Cyrillic Capital Letter Be

Usually, it sounds like b in “ball.” The letter is called бе in Ukrainian and бэ in Russian. In Russian, it can be hard or soft; the soft sound is made with the tongue raised toward the roof of the mouth. At the end of a Russian or Bulgarian word, Б can sound like p. Serbian keeps the b sound there.

Where did Б come from?

It belongs to the early Cyrillic alphabet. Its old name, buki, meant “letter.” Cyrillic emerged in the First Bulgarian Empire in the late 9th or early 10th century, adapting Greek writing for Slavic books, church life and public use. The Krepcha tomb inscription, dated 920–921, is an early surviving example of the script.

Glagolitic was an earlier alphabet used for Slavic religious texts. The two scripts coexisted before Cyrillic prevailed in Bulgaria by the 12th century. Glagolitic is a separate writing system, not an old typeface for Б.

How do I type Б?

Choose the keyboard layout before choosing the key. If a keystroke produces Latin B or punctuation, check which layout is active.