Free Russian Cursive and Alphabet Worksheets
Make printable handwriting sheets for any of the 33 Russian letters, in the cursive Russians write or in print. Click letters, or add a whole group at once, then print. Each letter gets numbered stroke steps, its sound, gray letters to trace and blank handwriting lines to write from memory. A4 or US Letter, save as PDF, free and with no signup.
The Russian alphabet in print and cursive
Russian has 33 letters. Here is each one in print and in the school cursive the worksheets teach, with its usual English spelling and the sound it makes. The cursive shapes follow the copybooks Russian children learn from, slanted slightly to the right.
| Cursive | Spelled | Sound | |
|---|---|---|---|
| А а | a | a as in father | |
| Б б | b | b as in bat | |
| В в | v | v as in van | |
| Г г | g | g as in go | |
| Д д | d | d as in dog | |
| Е е | ye | ye as in yes | |
| Ё ё | yo | yo as in yogurt, always stressed | |
| Ж ж | zh | s as in measure | |
| З з | z | z as in zoo | |
| И и | i | ee as in meet | |
| Й й | y | y as in boy | |
| К к | k | k as in kite | |
| Л л | l | l as in lamp | |
| М м | m | m as in map | |
| Н н | n | n as in net | |
| О о | o | o as in more, when stressed | |
| П п | p | p as in pen | |
| Р р | r | a rolled r | |
| С с | s | s as in sun | |
| Т т | t | t as in top | |
| У у | u | oo as in boot | |
| Ф ф | f | f as in fun | |
| Х х | kh | ch as in Scottish loch | |
| Ц ц | ts | ts as in cats | |
| Ч ч | ch | ch as in chair | |
| Ш ш | sh | sh as in shop | |
| Щ щ | shch | a long, soft sh, as in fresh sheep | |
| Ъ ъ | none | hard sign: no sound of its own | |
| Ы ы | y | i as in bit, said further back | |
| Ь ь | none | soft sign: softens the letter before it | |
| Э э | e | e as in pet | |
| Ю ю | yu | you | |
| Я я | ya | ya as in yard |
Why Russian cursive looks different
Russian handwriting is a joined script, and several letters change shape when they are joined. The ones that surprise English speakers most are the small letters т, which is written like an m, и like a u, п like an n and д like a g. Lowercase г becomes a small hook, and л and м begin with a short tick up from the line, so they join to the letter before. Capitals keep more of their printed shape but gain curls and loops, as in Д, which looks like a cursive D.
Because handwritten т and ш are both made of short strokes, Russians sometimes write a line above т and below ш to tell them apart. That is a habit, not part of the copybook letters, so the worksheets leave it out.
How to practice with these worksheets
- A few letters a day. Start with the group “Look and sound like English” (А, К, М, О, Т), then the false friends, then the new shapes. Five or six letters a session is plenty.
- Trace, then guide, then write. Each letter starts with three gray letters to trace, then two faint ones, then blank lines. Tracing is where the shape and the stroke order go in together.
- Mind the lines. Small letters sit between the baseline and the dashed middle line; capitals and tall letters reach the top line, and letters such as д, р, у and з hang below the baseline.
- Say the sound as you write. Saying each letter aloud ties the shape to the sound, which is what you need for reading.
Stroke order in Russian handwriting
Most cursive letters are written in one movement without lifting the pen, so the worksheets number a stroke only where the pen comes off the paper: the crossbar of А, the three parts of ж, the dots of ё and the short arc over й come after the letter itself. A letter such as а goes round its oval and straight on down the stem, and the little hook at the bottom of и, ш and many others is what joins them to the next letter.
More free Russian tools
Once you can write the letters, practice verbs with the Russian verb conjugation worksheets, or see all the free Russian tools.
Frequently asked questions
Are these Russian cursive worksheets free?
Yes. Make and print as many sheets as you like, with no account and no signup. They are free for self-study, homeschooling and classroom use, and teachers may photocopy them for their students.
Do Russians really write in cursive?
Yes. Russian children learn cursive in their first year of school, and most adults handwrite in it every day, in notes, letters, forms and on whiteboards. Print letters are mostly for reading. If you want to read a Russian teacher's handwriting, or write the way Russians do, you need cursive.
Should I learn print or cursive first?
Learn to read print first, since books and screens use it. For writing, many teachers go straight to cursive, because that is what Russians write. The worksheets do both: switch between Cursive and Print on the preview page, with the same letters and the same layout.
Which cursive letters look most different from print?
Lowercase т looks like an English m, и like a u, п like an n, and д like a g. Lowercase г looks like a small hook, and л and м start with a little upward tick from the line. Pick the group "Cursive that looks different" in the generator to practice exactly these.
How many letters fit on one worksheet?
A selection holds all 33 letters. With capital and small letters together and two practice rows, three letters fit on a page; with one practice row, more. The preview shows the page count before you print.
How do I save a worksheet as a PDF?
Click "Create worksheet", then Print on the preview page, and choose "Save as PDF" as the destination in your browser's print dialog. Choose A4 or US Letter on the preview first.
Credits
The letter shapes and stroke order are drawn for NexaProva, following the letterforms of Russian school copybooks. Everything on the worksheet, including the layout and the NexaProva branding, is our own.