Serbian Cyrillic alphabet

Letters and features

The modern Serbian Cyrillic alphabet contains thirty letters. It avoids digraphs by assigning a single letter to each native sound. The repertoire of letters includes familiar Cyrillic signs as well as characters shaped for South Slavic phonemes. The alphabet is typically presented in the following order:

• А Б В Г Д Ђ Е Ж З И Ј К Л Љ М Н Њ О П Р С Т Ћ У Ф Х Ц Ч Џ Ш

Because of its phonemic design, Serbian Cyrillic provides straightforward rules for spelling and pronunciation and maps closely to the Latin script mutually used for Serbian, facilitating transliteration between the two systems.

History and development

The modern form grew out of earlier Cyrillic traditions and was substantially reshaped during language reforms in the 19th century. Reformers sought to simplify orthography and bring written forms into line with spoken Serbian. This development emphasized a principle often summarized as "write as you speak" and produced the compact thirty‑letter inventory in use today.

Usage and contemporary status

Serbian Cyrillic is an official or traditionally preferred script in state and cultural institutions and is widely used in publishing, signage and formal documents. At the same time, a Latin alphabet adapted to the same language is prevalent in many media and everyday contexts. In regions with Serbian communities beyond the borders of Serbia, Cyrillic remains an important marker of identity and is used in education, churches and local administration.

Notable distinctions

Unlike some other Cyrillic alphabets, the Serbian version is strictly phonemic and contains unique letters to represent specific South Slavic sounds. Technical support for the script is universal in modern computing through Unicode and standard keyboard layouts. For more on the language that the alphabet serves, see Serbian language.