Russian Cursive Д д (De): How to Write It
By Daily Cyrillic · Updated
Cursive д has two accepted forms: a Latin g with a looped descender (the school form) or a ∂ with the stem curling back up and to the left. Both start with the same oval as а. A "d" as in "door"; at the end of a word it sounds like "t".
Reading time: about 2 min.
- Sound
- /d/, written d
- Letter name
- дэ
- Often confused with
- Latin g, б, у
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Sound
A "d" as in "door"; at the end of a word it sounds like "t".
How to write cursive д, step by step
- Draw a small oval counterclockwise at x-height, as for а.
- Close it at the top right and pull a straight stroke down well below the baseline.
- Curve the descender to the left and loop back up, crossing the stem at the baseline.
- Continue the loop to the right into the next letter.
The capital Д
Capital Д looks like a script Latin D: a slanted stem with a big rounded bowl on the right, finished by a small loop at the bottom left. It does not have the printed letter's feet.
How it connects to other letters
With the g form, the lower loop returns to the baseline and connects forward. With the ∂ form, the stroke ends high on the left, so writers usually lift the pen afterward.
Letters it is confused with
д / Latin g: The school form of д is a Latin g in shape. In a Russian word it is always д, pronounced d.
д / б: In the ∂ form, д and б both have a bowl with a rising stem; the stem of д bends back to the left, the stem of б flicks to the right.
д / у: у also has a looped descender, but it starts with a hook, not a closed oval.
Example words in cursive
Read the cursive word first, then check the print form and meaning.
| Cursive | Transliteration | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| дом | дом | dom | house |
| дверь | дверь | dver' | door |
| среда | среда | sredá | Wednesday |
| дети | дети | déti | children |
Common mistakes
- Copying the printed д with its two little feet into cursive, which breaks the word apart.
- Leaving the oval open so the letter reads as у.
Turn this guide into words you can use
Build a free Russian set for this topic, with examples and ElevenLabs AI audio.