Typing Russian letters and characters isn’t easy at first, but it’s definitely worth the effort. It opens up a whole new world—or at least a lot of the internet. It’s also necessary if you want to do anything in Russian. Your first goal is going to be to get Russian on your computer (College Russian, 2018, 7 m, with more tips to find your way online).
Two ways to type in Cyrillic.
Adjusting your keyboard
Setting your keyboard to Russian isn’t hard (search for How to install the Cyrillic Keyboard for Mac or How to add Russian keyboard for Windows 10 if needed). However, using it can be tricky, especially if you can’t see the Russian letters. QWERTY becomes Йцукен, ABC turns into фис, etc. It gets easier with a Russian keyboard or sticker set. Another option is a cover, or you can even get your keyboard laser-engraved.
The layout is still different, and it may take a while before you can type quickly and switch smoothly between systems. See How Much Effort Will it Take to Switch Over to the Russian Keyboard? (Superprof.co, 2018).
Online Keyboard
A simpler and more user-friendly option is an online keyboard that lets you type фрис when you enter “fris” or гин when you type “gin.” You make a и with an “i,” a й with a “j,” a п with a “p,” and so on. This is possible on sites like Lexilogos.com and Branah.com, where you can click Russian letters or type them in the text box. You can also use online-keyboard.org. The downside is you’ll have to copy and paste a lot.
Typeit.org is quick and logical. A = a, b = б (v = в), c = ц (s = с), etc. Shortcuts for special characters: ` (or §) = ё, ’ = ж, ] = щ, = = ъ, ; = ь, \ = э, [ = ю, q = я.
Learn more about virtual keyboards on this dedicated Google page.
Russian keyboard layout problems
(RusTonge, 2020, 1.5 m)
More
- Cyrillic Keyboard Layout for ALL Slavic languages ever existed (Heinrich Tsanov, 2018, 6 m, with download link)
- What typing on a Russian keyboard taught me about success (Josh Plotkin, 2015, 6 m)
see/read:
- Russian is way easier than you think: Typing in Russian (Tim Kirby, Russia Beyond 2019)
- How to install Russian keyboard on your computer or phone (Russian with Tamara, 2015)
- How To Touch Type Russian (WikiTranslate)
More
Language
In the years this project seemed dying or dead (see: Operation War, 2024) others started their new projects to spread the mighty Russian. There was certainly no shortage of YouTube channels teaching Russian, but there’s always room for one more – therefore, also always for more than one. Here are seven pretty new ones, worth checking out.
Amsterdam, November 4. In the queue of people waiting in front of the doors of AFAS. Where Zemfira will soon be performing. Left, right, front and back: Russian everywhere. My company almost feels at home.
Verbs work for those who want to make sentences. There - work and make, there you already have two. And try to make Russian out of that sentence if you if you don’t know работать or делать. So work, also on your vocabulary.
Even with bad news there is good news: there is a lot to learn from it. Russian news articles are excellent teaching material, even for the more advanced student.
The sixth noun, in Russian предложный падеж, is for most students the first one they learn. The reason is simple: the sixth grammatical case itself is.
And then it became war. Or should we say began the special military operation. On February 24 2022 Russian troops entered Ukraine. It was allowed neither war nor invasion be called, but it was akin to both.
