Ukrainian alphabet mnemonics give each new Ukrainian letter a picture, and the name of the thing in the picture starts with the letter's sound. Г is drawn as a hoe hanging off a wall, so the shape brings back hoe and the h sound together. All 33 Ukrainian letters are in the chart below, in the groups the free course teaches them in.
How Do Ukrainian Picture Mnemonics Work?
А, К, М, О, Т, І and Е get no picture, since each one looks and sounds much as it does in English. В, Н, Р, С, У and Х look English too, but they say something else, so each one gets a picture that carries its Ukrainian sound. The pictures matter most for three pairs of letters that are easy to mix up. Г is a hoe for h, and Ґ is a gutter for g. И is an incline for the vowel in "bit", while І is the plain i you already know. Е is your English e, and Є, the yell, adds a y in front. Щ needs no picture of its own: it is Ш and Ч said in one go, the way "fresh cheese" runs together.
The Ukrainian Alphabet Chart With Pictures
The sound next to each letter follows Ukraine's national romanization, which writes Г as h and Ґ as g. For Є and Ї, the chart uses the spellings it gives at the start of a word, ye and yi. That system leaves out the soft sign Ь, so the chart marks it with an apostrophe.
Letters You Already Know 7
- Аa
- Кk
- Мm
- Оo
- Тt
- Іi
- 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 To Watch 2
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.
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.
Three Pairs To Keep Apart 5
ГгhHoeThe Hoe hangs off the wall plate and reaches out along the top.
ҐґgGutterThe same shape as Г, but the Gutter curls its tuft up at the very top.
ИиyInclineИ says the vowel in "bit". Two posts hold the Incline sign, and it climbs from the left post up to the right one.
ЄєyeYEllThe YEll opens to the right, with the tongue bar in the middle.
ЇїyiYEastThe YEast jar stands below, and the two bubbles float clear above it.
Two Bold New Letters 2
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.
The Hushing Letters 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.- ЩshchШ → Щ
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.
ЦцtsTSarThe TSar wears an elegant robe that trails down behind him.
The Last Two Marks 2
- ЙyИ → Й
Ь'pillow
How Should You Practice With the Chart?
The pairs are where a picture helps most, so practice them side by side.
- Tell the Pairs ApartCover the sounds and tell Г from Ґ, И from І, and Е from Є by their pictures alone.
- Hear Both in a RowListen to each pair one after the other in the free course, because a picture can't show how breathy Г sounds.
- Read a WordRead кіт, the word for cat, and мітка, the word for mark, out loud. You already know every letter in them from English.
Every letter here is taught in the free Ukrainian Cyrillic course, nine short chapters you can take in your browser, with a recorded example word for each letter. Bubblegum, a language app, has the same course for free, and once you can read, Poppy, its AI tutor, writes Ukrainian lessons at your level.
The Russian chart draws Г as a goose, because the same letter says g in Russian. The Belarusian chart keeps the hoe, since Belarusian Г says h as well. If you're curious about Cyrillic beyond these three, there are also charts for Serbian Cyrillic, Bulgarian and Macedonian.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Many Letters Are in the Ukrainian Alphabet?
There are 33 letters in the Ukrainian alphabet: 21 consonants, 10 vowels, the semivowel Й, and the soft sign Ь. Ukrainian also writes an apostrophe inside some words, like ім'я, which means name, but it isn't counted as a letter, so the chart leaves it out.
Why Does Ukrainian Have Both Г and Ґ?
In Ukrainian, Г is a breathy h, and Ґ is the hard g in "go", a sound few words use. Ґ was removed from Ukrainian spelling in 1933 and brought back in 1990, so older texts may not have it.
Which Ukrainian App Should a Beginner Choose?
If you are serious about learning Ukrainian, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Its Ukrainian Cyrillic course teaches every letter in this chart first. Our Ukrainian 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.
