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ь

Cyrillic Small Letter Soft Sign Letter

The Cyrillic small letter soft sign (ь) is a character used in Russian and other Cyrillic languages.

U+044C

The symbol ь is called the Cyrillic small letter soft sign. It has the Unicode code point U+044C and can be copied directly or inserted using escapes in HTML, CSS, or JavaScript.

Cyrillic Small Letter Soft Sign Letter Meaning

ь is the Cyrillic small letter soft sign. In writing systems that use it (most commonly Russian), it helps indicate a “soft” pronunciation of a preceding consonant and affects how the letters combine in words. Visually, it looks like a lowercase b without the left vertical stroke, but its purpose is linguistic rather than numeric or symbolic. When you need the exact character for text, forms, filenames, or programming content, use the correct Unicode character U+044C. Using a similar-looking Latin or Cyrillic character by mistake can change the meaning of the text or break normalization and search.

Common uses

  • Writing Russian words that require the soft sign (e.g., common grammar forms).
  • Correctly entering names or surnames spelled with ь in passports, IDs, or databases.
  • Creating UI text for Russian-language applications and content.
  • Programming and localization, where the exact Unicode character must be preserved.
  • Typing subtitles, captions, and social posts that include Russian words.

Examples

ь (Cyrillic Soft Sign) - Copy & Info

  • ьмаль
  • ьдень
  • ьписьмо
  • ьтеперь
  • ькость

Variations

Technical codes

UnicodeU+044C
HTML Entityь
HTML Codeь
CSS\044C

FAQ

What does the Cyrillic Small Letter Soft Sign letter mean?

ь is the Cyrillic small letter soft sign. In writing systems that use it (most commonly Russian), it helps indicate a “soft” pronunciation of a preceding consonant and affects how the letters combine in words. Visually, it looks like a lowercase b without the left vertical stroke, but its purpose is linguistic rather than numeric or symbolic. When you need the exact character for text, forms, filenames, or programming content, use the correct Unicode character U+044C. Using a similar-looking Latin or Cyrillic character by mistake can change the meaning of the text or break normalization and search.

What Unicode character is ь?

The character ь is the Cyrillic small letter soft sign, with Unicode code point U+044C.

How do I type ь in HTML?

Use the HTML entity ь.

What escape can I use in JavaScript?

Use \\u{044C}.

Why can’t I use a similar-looking letter instead of ь?

Similar-looking Latin or Cyrillic letters are different Unicode characters, so they may change the word, break search/matching, or cause localization issues.