Back to grammarSpelling rules in Russian language
Here are the rules you must learn and know. These rules apply to all word changes in Russian language. A lot of rules that are used in declension of nouns or adjectives are actually rules that are listed here. If you know these rules learning Russian language can be a lot easier for you.
First you need to learn that there two types of vowels in Russian language: hard vowels and soft vowels. Every hard vowel has it's own soft pair. Soft vowel softens the pronunciation of the consonant that preceds it. See the vowels in the table below.
| hard | soft |
| А (a) | Я (ya) |
| Э (e) | Е (ye) |
| Ы (ui) | И (i) |
| О (o) | Ё (yo) |
| У (u) | Ю (yu) |
Rule 1
After К, Г, Х, Ч, Ж, Ш and Щ never write Ы, Ю or Я. Use И, У and А instead.
Rule 2
After Ч, Ж, Ш, Щ or Ц never write unaccented О. Instead use Е.
Rule 3
Following letter combinations in Russian don't exist: ЙА, ЙЭ, ЙЫ or ЙУ. Instead use Я, Е, И and Ю.
Йо (which could be replaced Ё) exists. For example: Йога (Yoga), Йогурт (yoghurt)...