---
title: "Russian Cursive Й й (Short I): How to Write It"
description: "How to write Й й (Short I) in Russian cursive: stroke order, how it joins, how to tell it from и, ё, and 4 example words with audio."
canonical: "https://dailycyrillic.com/learn/russian-cursive/short-i"
lang: "en"
published: "2026-10-25T11:07:25.000Z"
modified: "2026-10-31T11:50:40.000Z"
author: "Daily Cyrillic"
---

# Russian Cursive Й й (Short I): How to Write It

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

Cursive й is a cursive и with a small curved breve above it, shaped like a tiny smile or a u. The breve is added after the word is written. A short glide like the "y" in "boy"; it never forms a syllable on its own.

Reading time: about 1 min.

Sound

/j/, written y

Letter name

и краткое

Often confused with

и, ё

## Turn this guide into words you can use

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

Йй

Й й · и краткое · /j/

## Sound

A short glide like the "y" in "boy"; it never forms a syllable on its own.

## How to write cursive й, step by step

1.  Write a normal cursive и: up, down, up, down, exiting to the right.
2.  Keep writing the rest of the word.
3.  Return and draw a short curved stroke, open at the top, centered over the и.

## The capital Й

Capital Й is the large U-shaped И with the same small breve above. It appears mainly in borrowed words and names such as Йорк.

## How it connects to other letters

Since й mostly ends words or follows vowels, its exit stroke often finishes the word. The breve is the only pen lift.

## Letters it is confused with

-   й / и: Without the breve, й becomes и and мой turns into a nonword. Always check for the little curve.
    
-   й / ё: Both letters carry a mark that comes last. ё has two dots, й has one curved stroke.
    

## Example words in cursive

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

Example words in cursive
| Cursive | Print | Transliteration | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| мой | мой | moy | my |
| чай | чай | chay | tea |
| музей | музей | muzéy | museum |
| йогурт | йогурт | yógurt | yogurt |

## Common mistakes

-   Drawing the breve as a straight dash or a dot, which hides the difference from и.
-   Placing the breve over the next letter because it was added too late and too far right.

## 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/short-i