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Russian has 10 vowel letters — more than English's 5. Some of these vowels serve double duty: they indicate the vowel sound and signal whether the preceding consonant is "hard" or "soft." Understanding this hard/soft system is fundamental to Russian pronunciation.
Russian vowels come in hard/soft pairs:
| Hard Vowel | Sound | Soft Vowel | Sound | Effect on Preceding Consonant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| А а | "ah" | Я я | "ya" | Я softens the consonant before it |
| Э э | "e" (as in "met") | Е е | "ye" | Е softens the consonant before it |
| О о | "o" | Ё ё | "yo" | Ё softens the consonant before it |
| У у | "oo" | Ю ю | "yu" | Ю softens the consonant before it |
| Ы ы | hard "i" | И и | "ee" | И softens the consonant before it |
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