In the table below is the full Russian alphabet in presented in dictionary order. It would also be useful to learn how to say the Russian letters.
| Russian Character | English Equivalent | Sound | Letter Name in Russian |
|---|---|---|---|
| А а | А а | Like "a" in car | "ah" |
| Б б | B b | Like "b" in bat | "beh" |
| В в | V v | Like "v" in van | "veh" |
| Г г | G g | Like "g" in go | "geh" |
| Д д | D d | Like "d" in dog | "deh" |
| Е е | YE ye | Like "ye" in yet | "yeh" |
| Ё ё | YO yo | Like "yo" in yonder | "yo" |
| Ж ж | Zh zh | Like "s" in measure or pleasure or like "g" in beige (the colour) | "zheh" |
| З з | Z z | Like "z" in zoo | "zeh" |
| И и | EE ee | Like "ee" in see | "ee" |
| Й й | I i or Y y | like "y" in boy or toy | "ee kratkoyeh" |
| К к | K k | Like "k" in kitten, "c" in cat. | "kah" |
| Л л | L l | Like "l" in light | "ehl" |
| М м | M m | Like "m" in mat | "ehm" |
| Н н | N n | Like "n" in no | "ehn" |
| О о | Stressed: O o Unstressed: A a | Like "o" in bore Like "a" in car | "oh" |
| П п | P p | Like "p" in pot | "peh" |
| Р р | R r | Like "r" in run (rolled) | "ehr" |
| С с | S s | Like "s" in sam | "ehs" |
| Т т | T t | Like "t" in tap | "teh" |
| У у | U u | Like "oo" in boot | "oo" |
| Ф ф | F f | Like "f" in fat | "ehf" |
| Х х | H h, KH kh | Like "h" in hello or like the "ch" in Scottish 'loch' or German 'Bach' | "khah" |
| Ц ц | TS ts | Like "ts" in bits | "tseh" |
| Ч ч | CH ch | Like "ch" in chip | "cheh" |
| Ш ш | SH sh (hard) | Like "sh" in shut | "shah" |
| Щ щ | SH sh (soft) | Like "sh" in sheep | "schyah" |
| Ъ ъ | Hard Sign | Letter before is hard | "tvyordiy znahk" |
| Ы ы | I i | Like "i" in ill | "i" |
| Ь ь | Soft Sign | Letter before is soft | "myagkeey znahk" |
| Э э | E e | Like "e" in pet | "eh" |
| Ю ю | YU yu | Like "u" in use or university | "yoo" |
| Я я | YA ya | Like "ya" in yard. | "yah" |
The table below gives you the normal printed version of the russian characters, and the cursive (italic) version of the character. The letters which are significantly different are noted in red. It is worth learning these. The cursive characters are often used in signs and they also are similar to the hand-written form of Russian.
| А а | Б б | В в | Г г | Д д | Е е | Ё ё | Ж ж | З з | И и | Й й | К к | Л л | М м | Н н | О о | П п | Р р | С с | Т т | У у | Ф ф | Х х | Ц ц | Ч ч | Ш ш | Щ щ | Ъ ъ | Ы ы | Ь ь | Э э | Ю ю | Я я |
| А а | Б б | В в | Г г | Д д | Е е | Ё ё | Ж ж | З з | И и | Й й | К к | Л л | М м | Н н | О о | П п | Р р | С с | Т т | У у | Ф ф | Х х | Ц ц | Ч ч | Ш ш | Щ щ | Ъ ъ | Ы ы | Ь ь | Э э | Ю ю | Я я |