Russian Keyboard Online
Type Russian Cyrillic here, then copy it. Tap the keys, or type on your own keyboard: each key types the Russian letter in the same spot (Q → Й), or switch to phonetic mode where "privet" becomes привет.
your own keyboard types
Each key types the Russian letter in the same place on a Russian keyboard, whatever your keyboard says.
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The ЙЦУКЕН layout
This is ЙЦУКЕН, the standard Russian layout on Windows, Mac ("Russian – PC") and phones. It is named after the first six letters of the top row. The most common letters — о, е, а, и, н, т — sit under your index and middle fingers.
Phonetic mode is for people who never learned ЙЦУКЕН: Latin letters that sound alike type the Russian letter, and pairs like sh, ch, zh, ya and yu turn into ш, ч, ж, я and ю.
- 01
Type or tap
Tap the on-screen keys, or type on your own keyboard. Q types Й, W types Ц, and so on — the letters on the keys show where.
- 02
Try phonetic
If ЙЦУКЕН is new to you, switch to phonetic mode below the keyboard and type Russian the way it sounds.
- 03
Copy
Press Copy and paste the text into an email, a search box or a chat.
Russian letters and how to say them
Each letter with its usual Latin spelling, a rough English sound, and the key that types it on the layout above (shown as the key on a US keyboard).
Vowels
| letter | latin | sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| А аkey F | a | "a" in father |
| Е еkey T | ye / e | "ye" in yes |
| Ё ёkey ` | yo | "yo" in yolk; always stressed |
| И иkey B | i | "ee" in see |
| О оkey J | o | "o" in more; sounds like "a" when unstressed |
| У уkey E | u | "oo" in boot |
| Ы ыkey S | y | like "i" in bit, said further back |
| Э эkey ' | e | "e" in met |
| Ю юkey . | yu | "u" in use |
| Я яkey Z | ya | "ya" in yard |
Consonants
| letter | latin | sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Б бkey , | b | "b" in bed |
| В вkey D | v | "v" in van |
| Г гkey U | g | "g" in go |
| Д дkey L | d | "d" in dog |
| Ж жkey ; | zh | "s" in measure |
| З зkey P | z | "z" in zoo |
| Й йkey Q | y | "y" in boy |
| К кkey R | k | "k" in kit |
| Л лkey K | l | "l" in ball |
| М мkey V | m | "m" in man |
| Н нkey Y | n | "n" in no |
| П пkey G | p | "p" in spot |
| Р рkey H | r | rolled "r" |
| С сkey C | s | "s" in sun |
| Т тkey N | t | "t" in stop |
| Ф фkey A | f | "f" in fun |
| Х хkey [ | kh | "ch" in Scottish loch |
| Ц цkey W | ts | "ts" in cats |
| Ч чkey X | ch | "ch" in chip |
| Ш шkey I | sh | "sh" in shop, harder |
| Щ щkey O | shch | a long, soft "sh" |
Signs
| letter | latin | sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Ъ ъkey ] | " | hard sign: no sound, keeps the consonant before it hard |
| Ь ьkey M | ' | soft sign: no sound, softens the consonant before it |
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Common questions
How do I type Russian without a Russian keyboard?
Use this page. Tap the on-screen keys, or type on your normal keyboard: each key types the Russian letter in the same position on a Russian keyboard, so you do not need to install anything. Then press Copy and paste the text anywhere.
How do I add the Russian keyboard on Windows, Mac or iPhone?
Windows 11: Settings → Time & language → Language & region → Add a language, choose Russian. Switch keyboards with Windows key + Space. Mac: System Settings → Keyboard → Text Input → Edit → + and pick Russian – PC (this is ЙЦУКЕН; plain "Russian" moves a few punctuation keys, and "Russian – Phonetic" is the sound-alike layout). Switch with Control + Space or the Globe key. iPhone: Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Add New Keyboard → Russian. Switch with the globe key. Android (Gboard): Gboard settings → Languages → Add keyboard → Russian (Русский).
What is a Russian phonetic keyboard?
A layout where each Latin key types the Russian letter that sounds like it: A → а, B → б, D → д, S → с. Letters with no single Latin match use pairs: zh → ж, ch → ч, sh → ш, ya → я, yu → ю. Switch the mode under the keyboard to "Phonetic" to use it here. Most Russians type on ЙЦУКЕН, so it is worth learning if you will type a lot.
How do I type ё and ъ?
On ЙЦУКЕН, ё is on the key left of 1 (the ` key) and ъ is on the ] key. On this page's phone layout both sit on the bottom row, next to the space bar. In everyday Russian ё is often written as е, but use ё in names and where it changes the meaning.
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Typing Russian is half of it. Speaking it is the other half
OmniTalk is a real-time voice translator for iPhone: you speak English, the other person hears Russian, and their reply comes back in English. 60+ languages, an offline mode for when there is no signal, and Split Ears mode to share a pair of earbuds.
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