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🇺🇦 Українська абетка

The Ukrainian alphabet

Ukrainian is written in its own version of the Cyrillic alphabet, the script that grew out of Old Church Slavonic writing in the 9th and 10th centuries. The modern 33-letter alphabet shares most letters with Russian but has four of its own: Ґ, Є, І and Ї, while it does not use Russian Ё, Ъ, Ы and Э. The letter Ґ was banned from Soviet Ukrainian spelling in 1933 and restored in 1990.

Quiz yourself Ukrainian keyboard Ukrainian → Latin converter Ukrainian phrases

Look and sound like Latin 7

А а
a · a
like a in 'father' [ɑ] так tak — yes; so
Е е
e · e
like e in 'bed' [ɛ] село selo — village Unlike Russian е, it has no y sound at the start.
І і
i · i
like ee in 'see' [i] літо lito — summer
К к
k · ka
like k in 'skin' [k] кіт kit — cat
М м
m · em
like m in 'man' [m] молоко moloko — milk
О о
o · o
like o in 'more'; keeps this sound even when unstressed [ɔ] око oko — eye
Т т
t · te
like t in 'stop' [t] там tam — there

Look like Latin, sound different 6

В в
v · ve
like v in 'van'; at the end of a syllable like w in 'cow' [ʋ, u̯] вода voda — water In вовк (wolf) the final в sounds like 'w'.
Н н
n · en
like n in 'no' [n] ніч nich — night Looks like H, sounds like N.
Р р
r · er
a rolled r, as in Spanish 'perro' [r] рука ruka — hand, arm Looks like P, sounds like R.
С с
s · es
like s in 'sun' [s] сонце sontse — sun Looks like C, sounds like S.
У у
u · u
like oo in 'boot' [u] друг druh — friend Looks like Y, sounds like U.
Х х
kh · kha
like ch in Scottish 'loch' [x] хліб khlib — bread Looks like X, sounds like a throaty H.

New letters, familiar sounds 9

Б б
b · be
like b in 'bed' [b] брат brat — brother
Г г
h · he
like a voiced h, as in 'ahead' [ɦ] голова holova — head Not g! Russian г is g, Ukrainian г is h.
Ґ ґ
g · ge
like g in 'go' [ɡ] ґанок ganok — porch Relatively rare; found in a few native words and loanwords.
Д д
d · de
like d in 'dog' [d] дім dim — house, home
З з
z · ze
like z in 'zoo' [z] зима zyma — winter Looks like the number 3.
Й й
y · yot
like y in 'boy' [j] мій miy — my
Л л
l · el
like l in 'look' [l] людина lyudyna — person
П п
p · pe
like p in 'spin' [p] пиво pyvo — beer
Ф ф
f · ef
like f in 'fun' [f] фото foto — photo

New letters, new sounds 10

И и
y · y
like i in 'bit' [ɪ] син syn — son Looks like a backwards N. Not the same as Russian и (which sounds like Ukrainian і).
Ї ї
yi · yi
like 'yee' in 'yeast' [ji] їжа yizha — food Always pronounced with a y sound; unique to Ukrainian.
Є є
ye · ye
like ye in 'yes' [jɛ] моє moye — my (neuter)
Ж ж
zh · zhe
like s in 'measure' [ʒ] жінка zhinka — woman
Ц ц
ts · tse
like ts in 'cats' [ts] цукор tsukor — sugar
Ч ч
ch · che
like ch in 'church' [tʃ] чай chay — tea
Ш ш
sh · sha
like sh in 'ship' [ʃ] школа shkola — school
Щ щ
shch · shcha
like 'sh-ch' in 'fresh cheese' [ʃtʃ] що shcho — what Unlike Russian щ, it really is sh + ch.
Ю ю
yu · yu
like 'you' [ju] люблю lyublyu — I love
Я я
ya · ya
like ya in 'yard' [jɑ] я ya — I

Sign (no sound of its own) 1

Ь ь
' · m'yakyy znak
the soft sign: softens the consonant before it [ʲ] день den' — day Ukrainian has no hard sign; an apostrophe (м'ясо, m'yaso, meat) does that job.

For English speakers Ukrainian Cyrillic takes only a few days to learn to read slowly, and Ukrainian spelling is more phonetic than Russian: vowels largely keep their value whether stressed or not, so words are read largely as written. The points to watch are the false friends (В = v/w, Н = n, Р = r, С = s, У = u, Х = kh), the letter Г, which is a breathy h, not g, and the difference between И (a short i as in 'bit') and І (ee as in 'see'). If you already read Russian, these are exactly the letters to relearn.

How to learn it fast

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Quick quiz: which sound is this?

Questions

How many letters are in the Ukrainian Cyrillic alphabet?

33.

How long does it take to learn the Ukrainian alphabet?

Most learners can recognise every letter within one to two weeks of short daily practice, and read slowly but accurately within a month. Reading real text — even very simple text — is what makes the letters automatic.

What's the best way to learn it?

Relearn Г as h: голова (holova, head), гарний (harnyy, beautiful). The rarer Ґ is the hard g. Keep И and І apart: И is a short 'i' as in 'bit' (син, syn, son), І is 'ee' as in 'see' (ніс, nis, nose). And Ї is always 'yee' (їсти, yisty, to eat). Read every vowel as written. Ukrainian does not reduce unstressed о to a, so молоко is simply moloko.