Cyrillic script

The кирилична абетка is the foundation of Ukrainian literacy. Unlike some other Cyrillic-based languages, Ukrainian orthography is highly phonetic—words are generally written as they are pronounced.

Key features include:

• Unique Letters and Sounds: Ukrainian uses ґ (hard 'g' as in 'gate', e.g., ґудзик) and є (ye). It is important to distinguish between the common 'г' (a voiced glottal /ɦ/, similar to 'h' in 'ahead') and the rarer ґ. As a rule of thumb, default to 'г' unless you specifically know the word requires a 'ґ'. Another unique letter is ї (yee, e.g., з'їсти). Additionally, the contrasting pair of і та и (ee and y) represents a phonetic distinction unique to Ukrainian. The letter ї always represents two sounds (/ji/) and never softens a preceding consonant.
• The Letter Щ: Unlike in some other languages, the Ukrainian 'щ' always represents two distinct sounds: /ʃt͡ʃ/ (like 'sh' + 'ch' in 'fresh cheese', e.g., борщ).
• Digraphs: The combinations 'дж' and 'дз' represent single phonemes (/d͡ʒ/ like 'j' in 'jump', and /d͡z/ like 'ds' in 'pads', e.g., джміль, дзиґа).
• Vowel Roles: The vowels є, я, and ю have a dual role: they indicate that the preceding consonant is soft (palatalized), but they represent two sounds (/je/, /ja/, /ju/) when they appear at the beginning of a word, after another vowel, or after an apostrophe (e.g., синя vs яма). The letter і also softens the consonant before it. In contrast, the vowels и (pronounced /ɪ/, similar to 'i' in 'bit') and 'е' (pronounced /ɛ/, similar to 'e' in 'bet') are non-softening vowels.
• The Soft Sign: The м'який знак (ь) is a marker to soften the consonant before it (e.g., день). In native Ukrainian words, it generally follows dental consonants. A helpful mnemonic to remember these is the phrase «Де ти з'їси ці лини?» (Where will you eat these tenches?), which contains the consonants д, т, з, с, ц, л, н. It can also follow 'р' before 'о' (e.g., трьох).
• Hard Consonants: Labials (б, п, в, м, ф), hushers (ж, ч, ш, щ), and velars (г, к, х, ґ) are fundamentally hard and resist palatalization (e.g., дуб, ніч). They do not readily soften.
• Hard 'р': The letter 'р' is strictly hard at the end of a word or syllable in Ukrainian (e.g., лікар, тепер). You should never put a soft sign after it in these positions.
• The Apostrophe: The апостроф (') is used to ensure a consonant remains hard before an iotated vowel (я, ю, є, ї, e.g., м'ясо).
• Semivowels: The letter 'й' acts as a semivowel, similar to the 'y' in 'boy' (e.g., йод). Additionally, the letter 'в' acts as a semivowel /w/ when it appears at the end of a word or before a consonant (e.g., вовк, любов), and it does not devoice to an /f/ sound.

To become confident with the script, focus on the relationship between these letters and the specific sounds of the Ukrainian language, such as the distinction between і and и.