Writing on signs in Russia
Cyrillic with ы and э
Russian is written in Cyrillic. The letters ы and э appear in Russian but not in Bulgarian, Serbian or Macedonian.
- Look for ы, as in Продукты.
- No Mongolian ө or ү, no Serbian ђ or ћ.
- Common shop words: Магазин, Аптека, Продукты.
12 photos, grouped by the clue they show.
Key clue Shop sign 7
Key clue Street sign 5
Russia: what its writing looks like
Russian is written in Cyrillic. Two letters are the best clues: ы and э. They are used in Russian but not in Bulgarian, Serbian or Macedonian.
Common words on shop signs are Магазин (shop), Аптека (pharmacy) and Продукты (groceries).
Cyrillic is used across Russia, from Moscow to Siberia.
Look-alikes: how to tell them apart
Bulgaria
MongoliaBulgarian has no ы or э. Mongolian uses Cyrillic too, with the extra letters ө and ү.
Questions about the writing in Russia
How do I tell Russian from Bulgarian?
Look for ы and э. They are common in Russian and never used in Bulgarian.
What does Продукты mean?
Groceries. It is written on many small food shops in Russia.