Russian Braille
Script type	Alphabet
Print basis	Russian alphabet
Languages	Russian
Related scripts
Parent systems	Braille Russian Braille

Russian Braille is thebraille alphabet of theRussian language. With suitable extensions, it is used for languages of neighboring countries that are written inCyrillic in print, such asUkrainian andMongolian. It is based on theLatin transliteration of Cyrillic, with additional letters assigned idiosyncratically. In Russian, it is known as theBraille Script.^{[a][citation needed]}

The Russian Braille alphabet is as follows:^[1][2][3][4]

Print	аa	бb	вv	гg	дd	еe, ye	ёyo	жzh	зz	иi	й[5]y
Braille
Print	кk	лl	мm	нn	оo	пp	рr	сs	тt	уu	фf
Braille
Print	хkh	цts	чch	шsh	щshch	ъ”	ыy	ь’	эe	юyu	яya
Braille

The adaptation of⠟q toч[tɕ] and⠭x toщ[ɕː] is reminiscent of the adaptation in Chinesepinyin ofq to[tɕ] andx to[ɕ].

Contractions are not used.^[1]

The pre-Revolutionary alphabet, reproduced at right from an old encyclopedia, includes several letters which have since been dropped. In addition, the letter э is shown with a slightly different form.^[6]

Print	ѳth	іi	ѣě	эè
Braille

Although obsolete in Russian Braille, these letters continue inseveral derivative alphabets.

Single punctuation:^[3]

Print	,	.[7]	?	!	;	:	-	—
Braille

Paired punctuation:^{[citation needed][The inner quotes and the brackets are from Unesco (1990) and have not been confirmed.]}

Print	« ... » (outer quote)	„ ... “ (inner quote)	( ... )	[ ... ]
Braille	...	...	...	...

italics	capital	number	column

Columns marked with⠿ are shown in the braille-chart image in the box, above right.

Numbers are the lettersa–j introduced with⠼, as in other alphabets. Arithmetical symbols are as follows. The loweredg used for parentheses in prose becomes an equal sign in arithmetic, where a symmetrical pair of parentheses is used instead:^[3]

Print	+	−	×	·	:	=
Braille

Print	<	>	(	)	√	%
Braille

Arithmetical symbols are preceded but not followed by a space, with the exception of the multiplication dot. For example:

⠼⠋⠀⠦⠼⠛⠀⠲⠼⠁⠙⠀⠶⠼⠉

6 × 7 : 14 = 3

⠼⠉⠄⠣⠼⠊⠀⠤⠼⠛⠜⠀⠶⠼⠋

3 · (9 − 7) = 6

⠩⠱⠼⠁⠚⠚⠚⠚⠀⠪⠀⠼⠁⠚⠁

In print, many languages of the ex–Soviet Union are written in Cyrillic alphabets derived from the Russian alphabet by adding new letters. Their braille alphabets are similarly derived from Russian Braille. The braille assignments for the letters found in Russian print are the same as in Russian Braille. However, there is no international consistency among the additional letters, apart from⠽і, which is used in Ukrainian, Belarusian, and Kazakh – and even then, Kyrgyz uses⠽ forң (ŋ), and it might be that Tajik uses it forқ (q). Generally not all of the Russian letters are used, except perhaps in Russian loans. Punctuation and formatting, as far as they are attested, agree with Russian Braille, though Kazakh Braille is reported to use the Russian arithmetical parentheses⠣⠀⠜.

Ukrainian has the additional lettersі, ї, є, ґ. Theє is the mirror image of old Russianэ, whileі is the old Russianі (that is, it is the mirror image ofй, making it the same as French/Englishy), andї is old Russianѣ.^[8]

Print	є	ґ	і	ї
Braille

Unesco (2013) was unable to verify these values.^[9]

Belarusian has the additional lettersі andў. They are the mirror images ofй andу.^{[unreliable source?]}

Print	і	ў
Braille

Unesco (2013) was unable to verify these values.^[9]

Kazakh has the additional lettersә, ғ, қ, ң, һ, ө, ү, ұ, і.^[9]

Print	ә	ғ	қ	ң	ө	ү	ұ	һ	і
Braille

SeeKazakh alphabets#Correspondence chart for the whole braille alphabet aligned with the Cyrillic.

Kyrgyz has a subset of the Kazakh letters,ң, ө, ү, but with completely different braille values from the languages above:^[9][10]

Print	ң	ө	ү
Braille

SeeKyrgyz alphabets#Correspondence chart for the whole braille alphabet aligned with the Cyrillic.

Mongolian hasө, ү, but with different braille assignments again:^[9]

Print	өö	үü
Braille

These are two of the obsolete Russian Braille letters. The Mongolian vowelө (ö) is coincidentally similar in print to the old Russian consonantѳ (th), and takes the latter's braille assignment; the Mongolian vowelү (ü) takes the assignment of the old Russian vowelyat.

SeeMongolian Cyrillic alphabet for the whole alphabet aligned with Cyrillic.

Unesco reported additional braille adaptations of Cyrillic in 1990, forTajik,Turkmen andUzbek, but was not able to confirm them by 2013.^[9] The additional letters in the report are shown here, but like those of Ukrainian and Belarusian, they are unverified and should be treated with caution.

Tajik

Print	ғ	ӣ	қ	ӯ	ҳ	ҷ
Braille

Turkmen

Cyrillic	ә	җ	ң	ө	ү
Latin	ä	j	ň	ö	ü
Braille

Uzbek

Cyrillic	ғ	қ	ў	ҳ
Latin	gʻ	q	oʻ	h
Braille

• Moon type is a simplification of the Latin alphabet for embossing. An adaptation for Russian-reading blind people has been proposed.

• French-ordered braille alphabets
• Russian language

• Articles containing Russian-language text
• CS1 Russian-language sources (ru)
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from June 2023
• Pages with plain IPA
• Articles with unsourced statements from November 2013
• All articles lacking reliable references
• Articles lacking reliable references from November 2013