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Now that you have mastered the true friends and the false friends, it is time to learn the consonants that are unique to Cyrillic — letters that have no Latin lookalike. These are entirely new shapes, but each one maps to a sound that exists in English (or close to it).
| Letter | Name | Sound | English Equivalent | Example Word |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Б б | бэ (be) | "b" as in "bat" | B | брат (brat) — brother |
| Г г | гэ (ge) | "g" as in "go" | G | город (gorod) — city |
| Д д | дэ (de) | "d" as in "dog" | D | дом (dom) — house |
| Ж ж | жэ (zhe) | "zh" as in "pleasure" | S in "measure" | жена (zhena) — wife |
| З з | зэ (ze) | "z" as in "zoo" | Z | зимa (zima) — winter |
| Л л | эль (el') | "l" as in "lamp" | L | луна (luna) — moon |
| П п | пэ (pe) | "p" as in "pen" | P | папа (papa) — dad |
| Ф ф | эф (ef) | "f" as in "fish" | F | футбол (futbol) — football |
| Ц ц | цэ (tse) | "ts" as in "cats" | TS | центр (tsentr) — centre |
| Ч ч | чэ (che) | "ch" as in "church" | CH | чай (chai) — tea |
| Ш ш | ша (sha) | "sh" as in "ship" | SH | школа (shkola) — school |
| Щ щ | ща (shcha) | "shch" (soft "sh") | — | щи (shchi) — cabbage soup |
Since В makes a "v" sound in Russian, the language needed a different letter for "b." That letter is Б. Note how the lowercase б looks almost like the number 6.
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| банк | bank | bank |
| большой | bol'shoy | big |
| библиотека | biblioteka | library |
| обед | obed | lunch |
Russian Г always makes a hard "g" (as in "go"), never a soft "g" (as in "gentle"). It looks like an upside-down L or a backwards Γ (Greek Gamma).
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| город | gorod | city |
| год | god | year |
| гитара | gitara | guitar |
| газета | gazyeta | newspaper |
The uppercase Д looks like a small house with feet. The lowercase д can look like a small delta (δ) or a "g" shape depending on the font.
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| дом | dom | house |
| да | da | yes |
| друг | druk | friend |
| дорога | doroga | road |
This is the sound you hear in the middle of "pleasure" or "measure." Ж looks like a squished butterfly or a star — it is one of the most distinctive Cyrillic letters.
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| жизнь | zhizn' | life |
| жена | zhena | wife |
| журнал | zhurnal | magazine |
| жёлтый | zhyoltyy | yellow |
З looks like the number 3. It makes a straightforward "z" sound.
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| зима | zima | winter |
| здесь | zdes' | here |
| звезда | zvezda | star |
| замок | zamok | castle/lock |
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