Russian Cursive Ю ю (Yu): How to Write It
By Daily Cyrillic · Updated
Cursive ю is a short vertical stroke joined by a small bridge to a round o, like a handwritten "Io" written as one letter. yu as in "you"; after a consonant it softens that consonant and sounds like u.
Reading time: about 2 min.
- Sound
- /ju/, written yu
- Letter name
- ю
- Often confused with
- но, ио, ы
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Sound
yu as in "you"; after a consonant it softens that consonant and sounds like u.
How to write cursive ю, step by step
- Draw a short downstroke from the midline to the baseline.
- Go back up to about half height and make a short connecting stroke to the right.
- Draw a round o shape attached to that bridge.
- Close the o and exit from its top right to the next letter.
The capital Ю
Capital Ю has a tall stem, usually begun with a curl at the top, and a full-height oval attached by the bridge.
How it connects to other letters
Like о, the exit leaves from the top of the oval, so the next letter starts with a small dip from the midline.
Letters it is confused with
ю / но, ио: If the bridge is missing or the stem curves into a hump, ю breaks into two letters. Keep the stem straight and the bridge clear.
ю / ы: ы has its loop at the bottom and the free stroke on the right; ю has the free stroke on the left and a full round o.
Example words in cursive
Read the cursive word first, then check the print form and meaning.
| Cursive | Transliteration | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| юг | юг | yug | south |
| юбка | юбка | yúbka | skirt |
| люблю | люблю | lyublyú | I love |
| каюта | каюта | kayúta | cabin (on a ship) |
Common mistakes
- Writing a print Ю inside cursive words.
- Making the o too small so it looks like ь.
Turn this guide into words you can use
Build a free Russian set for this topic, with examples and ElevenLabs AI audio.