Russian Cursive Ш ш (Sha): How to Write It
By Daily Cyrillic · Updated
Cursive ш is three pointed downstrokes joined at the bottom, like a handwritten w with straight sides. In adult handwriting a short line is often drawn under it to tell it apart from т. A hard, low sh, deeper than English "sh", with the tongue pulled back.
Reading time: about 2 min.
- Sound
- /ʂ/, written sh
- Letter name
- ша
- Often confused with
- т, и
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Sound
A hard, low sh, deeper than English "sh", with the tongue pulled back.
How to write cursive ш, step by step
- Draw a downstroke from the midline that curves right at the baseline.
- Go up to the midline and make a second downstroke with the same curve.
- Go up again and make a third downstroke.
- Exit from the baseline; optionally add a short line underneath the letter.
The capital Ш
Capital Ш is three tall strokes joined at the bottom, usually started with a small curl on the first stroke.
How it connects to other letters
ш joins smoothly on both sides, which is exactly why runs like ши or шли become a row of identical strokes. Count strokes carefully.
Letters it is confused with
ш / т: т joins its strokes with arches at the top (like m); ш joins them at the bottom (like w). The line below marks ш, the bar above marks т.
ш / и: и has two downstrokes, ш has three. In words like шит, count every stroke to split the letters.
Example words in cursive
Read the cursive word first, then check the print form and meaning.
| Cursive | Transliteration | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| школа | школа | shkóla | school |
| шапка | шапка | shápka | hat, cap |
| машина | машина | mashína | car |
| душ | душ | dush | shower |
Common mistakes
- Writing four strokes or two, which turns ш into a different letter combination.
- Rounding the tops like m, which makes it read as т.
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