LingoflyLetters that trip you up: y and i, h and g
Most Ukrainian letters keep one sound wherever they stand. A few will trip you up at first, so start with them. Here they are in Latin letters. For example: “ти” (ty) — you (sounds "ty", with the i of "sit"). A rule from the Ukrainian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Most Ukrainian letters keep one sound wherever they stand. A few will trip you up at first, so start with them. Here they are in Latin letters.
y is a short, relaxed "i", close to the vowel of "sit": ty means "you". i is the "ee" of "see": ni means "no". Mix them up and you say a different word. yi sounds like "yee", and ye like the "ye" of "yes".
The sound to watch is h: a soft "h" with voice in it, like the "h" of "ahead". It is never a "g": hroshi means money. The hard "g" of "go" exists too, but it is rare.
The apostrophe (ʼ) is not a letter. It keeps the consonant hard, and the vowel after it starts like the "y" of "yes": piat, five, is said "p-yaht".
Table
| in Latin | sounds like | example |
|---|---|---|
| y | the i of "sit" | ty — you |
| i | the ee of "see" | ni — no |
| yi | "yee" | yisty — to eat |
| ye | the ye of "yes" | ye — there is |
| h | a voiced h, as in "ahead" | hroshi — money |
| g | the g of "go" | gudzyk — a button |
By example
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
How is Ukrainian h different from g?
y is a short, relaxed "i", close to the vowel of "sit": ty means "you". i is the "ee" of "see": ni means "no". Mix them up and you say a different word. yi sounds like "yee", and ye like the "ye" of "yes".
What does it look like in a Ukrainian example sentence?
“ти” (ty) — you (sounds "ty", with the i of "sit"). A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.