љ / њ / ј

The Letters Љ Њ and Ј

Level 1Sounds Like l̂; n̂; ǰ

Љ = soft l (љубов, love). Њ = soft n, like the ny in canyon (коњ, horse). Ј = y (мој, my; јаболко, apple).

How It Works

Њ sounds like the ny in canyon: коњ (horse), бања (bath). You will see it all the time in words ending in -ње, such as учење (learning) and пишување (writing). See verbal nouns.

Љ is a soft l, like the lli in million: љубов (love), љубезен (kind), виљушка (fork). Before е, и and ј you always write л, never љ, because л already sounds light there: лето (summer), лице (face). See the dark L.

Ј is the y in yes: јас (I), мој (my), јаболко (apple), Скопје. Ya, ye, yo and yu are written ја, је, јо, ју: јуни (June), моја (my, for feminine words).

Examples (6)

  1. Јадам со виљушка.

    I eat with a fork.

    Виљушка (fork) has the soft l in the middle.

  2. Коњот трча брзо.

    The horse runs fast.

    Коњ ends with the soft n.

  3. Јас јадам јаболко.

    I am eating an apple.

    Ј is the y sound in јас and јаболко.

  4. Ова е мојата книга.

    This is my book.

    Мојата has ј between two vowels.

  5. Учењето е забавно.

    Learning is fun.

    The -ње ending has the soft n.

  6. Роденден ми е во јуни.

    My birthday is in June.

    Word by Word: Birthday to-me is in June.

    Yu is written ју.

Common Mistakes

  • Writing н + ј instead of the single letter њ.

    Имам конј.
    Имам коњ.

    The soft n in коњ is one letter, њ, just as љубов starts with the single letter љ. Before ј, though, the spelling keeps л, as in илјада (thousand) and волја (will).

  • Using ю or я for yu and ya.

    Роденден ми е во юни.
    Роденден ми е во јуни.

    Macedonian has no ю or я. Write ј plus the vowel: ју, ја.

  • Writing љ before е, as in Serbian ljeto.

    Љетото е топло.
    Летото е топло.

    Before е, и and ј Macedonian always writes л. The word for summer is лето.

How It Connects

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

љ / њ / јLevel 1The Letters Љ Њ and Ј

Learn This First

The soft consonant letters build on the alphabet.