “ah” in “father” or “car”.
Cognates: Африка (Africa); диета (diet); зоопарк (zoo – literally zoo park).
Е е (=Ye) as in “yes.”
Ok, this isn’t quite the English “e” but the symbol is familiar and the sound very close.
Cognates: Европа (Europe) университет (university); инженер (engineer).
К к (=K) as in “kind”.
Cognates: критика (criticism); балкон (balcony); танк (tank); цирк (circus).
М м (=M) as in “man”.
Cognates: мама (mum); лампа (lamp) шампанское (champagne).
О о (=O) as in “port”.
Cognates: опера (opera); глобус (globe).
Т т (=T) as in “tank”.
Cognates: танк (tank); лифт (lift i.e. elevator) диета (diet).
Trickster Russian letters that look like English but sound different
To learn these quickly, associate each one with an English word that begins with the same sound.
В в = V as in “vet”.
Think of half a violin.
Cognates: виола (viola); Киев (Kiev); Европа (Europe).
Ё ё = Yo as in “yonder”.
Not quite “yo” as in egg “yolk” but think of the dots as two yolks atop an egg.
Not a cognate but remember the common Russian word ещё (still).
Н н = N as in “never”.
Like a No Entry sign and the first letter of the Russian for no: нет!
Cognates: нуль (null, zero); балкон (balcony); танк (tank); Нью-Йорк (New York).
Р р = R. It’s a “trilled r”.
It looks like a poor old R, rudely robbed of one leg.
Cognates: рис (rice); опера (opera); инженер (engineer); And, if you’re over a certain age, you’ll remember the old CCCP (EsEsEsEr = USSR. Not SeeSeeSeePee!).
С с =S as in “soon”.
A bit like a handless sickle: very Soviet! Originates in Greek sigma Σ.
Cognates: суп (soup); рис (rice). And, if you’re over a certain age, you’ll remember the old CCCP. (EsEsEsEr = USSR. Not SeeSeeSeePee!).
У у = U like oo as in “fool” but a little shorter.
A “moose” with two sets of antlers and a tail.
Cognates: университет (university); нуль (null, zero). журнал (journal).
Х х = Ch like “kh” in Scottish “loch” or German “Bach” or “hoch”.
Imagine the white cross on a blue background of the Scottish flag of St Andrew. It’s also quite close to a “h” and looks like a target you have to hit. Originates in Greek (letter “hi”).
Cognates: Христос (Christ); хоккей (hockey); яхта (yacht).
Talking of Greek….. X doesn’t mark the only spot!
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Russian letters borrowed from Greek
The Russian alphabet is a variety of the Cyrillic alphabet which at its inception drew heavily from Greek. So, it it’s no surprise to find some letters that will give classical buffs – and mathematicians – an unfair advantage.
Г г = G as in “gallows” or “gun”….
….and it looks like both! Symbol from Greek gamma.
Cognates: глобус (globe); генерал (general); грамм (gram(me)).
Д д = D as in “dark”.
Looks like a doughty, stubbly legged dancer who’d be better performing in the “dark”. Symbol form Greek “delta” Δ.
Cognates: диета (diet); идеа (idea); парад (parade) .
Л л = L as in people.
Two legs. The left leg has a tapping foot. (Greek lambda Λ).
Cognates: лифт (lift); балкон (balcony); журнал (journal); генерал (general).
П п = P as in “pip”.
A portal or a podium or a pair of pillars. From Greek pi).
Cognates: парад (parade); опера (opera); грамм (gram(me)); шампанское (champagne).
Ф ф = F like in “farm”.
A flapping flamingo or your favourite flower. It’s the Greek letter “phi”.
Cognates: лифт (lift); Африка (Afrika).
New letters, familiar sounds
Б б = B as in English “boy”.
Looks similar to a lower-case “b” but if you have difficulty remembering, think of a boy with his neck and head tilted downwards. Or, is this the letter with a big bulging belly?
Cognates: балкон (balcony); бизнес (business); глобус (globe).
З з = Z as in zero, zebra or zoo.
Think of three zebras in the zoo (in as compromising a position as possible).
Cognates: зоопарк (zoo, literally zoo park); зона (zone); бизнес (business); менеджер (manager).
Ж ж = zh pronounced rather like the “s” in “pleasure” or “measure”.
One of the cognates for this word is журнал (journal). Think of the pages of your secret journal all blown open in the wind for every body to see.
Cognates: журнал (journal); инженер (engineer); менеджер (manager).
И и = long “e” similar to “ee” in “see” or “cheap”.
Like three letter capital “i”s, the walk was so long that middle one fell over and the other two are trying to prop it up. Or the word “IN” backwards (which would sound something like nee). Or is it simply a twisty eel?
Cognates: идеа (idea); критика (criticism); Киев (Kiev); виола (viola).
Ц ц = ts as in “its” or “gets”.
A face with the tsongue or a tsigarette hanging out of the mouth.
Cognates: цирк (circus); эволюция (evolution); эмоция (emotion). It’s always hard (can’t soften) like Ж and Ш.
Ч ч = ch like in chair.
Looks like an upturned chair.
Cognates: Чечня (Chechnya); чек (cheque/check (for payment)). Also, remember Russian Что? (What?)
Ш ш = sh like in sheep.
Did you know when sheep fall on their back, they can’t get up and will die? Even harder for a poor three-legged sheep as it waves its legs in the air. Some see here the three masts of a ship. This letter also looks like the Hebrew “shin” ש.
Cognates: шампанское (champagne); шоколад (chocolate).
Щ щ = shch a bit like in “fresh cheese” or “Welsh sheep”.
Yep, that sheep again, but imagine the little downwards line at the right a “soft sign” merged into it because this sound is always soft.
Cognates: щи (shchi – Russian cabbage soup); щека (cheek). Remember Russian ещё (again).
Э э = E as in “bed”.
Letter E reversed, so let’s say E got out of bed on the wrong side!
Cognates: эволюция (evolution); эмоция (emotion). эффект (effect).
Ю ю = Yu as in “universe”, but a slightly longer yooh.
This is the alien “ET” from another universe, with his squashed head, long neck and body, but he’s fallen over on his side as he tries to get used to gravity on planet Earth.
Cognates: юмор (humour); юбиляр (jeweller); Нью-Йорк (New York).
Я я = Ya as in “yard”.
It’s the mast of a yacht moored in Yalta.
Cognates: яхта (yacht); Ялта (Yalta); идея (idea); эволюция (evolution); юбиляр (jeweller).
The vowel bender
Й й is close to the “y” in “toy”.
Aside from foreign borrowings like Нью-Йорк, this letter is only found after another vowel, it turns the preceding vowel into a diphthong (a single sound in which one vowel that merges into another). The English “y” after a vowel sometimes works in the same way: contrast the purer “a” in “bat” with the diphthong in “day”, for example.
In Russian, а + й is like “y” in “sky”: май (May – the month); о + й is like “oy” in “boy”: мой. (my); е + й: рейтинг (rating); хоккей (hockey); ё + й; у + й; ю + й.
The sound of “ы” doesn’t change after й, though, so the pronunciation of the common adjective endings -ый and -ий are the same.
Vowel + й is one syllable whereas other vowel combinations are pronounced separately as one syllable: оо, аи, ое, ая and so on.
One new sound
Ы ы (=i) similar to the “i” in “it” or “bit”.
We need to pause a little here as this sound doesn’t exist at all in English. It’s a “back vowel”. The tongue further back than the “i” in “bit”. The tongue is in the position for “boot” but don’t round your lips, instead, the lips should be like for “beet”. Crazy, no?
No cognates for this sound, then, but remember these two very common words: мы (me) and быть (to be).
Pronunciation symbols
Ь ь – the soft sign.
Used after some consonants to “soften” them. The effect is like rolling the consonant into a “y”, for example what happens to the “n” in canyon. When the L softens, it’s pronounced with the tip of the tongue just between the teeth. Consonant softening like this isn’t really a thing in English at all, but it’s very important in Russian. If you use a hard consonant instead of a soft one, it can change the meaning of a word. Example in a cognate: альтернатива (alternative).
This softening also happens when a consonant (except ж, ц, ш) is followed by the vowels that we represented with an initial y (ya я, yu, ю e yo ё) and also и. Ж, ц and ш are always “hard” which brings us to….
Ъ ъ – the hard sign.
If a consonant comes before one of the “glide” vowels (ya я/ya, yu, ю/yu, e, ё/yo, и/long i) the hard sign is added to show that the consonant retains its original “hard” sound. The full “y” can be heard with the following vowel. Example in a cognate: объект (object).
Takeaways
Well done! You’ve completed your initiation into the world of the Russian alphabet.
Unless you really want to, don’t put yourself under pressure to learn the alphabet in an afternoon. Take a week….or two.
Use the three tricks we’ve set out in this post:
- break down the task by learning the letters in logical groups, starting the letters that are the same as in English, then moving to the “false friends” and the “Greeks”. Then the gaggle of “aliens”….not forgetting the soft and hard signs.
- vividly imagine the letters using the mnemonic images I’ve suggested (and if you come up with better ones, share them with us all in the comments below).
- practise reading the example cognate words out loud.
If you’re starting to learn Russian, your next step is to fine tune your pronunciation of the letters.
If you’re just learning for tourism or to impress your friends, you’re ready to roll!
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