The 'y-' team
The Belarusian Alphabet
The 'y-' team
These four letters start with a 'y' sound when they begin a word or come after a vowel: • Я = ya (as in 'yacht') • Е = ye (as in 'yes') • Ё = yo (as in 'New York') • Ю = yu (as in 'YouTube') After a consonant, they soften it (make it palatalized) instead.
| Belarusian | English | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| Я я | ya — 'ya' (start) or softens previous consonant | — |
| яна | she | — |
| мая | my (f.) | — |
| сябар | friend (m.) | — |
| Е е | ye — 'ye' (start) or softens previous consonant | — |
| ем | I eat | — |
| мае | his / mine (pl.) | — |
| дзень | day | — |
| Ё ё | yo — 'yo' (always stressed) | — |
| ён | he | — |
| маё | mine (n.) | — |
| цёплы | warm | — |
| Ю ю | yu — 'yu' | — |
| Юрка | Yurka (George) | — |
| люблю | I love | — |
| пяю | I sing | — |
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