---
title: "Russian Cursive А а (A): How to Write It"
description: "How to write А а (A) in Russian cursive: stroke order, how it joins, how to tell it from о, д, and 4 example words with audio."
canonical: "https://dailycyrillic.com/learn/russian-cursive/a"
lang: "en"
published: "2026-10-25T11:07:25.000Z"
modified: "2026-10-31T11:50:40.000Z"
author: "Daily Cyrillic"
---

# Russian Cursive А а (A): How to Write It

By [Daily Cyrillic](/about) · Updated 31 Oct 2026

Cursive а is a small oval closed by a short downstroke on its right, exactly like a handwritten Latin a. It sits between the two middle lines and never rises above them. An open "a" as in "father"; unstressed it weakens toward a short "uh".

Reading time: about 2 min.

Sound

/a/, written a

Letter name

а

Often confused with

о, д

## Turn this guide into words you can use

Build a free Russian set for this topic, with examples and ElevenLabs AI audio.

Аа

А а · а · /a/

## Sound

An open "a" as in "father"; unstressed it weakens toward a short "uh".

## How to write cursive а, step by step

1.  Start just below the top of the x-height, on the right side of the future oval.
2.  Draw the oval counterclockwise: up and left, down the left side, round the bottom and back up.
3.  Without lifting the pen, close the oval at the top right.
4.  Pull a straight slanted stroke down to the baseline and finish with a small hook to the right.

## The capital А

Capital А is a tall pointed arch, like a handwritten Latin A: a stroke up from the baseline, a stroke down on the right, and a small looped crossbar.

## How it connects to other letters

The closing hook at the bottom right flows straight into the next letter. Coming in from a previous letter, the connector runs up to the top right of the oval before you draw it.

## Letters it is confused with

-   а / о: о is a closed oval with no downstroke; а always has the straight tail on the right.
    
-   а / д: д starts with the same oval, but its stroke drops below the baseline into a loop; а stops on the line.
    

## Example words in cursive

Read the cursive word first, then check the print form and meaning.

Example words in cursive
| Cursive | Print | Transliteration | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| сад | сад | sad | garden |
| мама | мама | máma | mom |
| вода | вода | vodá | water |
| карта | карта | kárta | map |

## Common mistakes

-   Leaving a gap between the oval and the downstroke, so the letter reads as о plus a stray line.
-   Drawing the oval clockwise, which makes the join to the next letter awkward.

## Turn this guide into words you can use

Build a free Russian set for this topic, with examples and ElevenLabs AI audio.

[Full Russian cursive chart](/learn/russian-cursive)

## Keep practising

-   [
    
    Full Russian cursive chart
    
    All 33 letters in print and cursive, how to read handwriting, and a printable worksheet.
    
    ](/learn/russian-cursive)
-   [
    
    The Russian Alphabet
    
    Every printed letter with its name, sound and audio.
    
    ](/learn/russian-alphabet)
-   [
    
    Russian Alphabet Trainer
    
    Quiz yourself on letters and sounds, free and without sign-up.
    
    ](/tools/russian-alphabet-trainer)

Source: https://dailycyrillic.com/learn/russian-cursive/a