Russian Alphabet | Русский алфавит
The Russian alphabet uses the Cyrillic script and consists of 33 letters. It is written from left to right and is used to write Russian and several other Slavic languages.
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About the Russian Alphabet
The Russian alphabet is based on the Cyrillic script and is used to write Russian, one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. The alphabet is also used, with modifications, for many other languages including Ukrainian, Belarusian, Bulgarian, Serbian, and Macedonian.
History
The Cyrillic script was developed in the First Bulgarian Empire during the 9th century CE by disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius. The Russian alphabet evolved from the Old Church Slavonic variant of Cyrillic. Peter the Great reformed the alphabet in 1708-1710, and further reforms occurred after the Russian Revolution in 1918, resulting in the modern 33-letter alphabet.
Key Features
- Written from left to right
- 33 letters in the alphabet
- Distinct uppercase and lowercase forms
- Based on the Cyrillic script
- Two letters (ъ and ь) have no sound but modify pronunciation
- Stress is not marked in standard writing