Cyrillic Capital Letter A

It is a letter for the /a/ sound. Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian and other languages that use Cyrillic include it in their alphabets. A word’s other letters help show which language you are reading; А alone cannot tell you.

Its traditional name, az, meant “I” in Church Slavonic, a language used in Slavic Christian worship. That historical name does not make a modern А the word “I”.

Where did Cyrillic A come from?

Its shape follows Greek capital alpha. Cyrillic developed in the First Bulgarian Empire in the late 9th century, drawing on Greek capital letters.

An earlier alphabet, Glagolitic, was connected with Cyril and Methodius's 9th-century mission to translate Christian texts into a Slavic language. Its A had a cross-shaped form, unlike the Greek-derived outline used here. Cyrillic later spread from church writing into wider use.

How do I type А?

Choose a Cyrillic keyboard layout for your language. A Latin keyboard enters a different character, Latin A, even when the two look alike.