The Russian alphabet uses Cyrillic script — 33 letters historically developed in the 9th century in the First Bulgarian Empire, traditionally credited to disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius, and named after Cyril himself.
Some Cyrillic letters look identical to Latin letters but represent different sounds (В sounds like "v," Н sounds like "n," Р sounds like "r"), which trips up beginners who assume shared appearance means shared pronunciation. Other letters are entirely new shapes (Ф, Щ, Ы) with no Latin-alphabet equivalent at all.
Ъ (the hard sign) and Ь (the soft sign) don't represent sounds of their own — they modify the pronunciation of the consonant immediately before them, marking it as "hard" or "soft" (palatalized). This palatalization distinction is a genuinely important feature of Russian pronunciation, not just a spelling nuance.
33, using Cyrillic script — including two signs (Ъ and Ь) that modify a preceding consonant rather than representing sounds of their own.
Yes — for example В sounds like "v," Н sounds like "n," and Р sounds like "r," which can mislead beginners who assume familiar shapes mean familiar sounds.
They mark the preceding consonant as "hard" or "soft" (palatalized) rather than representing a sound themselves — a genuinely important pronunciation distinction, not just a spelling detail.
Not yet — Russian is planned for a future course. Contact Tarc to be notified when it launches.
See also: Russian Pronunciation · Learn Russian · Latvian Alphabet