Belarusian Alphabet Mnemonics: Every Letter as a Picture

In a Belarusian alphabet mnemonic, a new letter is drawn as an object, and the object's name opens with the letter's sound. Р is a ribbon looped near the top of a post, and ribbon begins with r. The chart below has all 32 Belarusian letters, in the groups the free course uses.

How Do Belarusian Picture Mnemonics Work?

You can read А, К, М, О, Т and І already, so they have no picture. Seven more look English but say something else: Р, С, Н, В, У, Х and Е. Their pictures carry the Belarusian sound, like the snake for С and the net for Н. Capitals inside a keyword mark the sound, so CHair is for Ч and YEti is for Е. Belarusian has no И, so its eels picture belongs to Й, with a little curve on top. Г is a hoe for its h sound, which Belarusian says with a buzz from your voice. Ў is У with a curved mark on top, and Ё is Е with two dots. Ь, the soft sign, makes no sound of its own, so its picture, a pillow, shows how it softens the letter before it.

The Belarusian Alphabet Chart With Pictures

The sound next to each letter is spelled the way the BGN/PCGN system writes Belarusian in English, with w for Ў and kh for Х.

Letters You Already Know 6

• Аa
• Кk
• Мm
• Оo
• Тt
• Іi

Familiar Shapes, New Sounds 4

• РрrRibbonThe post runs the full height, and the Ribbon loops once near the top.
• СсsSnakeThe Snake curls round and leaves the same gap on the right.
• НнnNetTwo posts stand up, and the Net between them makes the middle.
• ВвvVineThe Vine curls all the way up the straight cane, making two loops.

Three More To Watch 3

• УуuOOlongThe OOlong glass makes the V at the top, and its stem bends down into the tail.
• ХхkhHockey sticksThe two Hockey sticks cross in the middle, exactly where the letter does.
• ЕеyeYEtiThe YEti's furry body runs down the left, and three arms reach out to the right.

New Shapes, Familiar Sounds 4

• ПпpPillarsThe beam lies flat across the top, and two Pillars hold it up.
• ДдdDoghouseThe Doghouse sits on its plank, and two little feet peek out below.
• ЛлlLampThe Lamp's shade is the flat top. One leg drops straight down, and the other curves out to the left.
• БбbBellThe bracket makes the top and the left side, and the little Bell hangs low.

More Shapes To Read 5

• ЙйyEElsTwo EEls stand up as the sides, and a third swims up between them. A little curve sits on top.
• ГгhHoeThe Hoe's blade reaches out along the top, and its long handle is the upright.
• ЗзzZipperThe Zipper is closed in the middle and opens into two curves, both sweeping left.
• ФфfFireflyThe Firefly's body is the line down the middle, with a wing on each side.
• ЭэeEggThe Egg is the whole curve, and one painted stripe crosses its middle.

Hisses And Buzzes 4

• ЖжzhJetThe Jet's body runs down the middle, and its four wings make the strokes around it.
• ШшshSHipThe SHip's three masts stand on one flat hull.
• ЧчchCHairThe CHair is upside down. Its seat is the bar across the middle, and its back hangs down on the right.
• ЦцtsTSarThe TSar wears an elegant robe that trails down behind him.

The Soft Vowels 3

• ЯяyaYArnThe ball of YArn sits at the top, the needle is on the right, and the strand trails down to the left.
• ЮюyuUnicycleThe Unicycle's seat post stands on the left, and its wheel sits beside it.
• ЁyoЕ → Ё

Your Last Letters 3

• ЎwУ → Ў
• Ь'pillow
• ЫыyInkThe Ink pot hangs from the tall handle on the left, and the pen stands apart on the right.

Learn these letters in the free Belarusian Cyrillic course, with audio for every letter and reading practice.

How Should You Practice With the Chart?

Belarusian spelling mostly follows the way words sound, so once the pictures bring back the letters, you can read words straight away.

• 🙈Picture, Then SoundHide the keywords, point at a letter, and say what its picture is before you say its sound.
• 👂Hear Ў and ГPlay воўк and then Г in the free course. Ў glides like the w in cow, and Г is the scrape of Х with your voice buzzing.
• 📖Read Two Look-AlikesCompare кот, a cat, with кіт, a whale. One letter changes the whole animal.

You can learn all of them in the free Belarusian Cyrillic course, eight short chapters in your browser where every letter comes with a word to hear. It's also free in Bubblegum, a language app whose AI tutor, Poppy, writes Belarusian lessons at your level once the letters feel familiar.

Ў appears on neither the Russian chart nor the Ukrainian chart. Serbian, Bulgarian and Macedonian write with Cyrillic too, and each has a chart of its own: Serbian Cyrillic, Bulgarian and Macedonian.

Frequently Asked Questions