Cyrillic letters that play visual tricks
Serbian Cyrillic is phonetic, but several letters resemble Latin symbols while representing different sounds: В is v, Р is r, Н is n and С is s.
Read by sound, not by shape. Short meaningful phrases build faster recognition than repeatedly reciting the alphabet.
Five lines for the reading hand
| Latinica | Ћирилица | English |
|---|---|---|
| Vetar pomera zavesu kraj otvorenog prozora. | Ветар помера завесу крај отвореног прозора. | The wind moves the curtain beside the open window. |
| Radnja se zatvara tačno u osam sati. | Радња се затвара тачно у осам сати. | The shop closes at exactly eight o’clock. |
| Naša stara mačka spava na fotelji. | Наша стара мачка спава на фотељи. | Our old cat sleeps in the armchair. |
| Sunce se pojavilo iznad crvenih krovova. | Сунце се појавило изнад црвених кровова. | The sun appeared above the red roofs. |
| Ljubičice rastu pored drvene ograde. | Љубичице расту поред дрвене ограде. | Violets grow beside the wooden fence. |
Race only after accuracy
Copy one line by hand, cover it, and rewrite it in Latin script. Check letter by letter, especially В, Р, Н and С.
- What sound does Cyrillic В represent?
- Convert Радња to Latin.
- Write sunce in Cyrillic.
- Convert Љубичице to Latin.
- Read the fourth example aloud.
The alphabet stops pretending
- v
- Radnja
- сунце
- Ljubičice
- Sunce se pojavilo iznad crvenih krovova.
Finish with your own street sign in both scripts; useful words make the alphabet feel inhabited.
Marina Petrović