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Learn the Cyrillic alphabet

Cyrillic Alphabet Chart: Complete Guide with Pronunciation

C
Cyrillic Daily Team
August 25, 2025

Learning the Cyrillic alphabet is your gateway to reading Russian, Serbian, and many other Slavic languages. This comprehensive chart provides everything you need: complete letter lists, pronunciation guides, and practical examples to master both Russian and Serbian Cyrillic alphabets.

📚 What You'll Learn

  • ✅ Complete Russian Cyrillic alphabet (33 letters)
  • ✅ Complete Serbian Cyrillic alphabet (30 letters)
  • ✅ Pronunciation guide for every letter
  • ✅ Memory tips and learning strategies
  • ✅ Common words and examples
  • ✅ Differences between Russian and Serbian scripts

Russian Cyrillic Alphabet Chart (33 Letters)

The Russian alphabet contains 33 letters and is the most widely used Cyrillic script. Here's the complete chart with pronunciation guides:

🇷🇺 Russian Alphabet Quick Facts

  • • 33 letters total (21 consonants, 10 vowels, 2 signs)
  • • Used by 260+ million people worldwide
  • • Official script in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and more
  • • Contains unique letters: Ё, Ы, Э, Ю, Я, Щ, Ъ

Russian Cyrillic Letters A-Я

Interactive reference chart showing all 33 Russian Cyrillic letters with IPA pronunciation symbols and English sound equivalents.

А а
/a/
father
Б б
/b/
bed
В в
/v/
vet
Г г
/g/
go
Д д
/d/
dog
Е е
/ye/
yes
Ё ё
/yo/
yogurt
Ж ж
/ʒ/
pleasure
З з
/z/
zoo
И и
/i/
meet
Й й
/j/
yes
К к
/k/
kite
Л л
/l/
love
М м
/m/
mother
Н н
/n/
no
О о
/o/
or
П п
/p/
pet
Р р
/r/
roll
С с
/s/
sun
Т т
/t/
top
У у
/u/
book
Ф ф
/f/
fish
Х х
/x/
loch
Ц ц
/ts/
cats
Ч ч
/tʃ/
cheese
Ш ш
/ʃ/
shop
Щ щ
/ʃtʃ/
fresh cheese
Ъ ъ
silent
hard sign
Ы ы
/ɨ/
bit (harder)
Ь ь
silent
soft sign
Э э
/e/
bet
Ю ю
/ju/
yule
Я я
/ja/
yard

Serbian Cyrillic Alphabet Chart (30 Letters)

The Serbian alphabet contains 30 letters and follows a strict phonetic principle. Each letter represents exactly one sound:

🇷🇸 Serbian Alphabet Quick Facts

  • • 30 letters total (25 consonants, 5 vowels)
  • • Used by 12+ million people worldwide
  • • Official script in Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia
  • • Unique letters: Ј, Љ, Њ, Ћ, Ђ, Џ
  • • Perfect phonetic system: "Write as you speak"

Serbian Cyrillic Letters А-Џ

Complete Serbian Cyrillic alphabet chart with 30 phonetically consistent letters, IPA pronunciation guide, and English sound comparisons.

А а
/a/
father
Б б
/b/
bed
В в
/v/
vet
Г г
/g/
go
Д д
/d/
dog
Ђ ђ
/dʑ/
jam (soft)
Е е
/e/
bet
Ж ж
/ʒ/
pleasure
З з
/z/
zoo
И и
/i/
meet
Ј ј
/j/
yes
К к
/k/
kite
Л л
/l/
love
Љ љ
/ʎ/
million
М м
/m/
mother
Н н
/n/
no
Њ њ
/ɲ/
onion
О о
/o/
or
П п
/p/
pet
Р р
/r/
roll
С с
/s/
sun
Т т
/t/
top
Ћ ћ
/tɕ/
cheese (soft)
У у
/u/
book
Ф ф
/f/
fish
Х х
/x/
loch
Ц ц
/ts/
cats
Ч ч
/tʃ/
cheese
Џ џ
/dʒ/
jam
Ш ш
/ʃ/
shop

Key Differences: Russian vs Serbian Cyrillic

🇷🇺 Russian-Only Letters

Ё ё/yo/ - like "yogurt"
Ы ы/ɨ/ - hard "i" sound
Э э/e/ - like "bet"
Ю ю/ju/ - like "yule"
Я я/ja/ - like "yard"
Щ щ/ʃtʃ/ - "fresh cheese"
Ъ ъhard sign (silent)

🇷🇸 Serbian-Only Letters

Ј ј/j/ - like "yes"
Љ љ/ʎ/ - like "million"
Њ њ/ɲ/ - like "onion"
Ћ ћ/tɕ/ - soft "ch"
Ђ ђ/dʑ/ - soft "j"
Џ џ/dʒ/ - like "jam"

Learning Tips and Memory Tricks

🎯 Start with Similar Letters

Begin with letters that look like Latin alphabet:

А, К, М, О, Т - Identical to English
Е, Р, С, У, Х - Look similar but different sounds
В, Н - "False friends" - look like B/H but sound like V/N

🧠 Memory Techniques

Ж - Looks like a beetle, sounds like "pleasure"
Ш - Shaped like a rake, makes "sh" sound
Ц - Has a tail, makes "ts" sound like "cats"
Щ - Longer tail, longer "shch" sound
Ы - Looks weird, sounds weird (hard i)

Common Words to Practice

Basic Words

МАМА - mama (mum)
ПАПА - papa (dad)
ДОМ - dom (house)
КОТ - kot (cat)
ВОДА - voda (water)

Travel Words

МЕТРО - metro (subway)
БАНК - bank (bank)
ЦЕНТР - center (center)
КАССА - kassa (ticket office)
ВЫХОД - vykhod (exit)

Food Words

ХЛЕБ - khleb (bread)
МЯСО - myaso (meat)
РЫБА - ryba (fish)
ЧАЙ - chai (tea)
КАФЕ - kafe (cafe)

Next Steps: Start Learning Today

Now that you have the complete Cyrillic alphabet charts, it's time to put your knowledge into practice. The best way to master these letters is through interactive lessons and spaced repetition.

Ready to Master Cyrillic?

Start with our interactive lessons designed specifically for quick alphabet mastery.

💡 Pro Learning Tips

  • • Practice 15 minutes daily for best results
  • • Focus on recognition before writing
  • • Use real words and context, not just isolated letters
  • • Start with the alphabet that matches your travel plans
  • • Use spaced repetition to remember difficult letters
  • • Practice reading signs, menus, and simple texts

Remember, learning the Cyrillic alphabet is just the beginning of your journey into Russian, Serbian, or other Slavic languages. With these comprehensive charts and the right practice approach, you'll be reading Cyrillic confidently in no time!

Start Learning Cyrillic

Put your knowledge into practice with our interactive lessons and proven learning system.