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The charts below show the way in which the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) represents Russian pronunciations in Wikipedia articles. For a guide to adding IPA characters to Wikipedia articles, see ((IPA-ru)) and Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Pronunciation § Entering IPA characters.

Russian distinguishes hard (unpalatalized or plain) and soft (palatalized) consonants (both phonetically and orthographically). Soft consonants, most of which are denoted by a superscript j, ⟨ʲ⟩, are pronounced with the body of the tongue raised toward the hard palate, like the articulation of the y sound in yes. In native words /j, ɕː, tɕ/ are always soft, whereas /ʐ, ʂ, ts/ are always hard.[1]

See Russian phonology and Russian alphabet for a more thorough look at the sounds of Russian.

Consonants
Hard Soft
IPA Examples English approximation IPA Examples English approximation
b бокi; апде́йт[2] boot bʲ бе́лыйi, бьюi beautiful
d датьi; футбо́лi[2] do dʲ де́лоi; ходьба́i; жени́тьбаi[2] media
dʐ[3] джипi jug dʑ[3] начди́в; дочь быi[2] jig
dz[3] плацда́рмi[2] lads dzʲ[3] дзюдо́[1] lad's young
f фо́рмаi; вы́ставкаi;[2] бо́ровi[4] fool fʲ фина́лi; верфьi; кровьi[4] few
ɡ годi;[5][6] анекдо́тi[2] good ɡʲ геро́йi argue
ɣ Го́сподиi; ага́i;[5] Бог даст; дух бодр[2] loch (Scottish) but voiced ɣʲ двухдверный[2] Loch Ewe (Scottish) but voiced
— j естьi [je-]; ёжi [jɵ-]; югi [ju-]; яi [ja]; майо́рi[7] yes
k костьi; бе́гствоi;[2] флагi[4] scar kʲ кино́i; секью́рити skew
l луна́i[8] pill lʲ лесi; больi failure
m мы́лоi moot mʲ мя́соi; семьi mute
n носi noon nʲ нёсi; деньi; ко́нчикi[9] vinyard
p подi; ры́бкаi;[2] зубi[4] span pʲ пе́пелi; цепьi; зыбьi[4] spew
r разi flapped or trilled r, like in Spanish rʲ рядi; зверьi flapped or trilled r, like in Spanish
s соба́каi; ска́зкаi;[2] глазi[4] soup sʲ си́нийi; здесьi; естьi; грызтьi;[2] резьi[4] assume (RP)
ʂ широ́кийi; кни́жкаi;[2] мужi;[4] чтоi[10] rush ɕː щека́i; счита́тьi; мужчи́наi[2][11] wish sheep
t тоi; во́дкаi;[2] лёдi[4] stand tʲ теньi; дитя́i; путьi; грудьi[4] stew (RP)
ts[3] цена́i; нра́витьсяi cats tsʲ[3] Цю́рих[1] cat's young
tʂ[3] ко́лледжi[4] chop tɕ[3] чайi; течьi chip
v выi; его́;[6] афга́н[2] voodoo vʲ весьi; вью́гаi view
x ходi; Богi[5] loch (Scottish); ugh xʲ хи́трыйi; Хью́стон; лёгкийi[5] huge (for some dialects)
z зубi; сборi[2] zoo zʲ зима́i; резьба́; жизньi; про́сьбаi[2] presume (RP)
ʐ жестi; кешбэ́к[2] roughly like rouge ʑː по́зжеi;[12] вещдо́к[2] prestige genre
Stressed vowels
[-soft] [+soft]
IPA Examples English approximation IPA Examples English approximation
a трава́i father (Australian English) æ пятьi; ча́стьi[13] pat
ɛ жестi; э́тотi met e пеньi; э́тикаi[13] mace
ɨ тыi; ши́шкаi; с и́грами roses (for some dialects) i ли́нияi; и́лиi meet
o о́блакоi; шёпотi chore ɵ тётяi; плечо́i[13] foot
u пу́ляi cool ʉ чутьi; лю́диi[13] choose
Unstressed vowels
[-soft] [+soft]
IPA Examples English approximation IPA Examples English approximation
ə ко́жаi; о́блакоi; се́рдцеi; собира́тьi[14] about ə во́ляi; сего́дняi; ку́чаi[15] lasagna
ɐ облака́i; како́йi; сообража́тьi; тропа́i[14] bud ɪ лиса́i; четы́реi; тяжёлыйi; де́вятьi; часы́i[16] bit
ɛ тетра́эдр; поэте́сса[17] met
ɨ дыша́тьi; жена́i; во́дыi; эта́пi; к Ива́ну roses (for some dialects)
o ра́диоi; поэте́сса[17] chore ɵ ма́чо; сёрфинги́ст[13][18] foot
ʊ мужчи́наi pull ʉ чуде́сныйi; люби́тьi[13] youth
Suprasegmental
IPA Example Explanation
ˈ четы́реi [tɕɪˈtɨrʲɪ] stress mark, placed before the stressed syllable
ː сза́диi [ˈzːadʲɪ][2] consonant length mark, placed after the geminated consonant

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Even though /ts/ and its voicing [dz] are considered to be exclusively hard consonants, they may be palatalized in certain words of foreign origin.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Consonants in consonant clusters are assimilated in voicing if the final consonant in the sequence is an obstruent (except [v, vʲ]). All consonants become voiceless if the final consonant is voiceless or voiced if the final consonant is voiced (Halle 1959:31).
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h The affricates [ts], [tɕ], and [tʂ] (and their voiced counterparts [dz], [dʑ], and [dʐ]) are sometimes written with ligature ties: [t͡s], [t͡ɕ], and [t͡ʂ] ([d͡z], [d͡ʑ], and [d͡ʐ]). Ties are not used in transcriptions on Wikipedia (except in phonology articles) because they may not display correctly in all browsers.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k The voiced obstruents /b, bʲ, d, dʲ, ɡ, v, vʲ, z, zʲ, ʐ/ are devoiced word-finally unless the next word begins with a voiced obstruent (Halle 1959:22).
  5. ^ a b c d ⟨г⟩ is usually pronounced [ɣ] or (word-finally) [x] in some religious words and colloquial derivatives from them, such as Госпо́дь [ɣɐsˈpotʲ] and Богi [box], and in the interjections ага́i, ого́i, Го́сподиi, ей-бо́гуi, and also in бухга́лтерi [bʊˈɣaltʲɪr] (Timberlake 2004:23). /ɡ/ devoices and lenites to [x] before voiceless obstruents (dissimilation) in the word roots -мягк- or -мягч-, -легк- or -легч-, -тягч-, and also in the old-fashioned pronunciation of -ногт-, -когт-, кто. Speakers of the Southern Russian dialects may pronounce ⟨г⟩ as [ɣ] (soft [ɣʲ], devoiced [x] and [xʲ]) throughout.
  6. ^ a b Intervocalic ⟨г⟩ represents /v/ in certain words (сего́дняi, сего́дняшнийi, итого́ ), and in the genitive suffix -ого/-его (Timberlake 2004:23).
  7. ^ The soft vowel letters ⟨е, ё, ю, я⟩ represent iotated vowels /je, jo, ju, ja/, except when following a consonant. When these vowels are unstressed (save for ⟨ё⟩, which is always stressed) and follow another vowel letter, the /j/ may not be present. The letter ⟨и⟩ produces iotated sound /ji/ only after ь.
  8. ^ /l/ is often strongly pharyngealized [ɫ], but that feature is not distinctive (Ladefoged & Maddieson 1996:187-188).
  9. ^ Alveolo-palatal consonants are subjected to regressive assimilative palatalization; i.e. they tend to become palatalized in front of other phones with the same place of articulation.
  10. ^ Most speakers pronounce ⟨ч⟩ in the pronoun что and its derivatives as [ʂ]. All other occurrences of чт cluster stay as affricate and stop.
  11. ^ ⟨щ⟩ is sometimes pronounced as [ɕː] or [ɕɕ] and sometimes as [ɕtɕ], but no speakers contrast the two pronunciations. This generally includes the other spellings of the sound, but the word счи́тывать sometimes has [ɕtɕ] because of the morpheme boundary between the prefix ⟨с-⟩ and the root ⟨-чит-⟩.
  12. ^ Geminated [ʐː] is pronounced as soft [ʑː], the voiced counterpart to [ɕː], in a few lexical items (such as дро́жжи or заезжа́ть) by conservative Moscow speakers; such realization is now somewhat obsolete (Yanushevskaya & Bunčić (2015:224)).
  13. ^ a b c d e f Vowels are fronted and/or raised in the context of palatalized consonants: /a/ and /u/ become [æ] and [ʉ], respectively between palatalized consonants, /e/ is realized as [e] before and between palatalized consonants and /o/ becomes [ɵ] after and between palatalized consonants.
  14. ^ a b Unstressed /a/ and /o/ regularly lose their contrast, being pronounced [ɐ] in word-initial position, as well as when in a sequence, and [ə] in posttonic position (i.e. after the stress); in non-initial pretonic position (i.e. before the stress) they are reduced to [ɐ] only immediately before the stress, being realized [ə] otherwise.
  15. ^ Only in certain word-final morphemes (Timberlake 2004:48-51).
  16. ^ Unstressed /a/ is pronounced as [ɪ] after ⟨ч⟩ and ⟨щ⟩ except when word-final.[citation needed]
  17. ^ a b In the careful style of pronunciation unstressed /e/ and /o/ in words of foreign origin may be pronounced with little or no reduction.
  18. ^ Unstressed [ɵ] only occurs in words of foreign origin.

References[edit]

See also[edit]

Comparisons
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