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The Ukrainian alphabet and its pronunciation

The Ukrainian alphabet letter by letter: the name of each letter, the sounds it stands for, words to listen to, letter groups and silent letters.

Contents · 0
  1. The Ukrainian alphabet
  2. і and и
  3. я, ю, є, ї: one letter, two sounds
  4. ґ and г
  5. The apostrophe
  6. дж and дз
  7. Stress
  8. Letter shapes

Ukrainian is written in the Cyrillic alphabet, which has 33 letters in Ukrainian, plus the apostrophe. Seven of them look and sound much as in English, seven look like English letters but stand for other sounds, and the rest are new shapes. Ukrainian spelling is close to the sound: once each letter is known, almost every word can be read aloud correctly. Only the stress is not written, and it has to be learnt with each word.

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The Ukrainian alphabet

The vowels are named by their sound. Most consonants are named by their sound with the vowel е, before it (бе, ве, ге) or after it (ел, ем, ен), and a few with а (ка, ха, ша). Two letters have names of their own.

A letter’s name is what you say when you spell a word aloud, for example your name or address on the phone.

LetterNameSoundsExamplesTip
А аа (ah) /ɑ//ɑ/ма́маlike “a” in “father”
Б ббе (beh) /bɛ//b/барlike “b”
В вве (veh) /ʋɛ//ʋ/ · /w/він Ки́ївlooks like B, but is said like a soft “v”, the lips barely touching; at the end of a syllable, like “w”: Ки́їв ends in “w”
Г гге (heh) /ɦɛ//ɦ/гіта́раa voiced “h”, as in “ahead”, never “g”
Ґ ґґе (geh) /ɡɛ//ɡ/ґа́нокlike “g” in “go”, a rare letter
Д дде (deh) /dɛ//d/до́ларlike “d”
Е ее (eh) /ɛ//ɛ/коме́таlike “e” in “bed”
Є єє (yeh) /jɛ//jɛ/єно́т“ye”, as in “yes”
Ж жже (zheh) /ʒɛ//ʒ/жи́тиlike “s” in “pleasure”
З ззе (zeh) /zɛ//z/зубlike “z” in “zoo”
И ии (ih) /ɪ//ɪ/тиlooks like a backwards N, but is said like “i” in “bit”
І іі (ee) /i//i/ко́мікlooks like i and is said “ee”, as in “see”
Ї її (yee) /ji//ji/Ки́їв“yee”, as in “yeast”, always two sounds
Й ййот (yot) /jɔt//j/мійlike “y” in “boy”
called йот
К кка (kah) /kɑ//k/такlike “k”, without the puff of air of English “k”
Л лел (el) /ɛl//l/лісlike “l”
М мем (em) /ɛm//m/макlike “m”
Н нен (en) /ɛn//n/насlooks like H, but is said “n”
О оо (o) /ɔ//ɔ/та́тоlike “o” in British “hot”
П ппе (peh) /pɛ//p/пазлlike “p”, with the shape of the Greek letter pi
Р рер (er) /ɛr//r/ра́ноlooks like P, but is a rolled “r”, made with the tip of the tongue
С сес (es) /ɛs//s/сікlooks like C and is said “s”, as in “sun”
Т тте (teh) /tɛ//t/тамlike “t”, with the tongue against the teeth
У уу (oo) /u//u/усе́looks like y, but is said “oo”, as in “food”
Ф феф (ef) /ɛf//f/фе́яlike “f”
Х хха (khah) /xɑ//x/хо́лодlooks like X, but is said like “ch” in Scottish “loch”
Ц цце (tseh) /tsɛ//ts/пі́цаlike “ts” in “cats”, also at the start of a word
Ч чче (cheh) /tʃɛ//tʃ/по́нчикlike “ch” in “church”
Ш шша (shah) /ʃɑ//ʃ/ши́наlike “sh” in “ship”
Щ щща (shchah) /ʃtʃɑ//ʃtʃ/ща́стяtwo sounds, “sh” and “ch”, as in “fresh cheese”
Ь ьм'який знак (myah-KIY znahk) /mjɑˈkɪj znɑk//ʲ/мі́сяцьno sound of its own: the consonant before it is said soft, with a touch of “y”
called м’який знак, “soft sign”
Ю юю (yoo) /ju//ju/ювіле́й“yoo”, as in “you”
Я яя (yah) /jɑ//jɑ/я́щірка“ya”, as in “yard”

Alphabetical order. Dictionaries follow the order of the table above, which is not the order of the Latin alphabet: в comes third, ґ follows г, є follows е, and и, і, ї follow one another. The soft sign ь comes just before ю and я, which close the alphabet.

Remember

Seven letters are false friends: в is said like a soft “v”, н “n”, р “r”, с “s”, у “oo”, х like the “ch” of Scottish “loch”, and и like the “i” of “bit”.

Each letter stands for one sound, and a letter is said the same way at the start, in the middle and at the end of a word. The vowels are short and pure, with none of the glide heard in English “day” or “go”.

Difference from English

English letters do not always stand for the same sound (“cat”, “city”). In Ukrainian, almost every letter has one sound: с is always “s” and г always the voiced “h”.

Practise

“Reading and pronunciation”

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і and и

Ukrainian has two “i” letters, and they are two different sounds. і is the “ee” of “see”: ліс, forest. и is shorter and further back, like the “i” of “bit”: ти, you. A word can change its meaning with them, so each is learnt as it is written.

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я, ю, є, ї: one letter, two sounds

A “y” before the vowel

At the start of a word, after a vowel and after the apostrophe, я, ю, є and ї are said with a “y” before the vowel: я́щірка, ювіле́й, єно́т, Ки́їв. After a consonant, я, ю and є make it soft instead, as ь does: мі́сяць. ї is always said with its “y”.

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ґ and г

ґ is the hard “g” of “go”; г is the voiced “h”. ґ is rare: it is found in few words, such as ґа́нок, porch, and in some names and words taken from other languages.

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The apostrophe

The apostrophe is part of the spelling. It stands after a consonant, before я, ю, є or ї: the consonant stays hard, and the vowel is said with its “y”.

SpellingSoundsExamplesTip
’/j/п’ятьthe consonant before it stays hard, and the vowel after it starts with “y”: п’ять, five, is said “p-yat”

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дж and дз

Two pairs of letters stand for one sound each.

SpellingSoundsExamplesTip
дж/dʒ/джерело́one sound, like “j” in “jam”
дз/dz/дзе́ркалоone sound, like “ds” in “cards”

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Stress

Ukrainian stress is free: it can fall on any syllable, and it is not written. On Kardamone every Ukrainian word is shown with its stress mark (ма́ма, гіта́ра), as in dictionaries; the mark is never typed in an answer. Ukrainian vowels keep most of their sound when they are not stressed, so a word is read much as it is written; only an unstressed е and и come close to each other.

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Letter shapes

In italics and in handwriting, some letters look like other Latin letters: т looks like m, д like g, and и like u.

Common mistake

  • Taking в for a B → в is a soft “v”: він is said “vin”.Reading the false friends as English letters is the most common mistake at the start.