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Russian letter Ьь

Russian soft-sign: capital Ь, lowercase ь. It stands for no sound; it softens the consonant before it. The capital takes 1 stroke and the lowercase takes 1 stroke. The model on this page is print style, the form used in textbooks and on road signs, drawn one stroke at a time.

The soft sign has no sound of its own; it softens the consonant before it.

Stroke by stroke

  1. Start on the dashed midline at the left side. Sweep straight down and make a loop that crosses your own line, ending on the baseline at the left side.

Print a practice sheet

Look-alikes and pitfalls

The soft sign has no sound of its own; it softens the consonant before it.

In a word

день (den'), day

Practice

Trace on screen first: press Trace it above and follow the grey letter. Then print the sheet and write the same letter on paper. Writing on paper is what builds the habit.

Open the worksheet

More about ь

Soft-sign is letter 30 of 33 in the alphabet, after yeri (Ыы), before e (Ээ).

Ьь is a sign, not a sound: it changes how the letters beside it are said.

Questions about russian letter ьь

How do you pronounce soft-sign?

Soft-sign is no sound; it softens the consonant before it.

How do you write the capital Ь?

Start on the top line at the left side. Curve straight down, ending on the baseline at the left side.

How do you write lowercase ь?

Start on the dashed midline at the left side. Sweep straight down and make a loop that crosses your own line, ending on the baseline at the left side.

What is a word that uses ь?

день (den'), day. The word is written below the letter on this page in the same stroke style.

Can I print a worksheet?

Yes. The worksheet maker takes Greek and Russian text as well as cursive and print, in three line sizes.