Russian Cursive Ф ф (Ef): How to Write It
By Daily Cyrillic · Updated
Cursive ф is the tallest lowercase letter: a stem that rises above the midline and drops below the baseline, with a round bowl on each side. It is one of the few cursive letters that looks close to its print form. The same f as in "fun", made with the upper teeth on the lower lip.
Reading time: about 2 min.
- Sound
- /f/, written f
- Letter name
- эф
- Often confused with
- р
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Sound
The same f as in "fun", made with the upper teeth on the lower lip.
How to write cursive ф, step by step
- Draw the left bowl first: a small oval between the baseline and midline, open on the right.
- From the bowl, go up and draw a long stem from above the midline to well below the baseline.
- Come back up the stem to the midline.
- Draw the right bowl, a mirror of the left one, and exit at the baseline.
The capital Ф
Capital Ф has a tall stem and two larger bowls; the bowls stay above the baseline and the stem barely descends.
How it connects to other letters
ф usually needs a pen lift before or after the stem; many writers draw it in two parts and then continue the word.
Letters it is confused with
ф / р: Both have descenders, but р has a single bowl on the right and stops at the midline; ф has two bowls and a stem that rises higher.
Example words in cursive
Read the cursive word first, then check the print form and meaning.
| Cursive | Transliteration | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| фото | фото | fóto | photo |
| кофе | кофе | kófe | coffee |
| шарф | шарф | sharf | scarf |
| фрукты | фрукты | frúkty | fruit |
Common mistakes
- Making the stem too short, so ф shrinks to an о with a line through it.
- Drawing only one bowl, which makes it read as р or б.
Turn this guide into words you can use
Build a free Russian set for this topic, with examples and ElevenLabs AI audio.