Quick answer
П п is the p of “pen”. It is the Greek pi: two legs and a lid. Russian’s letter for the r sound is Р.
Пп
Пп
p
па́паdad
How to say it
An English p but without the puff of air — hold a hand in front of your mouth and aim for no breeze.
па́паdad
по́чтаpost office
по́ездtrain
питьto drink
пока́bye
про́стоsimply
П, Н and Л
All three are built from two uprights. П has a lid on top, Н a bar in the middle, Л a slanted left leg. ПОЧТА and НОЧЬ differ by where that one line sits.
No puff of air
English p, t and k are aspirated: a small breath follows them. Russian ones are not. Say па́па the English way and it sounds foreign immediately — the fix is simply to release less air.
Typical mistakes
Reading по́чта as “rochta”
“póchta”
П is p; the r sound is Р.
Aspirating the п in па́па
no puff of air
Russian stops are unaspirated.
Check yourself
Which word contains П?
па́па — dad.