Serbian Cyrillic mnemonics link every letter to a picture of something familiar, and the name of that thing begins with the letter's sound. В looks like an English B, but its picture is a vine curling up a cane, so the shape brings back the word vine and the v sound together. Every one of the 30 Serbian Cyrillic letters is in the chart below with its sound, and each letter English doesn't already give you has a picture and a keyword.
How Do Serbian Cyrillic Picture Mnemonics Work?
Six letters, А, К, М, О, Т and Е, look and sound like their English partners, so they need no picture. Seven more look like English letters but say something else, and their pictures carry the new sound: Р is a ribbon for r, Н is a net for n, and Ј is a yo-yo, because it sounds like the y in yo-yo. Serbian's own letters reuse pictures you've already met. Љ is the lamp of Л with a pillow beside it, and Њ is the net of Н with the same pillow, which marks a softer sound. Capital letters in a keyword, like CHimney or SHip, show which part of the word is the sound.
The Serbian Cyrillic Alphabet Chart With Pictures
Serbian is also written in a Latin alphabet that matches Cyrillic one letter for one letter. The sound next to each letter is its Serbian Latin spelling, such as š for Ш and đ for Ђ.
Letters You Already Know 6
- Аa
- Кk
- Мm
- Оo
- Тt
- Еe
Familiar Shapes, New Sounds 4
ВвvVineThe Vine curls all the way up the straight cane, making two loops.
НнnNetTwo posts stand up, and the Net between them makes the middle.
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.
Two More Familiar Shapes 2
УуuOOlongThe OOlong glass makes the V at the top, and its stem bends down into the tail.
ХхhHockey sticksThe two Hockey sticks cross in the middle, exactly where the letter does.
New Shapes, Familiar Sounds 4
ПпpPillarsThe beam lies flat across the top, and two Pillars hold it up.
ЛлlLampThe Lamp's shade is the flat top. One leg drops straight down, and the other curves out to the left.
ДдdDoghouseThe Doghouse sits on its plank, and two little feet peek out below.
БбbBellThe bracket makes the top and the left side, and the little Bell hangs low.
More Shapes To Read 4
ИиiEElsTwo EEls stand up, and a third swims between them from low to high.
ГгgGooseThe Goose's neck goes straight up, and its head looks out to the right.
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.
Hisses And Buzzes 5
ШшšSHipThe SHip's three masts stand on one flat hull.
ЖжžJetThe Jet's body runs down the middle, and its four wings make the strokes around it.
ЧчčCHairThe CHair is upside down. Its seat is the bar across the middle, and its back hangs down on the right.
ЦцcTSarThe TSar wears an elegant robe that trails down behind him.
ЏџdžJuiceThe Juice glass has two straight sides and a short stem below its middle.
Two Softer Sounds 2
ЋћćCHimneyThe CHimney rises on the left and its side flue curves down on the right.
ЂђđGiraffeThe Giraffe has a long neck. Its long tail curves down and left, below its feet.
Your Last Three Letters 3
ЈјjYo-yoThe Yo-yo string goes straight down, then curves left to the toy.
ЉљljLamp + pillowLamp + pillow makes Љ. The pillow on the right reminds you of a softer Л sound.
ЊњnjNet + pillowNet + pillow makes Њ. The pillow on the right reminds you of a softer Н sound.
A picture can't show how close two sounds are. Ч, the chair, and Ћ, the chimney, both sound like the ch in chair. Ћ is softer, because you lift the middle of your tongue. Hear them side by side in чаша, a glass, and кућа, a house.
How Should You Practice With the Chart?
Start from the picture, then let the course's Serbian audio check your sound.
- Name the PictureCover the sounds, look at a letter, and say its keyword out loud, like vine for В.
- Hear the Close PairsPlay Ч and Ћ, then Џ and Ђ, in the free course, because the pictures can't show how close those sounds are.
- Switch AlphabetsWrite a short word like кућа in Serbian Latin, one letter at a time, since every Cyrillic letter has exactly one Latin partner.
The free Serbian Cyrillic course covers all 30 letters in eight short chapters you can open in your browser. Each letter comes with a spoken word, and there's reading practice along the way. You'll find the same course in Bubblegum, a language app, where it's free too. After the letters, Poppy, its AI tutor, writes Serbian lessons at your level. Five other languages have their own Cyrillic charts: Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Bulgarian, and Macedonian.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Many Letters Are in the Serbian Cyrillic Alphabet?
Serbian Cyrillic has 30 letters, and Serbian Latin has 30 too, one for each Cyrillic letter. Latin writes Љ, Њ and Џ with two characters each, but each one still counts as a single letter.
Do You Need Cyrillic if Serbian Also Uses Latin?
Serbian is written in both. Cyrillic is the official script in Serbia, and Latin is very common in everyday life and online, so a learner meets both early on.
Which Serbian App Should a Beginner Choose?
If you are serious about learning Serbian, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Its Serbian Cyrillic course teaches every letter in this chart first. Our Serbian app comparison covers more choices and what each one is good for.
Is Bubblegum Free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
