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The Russian letter Р р

The rolled r — the sound English speakers worry about most, and the one Russians forgive most easily.

Quick answer

Р р is a rolled r, made with the tip of the tongue, like Spanish or Italian. It is never the English r and never the French one.

Рр
Рр

r

ры́баfish

How to say it

Say the American “butter” fast: the tt is one tap of the tongue, which is already a short Russian р. Repeat that tap and let it vibrate.

ры́баfish
рабо́таwork
рестора́нrestaurant
братbrother
ру́сскийRussian
мо́реsea

If you cannot roll it

You will still be understood. An English r in Russian sounds foreign but never unintelligible, and the tap version — one single hit, not a roll — is enough. Most learners get there in a few weeks of trying.

Soft and hard р

Before е, и, ю, я the р is soft: мо́ре, ряд. It is the same roll with the tongue a little further forward.

Typical mistakes

Using the English r in рестора́н

tap or roll the tongue

The English r is made with the back of the tongue and sounds distinctly foreign here.

A French uvular r

tongue tip, not throat

Russian rolls at the front of the mouth.

Check yourself

Which word contains Р?

ры́ба — fish.

Want to write it too?

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