Russian Cursive Ч ч (Che): How to Write It
By Daily Cyrillic · Updated
Cursive ч looks like a handwritten digit 4 or a small r: a short hooked stroke on the left joined to a straight downstroke on the right. It stays between the baseline and the midline. A soft ch as in "cheese", always soft.
Reading time: about 2 min.
- Sound
- /t͡ɕ/, written ch
- Letter name
- че
- Often confused with
- г, Latin r
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Sound
A soft ch as in "cheese", always soft.
How to write cursive ч, step by step
- Start at the midline and draw a short stroke down about halfway.
- Curve it to the right and up, forming a small cup.
- At the midline on the right, draw a straight downstroke to the baseline.
- Finish with an exit hook to the right.
The capital Ч
Capital Ч is the same 4-like shape enlarged, often started with a small curl on the left stroke.
How it connects to other letters
The right downstroke ends at the baseline and joins forward; from the left, the previous letter connects into the top of the cup.
Letters it is confused with
ч / г: Cursive г is a single stroke with a hook at the top, like a narrow r; ч has the cup on the left and a full downstroke on the right.
ч / Latin r: A quickly written ч can look like r. Russian has no letter with that sound shape, so in a Russian word read it as ch.
Example words in cursive
Read the cursive word first, then check the print form and meaning.
| Cursive | Transliteration | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| часы | часы | chasý | clock, watch |
| час | час | chas | hour |
| чистый | чистый | chístyy | clean |
| врач | врач | vrach | doctor |
Common mistakes
- Making the cup so shallow that ч looks like г.
- Pulling the right stroke below the baseline, which makes it look like у.
Turn this guide into words you can use
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