Here is the very first secret of Serbian: it comes in two alphabets. You will meet the Cyrillic script (cirilica) and the Latin script (latinica), and before you panic, let me tell you that this is a gift, not a wall. The moment you recognise a handful of letters in either script, you can already start reading real Serbian words. Welcome to Lesson 1 - these are the very first letters, and you are in exactly the right place.
Does Serbian use one or two alphabets?
Serbian uses two alphabets, and both are official. You will find both in everyday life - on street signs, in newspapers, on restaurant menus, in text messages. Neither one is "more correct" than the other; they exist side by side and always have.
The good news is that the two scripts share a great many letters, so once you have learned the first alphabet, picking up the second one is noticeably easier than the first time was. Think of it as learning a close cousin rather than a stranger.
Cyrillic vs Latin at a glance
Do not worry about memorising everything right now. Here is just a small taste so you can see how the two scripts talk to each other:
| Cyrillic | Latin | Sound (roughly) |
|---|---|---|
| А, а | A, a | like "a" in "father" |
| Б, б | B, b | like English "b" |
| В, в | V, v | like English "v" |
| Н, н | N, n | like English "n" - but note: Cyrillic П looks like "n" yet sounds like "p"! |
That last row is the classic beginner trap. Some Cyrillic letters look familiar from the Latin alphabet but make a completely different sound. Keep that in mind, and you will not be caught out. We will go through each letter carefully in the lessons ahead.
See and hear both alphabets
Sometimes your ear needs to see the letters move. Watch both videos below - the first covers the Cyrillic alphabet and the second covers the Latin alphabet. Play them as many times as you like; that is exactly what they are there for.
Serbian Cyrillic alphabet:
Serbian Latin alphabet:
Print one page and keep it handy
Throughout this course I use the Latin alphabet when writing the English translation, because it is quicker to follow at first. However, you can print both alphabets on a single A4 page and keep it next to your keyboard or on the fridge - wherever you will actually see it. If you have a colour printer, even better: colour-code the letters that look similar and the ones that are tricky. For more video guides and printable resources, visit the Serbian Lessons YouTube channel.
Why two alphabets?
Serbian has used both scripts for a long time, and both have deep roots in the culture. Today you will find Cyrillic on official signs, government documents, and many books, while the Latin script is very common in everyday writing, apps, and informal messages - so you really will meet both. Learning to recognise each one early on saves you a lot of confusion later, and the truth is the two alphabets are much friendlier to each other than the headlines sometimes suggest.
Your first-week target
Keep it simple and keep it fun. Here is a gentle three-step plan for your first week:
- Meet a few Cyrillic letters each day and match them to their Latin counterparts - just a handful at a time is plenty.
- Watch both videos above at least once with your lips moving along; say the letters out loud even if it feels silly.
- Print the alphabet pair page, pin it somewhere visible, and whenever you hear a word in a Serbian song or spot a sign, point at the letters you recognise.
Small steps every day add up to a very solid foundation. You will surprise yourself.
Quick questions
- Is Cyrillic or Latin more common in Serbia?
- You will encounter both every single day. Official and institutional contexts tend to favour Cyrillic, while digital communication and younger generations often lean towards Latin. There is no safe answer for "which one wins" - they genuinely coexist.
- Do I have to learn both to speak Serbian?
- For speaking, your biggest investment is vocabulary and pronunciation, not script. But reading Cyrillic will unlock street names, menus, shop signs, and a lot of written culture that you would otherwise have to skip - so it is very much worth your time even if you are mainly here for conversation.
- Which one should I start with?
- Many learners start with the Latin alphabet because it feels quicker and removes one barrier early on. That is a perfectly sensible strategy. Then, once you have some vocabulary and confidence, you add Cyrillic alongside it. Either order works - what matters most is that you keep going, because both alphabets are worth having.
This lesson was written by Marina Petrović, teacher of Serbian. If you would like to practise the Cyrillic script further, you will find exercises, printables, and guides in the lesson archive: More script practice: browse the Cyrillic category.