Russian Cursive Ы ы (Yery): How to Write It
By Daily Cyrillic · Updated
Cursive ы is a cursive ь (a stroke with a small bottom loop) followed by a separate straight downstroke. It is one letter, written as two parts. A hard i made with the tongue pulled back, a bit like the "i" in "bill" said deeper in the throat.
Reading time: about 1 min.
- Sound
- /ɨ/, written y
- Letter name
- ы
- Often confused with
- ь + и, ь
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Sound
A hard i made with the tongue pulled back, a bit like the "i" in "bill" said deeper in the throat.
How to write cursive ы, step by step
- Draw a downstroke from the midline to the baseline.
- Make a small closed loop to the right at the bottom, like ь.
- Lift the pen or swing up to the midline just right of the loop.
- Draw a second straight downstroke and exit at the baseline.
The capital Ы
Capital Ы is only seen in all-caps text, since no ordinary Russian word starts with ы; it is the same two-part shape enlarged.
How it connects to other letters
It joins on the left like ь; the second stroke exits to the right as usual. Keep a visible gap between loop and stroke.
Letters it is confused with
ы / ь + и: If the second stroke curves into a hump, it reads as ьи. Keep the second stroke straight and separate.
ы / ь: Without the second stroke it is ь, which is silent. мыло (soap) with ы, мель (shoal) with ь.
Example words in cursive
Read the cursive word first, then check the print form and meaning.
| Cursive | Transliteration | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| мыло | мыло | mýlo | soap |
| сыр | сыр | syr | cheese |
| язык | язык | yazýk | language, tongue |
| дым | дым | dym | smoke |
Common mistakes
- Writing the second stroke too far away, so it looks like a separate letter.
- Pronouncing it as a plain i.
Turn this guide into words you can use
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