What is Б in Russian?

What Is Б in Russian?

When you're first learning Russian, the Cyrillic alphabet can seem a bit mysterious—especially when trying to understand how letters match up to their Latin equivalents. One of the first letters learners encounter is Б, which is pronounced like "B" in English.

In Russian, Б is called "Be" and corresponds directly to the Latin letter B. It's a voiced bilabial stop, meaning you make the sound by closing both lips briefly and releasing air with a bit of vocal vibration. You’ll hear it in common words like babushka (бабушка – grandmother), brat (брат – brother), or byt’ (быть – to be).

While the shape of Б might look unfamiliar at first, its sound is quite straightforward for English speakers. Unlike some Cyrillic letters that can trick learners—like Р (which sounds like "R" but looks like "P")—Б is consistent. It almost always represents the hard /b/ sound, and never a "v" or other variation.

Another helpful fact: in the system of romanizing Russian (turning Cyrillic to Latin letters), Б is always written as B. So if you see a transliterated Russian word starting with "B", like Moscow becoming Moskva, the "B" in the original is almost certainly Б.

Learning the Cyrillic alphabet is one of the first hurdles in mastering Russian, but letters like Б make it easier. Once you recognize it, you’ll start spotting it everywhere—from street signs in Moscow to Russian names in books and films. It’s a small letter with a big presence in the language.