Russian Alphabet (Cyrillic): Letters, Structure and Features

General Information about the Russian Alphabet

The Russian alphabet is a Cyrillic-based alphabet used for writing the Russian language. It currently has 33 letters: vowels, consonants, and two special signs — the soft sign and the hard sign.

The Russian writing system belongs to the Cyrillic script group. Cyrillic is historically related to Greek writing and spread among Slavic peoples. Over time, the Russian alphabet changed: some old letters disappeared, and its modern form was fixed after spelling reforms.

Today, the Russian alphabet is used not only in Russia but also in Russian-speaking communities all over the world. It is important for reading Russian texts, learning the language, working with names, place names, documents, and for transliteration.

Script:

Cyrillic

Number of letters:

33

Writing direction:

left to right

Main groups of letters:

vowels, consonants, soft and hard sign

Table of Russian Alphabet Letters

The modern Russian alphabet has 33 letters. Each letter has a capital and a small form. The table below shows the printed forms of the Russian alphabet letters in standard order.

Letters of the Russian Alphabet

Order of Letters (Alphabetical Order)

The Russian alphabet has a fixed order of letters, which is used in dictionaries, encyclopaedias, lists and when sorting data. This order is important when working with texts, catalogues and official documents. The number of each letter can be found in the table above. The full alphabetical order is as follows:

The Russian Alphabet in Order (full list, 33 letters)

А Б В Г Д Е Ё Ж З И Й К Л М Н О П Р С Т У Ф Х Ц Ч Ш Щ Ъ Ы Ь Э Ю Я

Special attention should be paid to the letters Ё, Й, Ъ, Ы, Ь, as they often cause questions when sorting or learning the language. For example, the letter Ё is officially part of the alphabet and comes after Е, but in some texts it may be replaced by Е or not used at all. The list of letters without these special ones looks like this:

The Russian Alphabet without Ё, Й, Ъ, Ы, Ь (commonly used variant, 28 letters)

А Б В Г Д Е Ж З И К Л М Н О П Р С Т У Ф Х Ц Ч Ш Щ Э Ю Я

Classification of Russian Alphabet Letters

The letters of the Russian alphabet are divided into several groups depending on their function and pronunciation. The main division is into vowels, consonants and special signs.

Vowel Letters

Vowels represent sounds that are pronounced freely, without any obstruction in the mouth. There are 10 vowel letters in Russian. Vowel letters form syllables, can be stressed or unstressed, and also affect how consonants are pronounced by making them soft or hard. Vowel letters are often paired because of similar pronunciation: А–Я, О–Ё, У–Ю, Э–Е, Ы–И.

• А
• Е
• Ё
• И
• О
• У
• Ы
• Э
• Ю
• Я

Consonant Letters

Consonants represent sounds where there is an obstruction (lips, teeth, tongue) when speaking. There are 21 consonant letters in the Russian alphabet. Consonant letters can be voiced or voiceless, hard or soft, and together with vowels form syllables.

• Б
• В
• Г
• Д
• Ж
• З
• Й
• К
• Л
• М
• Н
• П
• Р
• С
• Т
• Ф
• Х
• Ц
• Ч
• Ш
• Щ

Special Signs

The Russian alphabet has two letters that do not represent their own sound. These signs are important for reading and correct pronunciation even though they have no sound themselves.

• Ь (soft sign) — shows that the consonant before it should be soft;
• Ъ (hard sign) — separates a consonant from a vowel without making it soft.

• Ъ
• Ь

Diacritical and Special Signs

The Russian alphabet has some letters and signs with special functions that may be confusing for learners. This includes the letter Ё, Й (short I), as well as the soft sign (Ь) and the hard sign (Ъ).

The Letter Ё

Ё is a separate letter in the Russian alphabet. It is different from Е because it has a diacritical mark (two dots above). (See also umlauts in the German alphabet.) It represents the sound [yo], or [o] after a soft consonant.

In practice, Ё is often replaced by Е in printed texts. However, it has its own place in the alphabet and comes after Е.

The Letter Й (Short I)

Й is a special letter formed from И with an added breve (˘). It represents the short consonant sound [y], and usually does not make a syllable by itself but is used with vowels (for example: йо, ай, ей).

The Soft Sign (Ь)

Ь does not have its own sound but shows that the consonant before it should be softened. It affects pronunciation and can change the meaning of a word.

The Hard Sign (Ъ)

Ъ also does not have its own sound. It is used as a separation mark. It shows that a consonant stays hard before the following vowel (for example: Е, Ё, Ю, Я).

These signs are important for reading and correct pronunciation even though they do not have their own sound.

Where Cyrillic Is Used

Cyrillic is a writing system that is used not only for Russian but also in several other countries and languages. It is one of the largest writing systems in the world and is used in Eastern Europe, the Balkans and some parts of Asia.

Main countries where Cyrillic is used:

• Russia — Russian language
• Ukraine — Ukrainian and Russian languages
• Belarus — Belarusian and Russian languages
• Bulgaria — Bulgarian language
• Serbia — Serbian language (together with Latin script)
• Kazakhstan — Russian language and partly Kazakh (Kazakh is changing to Latin script)
• Kyrgyzstan — Kyrgyz and Russian languages
• Mongolia — Mongolian language

Cyrillic is also used in some other languages and regions, including countries of the former USSR and some national languages. In some countries it is used together with Latin script.

Knowing Cyrillic is important for reading texts, working with documents, place names and personal names, as well as for understanding transliteration between different languages.

Last updated:
30 Apr 2026