The Russian Alphabet: 33 Characters, 10 Vowels, 23 Consonants + 2 Modifiers

The **modern Russian alphabet (Cyrillic script)** contains **33 letters**:

• 10 vowels: А, Е, Ё, И, О, У, Ы, Э, Ю, Я
• 21 consonants: Б, В, Г, Д, Ж, З, К, Л, М, Н, П, Р, С, Т, Ф, Х, Ц, Ч, Ш, Щ, (Й — semivowel/consonant)
• 2 modifier signs (no sound): **Ь (soft sign)**, **Ъ (hard sign)**

Total: 33 graphemes.

Breakdown by Function

Key Features

• Phonemic orthography: Near 1:1 letter-to-sound (unlike English).
• Palatalization: Core feature—most consonants have "hard" vs. "soft" variants.
• Ё (Yo): Mandatory in dictionaries, children's books; optional elsewhere (often written Е).
• Ъ (Hard sign): Rare—separates consonant from /j/ vowel (e.g., *подъезд* 'entrance').
• Ь (Soft sign): Common—palatalizes preceding consonant, marks grammatical forms (e.g., *мать* 'mother', *пишешь* 'you write').

Historical Note

Pre-1918 alphabet had **35–37 letters** (Ѣ Ѳ І Ѵ Ѡ Ѧ Ѩ Ѫ Ѭ Ѯ Ѱ Ѳ). **Bolshevik reform (1918)** removed redundant letters, standardized Ё, created modern 33-letter set.

For learners: **33 symbols, predictable sounds, logical system**—Cyrillic is one of the world's most efficient alphabets.