Cyrillic

Russian is a Slavic language written using the Cyrillic alphabet, a script that originated in the 9th century and was developed to represent the sounds of early Slavic languages. The modern Russian alphabet consists of 33 letters, including both consonants and vowels, as well as characters that modify pronunciation, such as the soft sign (ь) and hard sign (ъ). Its distinctive letterforms set it apart visually from the Latin alphabet used in English.

The Cyrillic alphabet, an iconic writing system renowned for its distinctive appearance, finds its roots in the 9th century. Created by two Byzantine brothers, Cyril and Methodius, the alphabet was devised to translate religious texts into the Slavic languages of the region. Its name "Cyrillic" honors the elder brother, Cyril, who is credited with the alphabet's initial development.