Serbian Cyrillic alphabet facts for kids
The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet (called srpska/Vukova ćirilica in Serbian) is the official way to write the Serbian language. It's a special set of letters used mainly in Serbia and by Serbian people around the world.
This alphabet is based on the Cyrillic alphabet, which is used for many Slavic languages. What makes the Serbian Cyrillic alphabet unique is how closely it matches the sounds of the Serbian language. Each letter usually stands for one sound, and each sound has only one letter. This makes it quite easy to learn!
It was created by a very important person named Vuk Karadžić in the early 1800s. He made sure the alphabet was simple and logical. He worked hard to make sure that "one sound has one letter." This idea is very helpful for learning to read and write Serbian.
Understanding the Serbian Alphabet
The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet has 30 letters. Each letter has a capital (big) and a small (little) version. It's also easy to switch between Serbian Cyrillic and Serbian Latin (the alphabet used in English), because many letters match up directly.
Here is a table showing the letters of the Serbian Cyrillic alphabet. It also shows their matching letters in the Latin alphabet and how they sound. The "IPA" part shows the sound using the International Phonetic Alphabet, which is a special system for writing down sounds.
| Cyrillic Letters Latin Letters Sounds (IPA) |
А а A |
Б б B |
В в V |
Г г G |
Д д D |
Ђ ђ Đ |
Е е E |
Ж ж Ž |
З з Z |
И и I |
| Cyrillic Letters Latin Letters Sounds (IPA) |
Ј ј J |
К к K |
Л л L |
Љ љ Lj |
М м M |
Н н N |
Њ њ Nj |
О о O |
П п P |
Р р R |
| Cyrillic Letters Latin Letters Sounds (IPA) |
С с S |
Т т T |
Ћ ћ Ć |
У у U |
Ф ф F |
Х х H |
Ц ц C |
Ч ч Č |
Џ џ Dž |
Ш ш Š |
How the Alphabet Was Created
The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet was officially put together in 1818 by Vuk Karadžić. He was a very important language reformer. Before him, there were different ways to write Serbian. Vuk wanted to make it simpler and more consistent.
He based his alphabet on the older Church Slavonic writing system. But he changed it to fit the way people actually spoke Serbian. He removed letters that were not needed and added new ones for sounds that didn't have their own letters. For example, he added letters like Љ (Lj), Њ (Nj), Ђ (Đ), Ћ (Ć), and Џ (Dž). These letters are special to Serbian and some other South Slavic languages.
Vuk's work was very important for the Serbian language. It helped to make writing and reading easier for everyone. His alphabet is still used today and is a big part of Serbian culture and education.
Images for kids
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Capital letters of the Serbian Cyrillic alphabet
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Vuk Karadžić, the person who reformed the Serbian alphabet.
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This image shows the reformed Serbian Alphabet in an older style, similar to the Miroslav Gospel.
See also
In Spanish: Alfabeto cirílico serbio para niños
