Module 1 · Lesson 3 of 18 free lessons

Getting to know the Russian letters

In the previous lesson, you saw the entire Russian alphabet. Now, we will review and memorize the Russian letters. For the most efficient learning, the letters are split into several groups, taking you from the simplest letters to the more complex ones.

Over the next five lessons, we will learn all the Russian letters in the following order:

Letters that look and sound similar to English letters

Letters that look like English letters but sound different

Letters that look different from English letters but represent familiar English sounds

Letters that neither look nor sound like any English letters

Letters that have no sound at all

Take your time. Once you feel comfortable with the letters in one group, move on to the next.

Handwritten block letters

The standard printed alphabet is what you see in books, articles, and movie subtitles. You need to be familiar with this form to read typed text. However, keep in mind that when native Russian speakers write by hand using block letters, they often use simplified versions of certain letters—specifically А, Б, Д, Е, Ё, Ж, Л, Р, Ф, and У. The rest of the letters retain their standard printed shapes.

You will find these simplified handwritten block versions at the end of each lesson.