Language Overview
Russian
Русский
Russian is the most widely spoken Slavic language, with over 258 million speakers worldwide, using the Cyrillic alphabet.
Overview
Russian is an East Slavic language and the most widely spoken Slavic language in the world. It is the official language of Russia and one of the official languages of Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
Alphabet
The Russian alphabet uses the Cyrillic script. It consists of 33 letters: 10 vowels, 21 consonants, and 2 pronunciation signs.
1. The "Easy" Letters
These look and sound almost exactly like their English counterparts.
| Letter | Name | Pronunciation (English) | IPA | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| А а | A | a as in father | [a] | атом (atom) |
| К к | Ka | k as in kangaroo | [k] | кот (cat) |
| М м | Em | m as in man | [m] | мама (mama) |
| О о | O | o as in bore (if stressed) | [o] | око (eye) |
| Т т | Te | t as in tap | [t] | торт (cake) |
2. The "False Friends"
These look like English letters but represent different sounds. This is where most beginners trip up!
| Letter | Name | Pronunciation (English) | IPA | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| В в | Ve | v as in vet | [v] | Looks like 'B' |
| Е е | Ye | ye as in yes | [je] | Usually palatalizes preceding consonant |
| Н н | En | n as in no | [n] | Looks like 'H' |
| Р р | Er | r as in roll (rolled R) | [r] | Looks like 'P' |
| С с | Es | s as in set | [s] | Looks like 'C' |
| У у | U | oo as in boot | [u] | Looks like 'y' |
| Х х | Kha | h as in hello (raspy) | [x] | Like Scottish 'loch' |
3. The New Characters
These characters are unique to Cyrillic but represent sounds found in English.
| Letter | Name | Pronunciation (English) | IPA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Б б | Be | b as in bat | [b] |
| Г г | Ge | g as in go | [g] |
| Д д | De | d as in dog | [d] |
| Ё ё | Yo | yo as in yonder | [jo] |
| Ж ж | Zhe | s as in pleasure | [ʐ] |
| З з | Ze | z as in zoo | [z] |
| И и | I | ee as in see | [i] |
| Й й | I Kratkoye | y as in boy | [j] |
| Л л | El | l as in lamp | [ɫ] |
| П п | Pe | p as in pet | [p] |
| Ф ф | Ef | f as in fat | [f] |
| Ц ц | Tse | ts as in sits | [t͡s] |
| Ч ч | Che | ch as in chip | [t͡ɕ] |
| Ш ш | Sha | sh as in shut (hard) | [ʂ] |
| Щ щ | Shcha | sh as in sheep (soft/long) | [ɕː] |
| Э э | E | e as in met | [ɛ] |
| Ю ю | Yu | yu as in universe | [ju] |
| Я я | Ya | ya as in yard | [ja] |
4. The Tricky Vowel & The Signs
These have no direct English equivalent or represent purely grammatical instructions.
| Letter | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Ы ы | Yery | A "hard" i sound. Imagine someone hit you in the stomach and you said "ihhh". It's a high central vowel [ɨ]. |
| Ь | Soft Sign | No sound. It makes the previous consonant "soft" (palatalized). |
| Ъ | Hard Sign | No sound. It acts as a separator between a prefix and a root to prevent palatalization. |
5. Pro-Tips
Vowel Reduction (The "O" Rule)
In Russian, word stress is everything. If the letter О is not stressed, it is pronounced like a short "a".
Example: Молоко (Milk) is pronounced mu-la-KO.
Cursive vs. Print
Russian handwriting (cursive) is very common and looks quite different:
- Lowercase т in cursive looks like a Latin m.
- Lowercase д in cursive looks like a Latin g.
- Lowercase и in cursive looks like a Latin u.
The "Yo" (Ё) Rule
In many Russian texts (especially newspapers and novels), the dots over the ё are often omitted, making it look just like е. Beginners should be aware that if a word looks familiar but is pronounced with a "yo," it's likely a hidden ё.
Sound Features
Russian has a rich phonetic system with:
- Hard and soft consonants
- Vowel reduction in unstressed syllables
- Palatalization
- Stress patterns that affect meaning
Key Grammar Highlights
Russian grammar features:
- Six grammatical cases
- Three grammatical genders
- Complex aspect system for verbs
- Free word order (though default is SVO)
Related Languages
Russian is part of the East Slavic group, closely related to Ukrainian and Belarusian. It also shares features with other Slavic languages.
Basic Phrases
- Hello: Привет / Здравствуйте
- Thank you: Спасибо
- Yes: Да
- No: Нет
- Please: Пожалуйста
Resources
- Russian language courses and textbooks
- Russian media and literature
- Language exchange platforms
- Online dictionaries and grammar guides