я / ю

The Letters Я and Ю

Level 1Sounds Like â i û

Я = "ya" and ю = "yu": ябълка (apple), юли (July). After a consonant they soften it: лято (summer).

How It Works

At the start or after a vowel: ya and yu

  • ябълка (apple): ya-bal-ka
  • юли (July), юни (June): yu-li, yu-ni
  • стоя (I stand): stressed -я is pronounced approximately yuh (йъ), not ya
  • моя (my, feminine): mo-ya

After a consonant: a soft consonant

Here the letter softens the consonant before it, and then comes a or u. Say the consonant with the middle of your tongue raised, as in English "new" said the British way.

  • лято (summer), тя (she), дядо (grandfather)
  • любов (love), люти (spicy, plural)

Never write йа or йу

Bulgarian does not spell ya and yu with й. It always uses я and ю: ябълка, Юлия. The soft sign ь appears only before о, in ьо. See Writing Йо and Ьо.

After ж, ч and ш

These consonants are never softened, so ordinary words write а and у after them, not я and ю: чаша (cup), шапка (hat), жури (jury).

Unstressed я

Like а, an unstressed я is pronounced shorter and weaker. See Unstressed Vowel Reduction. In some words я alternates with е, as in лято (summer) and летен (summery). See The Я-Е Alternation.

Я as a word

On its own, я is also the short pronoun "her": Виждам я. (I see her.) See Short Direct Object Pronouns.

Examples (6)

  1. ябълка

    apple

    Я at the start of a word is read "ya".

  2. юли и юни

    July and June

    Ю at the start of a word is read "yu".

  3. Стоя на гарата.

    I am standing at the station.

    After о, the spelling is я, but in this stressed verb ending the sound is йъ, not ya.

  4. Лятото е горещо.

    The summer is hot.

    After л, the letter я softens the л and adds a.

  5. Тя обича сладолед.

    She loves ice cream.

    Тя is one syllable: a soft т followed by a.

  6. Имам любимо кафене.

    I have a favourite café.

    After л, the letter ю softens the л and adds u.

Common Mistakes

  • Spelling "ya" or "yu" with й.

    йабълка
    ябълка

    Bulgarian writes the sounds ya and yu with the single letters я and ю. Й is never followed by а or у in these words.

  • Using the soft sign before а.

    льато
    лято

    The soft sign ь is written only before о. Before a and u, soften the consonant with я and ю: лято, любов.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

я / юLevel 1The Letters Я and Ю

Learn This First

Я and ю presuppose the alphabet.