Bulgarian Alphabet Song: How to Sing the 30 Letters
A Bulgarian alphabet song is a children’s song or chant that runs through the 30 letters by their Bulgarian names: а, бъ, въ, гъ. There is no single official tune. Sing the names in six lines of five, and slow down for и кратко, ер голям and ер малък.
A Bulgarian alphabet song is any children’s song or chant that runs through the 30 Cyrillic letters, usually by their Bulgarian names: а, бъ, въ, гъ. Bulgarian children meet the letters in their first school year, and songs, rhymes and classroom chants help them memorize the order. For adult learners, singing the names is also one of the fastest ways to fix the sequence in memory.
This page explains which songs are tied to the alphabet in Bulgaria, how to sing the letter names correctly, and how to use the chart above as a sing-along sheet.
Is there one Bulgarian alphabet song?
Not in the way English has the familiar ABC tune. Teachers, children’s TV and online channels use a variety of melodies, and new ones keep appearing. One example: Bulgarian National Radio featured an alphabet song written by the New York-based Bulgarian musician Vlada Tomova for children at a Bulgarian school in New York, shared on the eve of 24 May (BNR report).
What all the good versions share is the letter names. If a song you find online uses names like “be, ve, ge,” it was probably made for Russian, and it may also include the Russian letters Ё, Ы and Э. The Bulgarian vs Russian alphabet page explains the difference.
The song every Bulgarian school sings on 24 May
The song most closely tied to the alphabet in Bulgaria is not an ABC song at all. It is the hymn to Saints Cyril and Methodius, known by its opening words Върви, народе възродени (Varvi, narode vazrodeni), “Go forward, reborn people.” In English it is often called the Anthem of the Bulgarian Enlightenment.
- The words were written in 1892 by Stoyan Mihaylovski, a teacher in Ruse.
- The music was composed by Panayot Pipkov, a music teacher, and first performed on 11 May 1901 in Lovech.
- Schools began singing it for the alphabet celebrations the following year.
Today children sing it at school ceremonies on 24 May, the Day of the Bulgarian Alphabet, Education and Culture. The hymn praises the brothers who created the first Slavic alphabet; read more about Saints Cyril and Methodius. We do not reproduce the lyrics here, but recordings by school and state choirs are easy to find.
How to sing the Bulgarian alphabet song letter names
You can sing the Bulgarian alphabet to almost any steady tune. The simplest method is to split the 30 letters into six lines of five, then sing one line per musical phrase. The old French melody behind “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” works well, since it is long out of copyright and has six short phrases.
| Line | Letter names | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | а, бъ, въ, гъ, дъ | ah, buh, vuh, guh, duh |
| 2 | е, жъ, зъ, и, и кратко | eh, zhuh, zuh, ee, ee KRAHT-ko |
| 3 | къ, лъ, мъ, нъ, о | kuh, luh, muh, nuh, aw |
| 4 | пъ, ръ, съ, тъ, у | puh, ruh, suh, tuh, oo |
| 5 | фъ, хъ, цъ, чъ, шъ | fuh, khuh, tsuh, chuh, shuh |
| 6 | щъ, ер голям, ер малък, ю, я | shtuh, er go-LYAM, er MAH-luhk, yoo, yah |
Lines 2 and 6 are the hard ones because three letters have longer names. Й is и кратко (i kratko, “short i”), Ъ is ер голям (er golyam, “big er”) and Ь is ер малък (er malak, “small er”). Slow down on those lines rather than skipping them.
The “uh” at the end of each consonant name is the Bulgarian vowel ъ. Keep it short and relaxed. It is the same sound you hear in път (pat, road). The Bulgarian alphabet pronunciation guide has more on that vowel.
Using the chart as a Bulgarian alphabet song sheet
The chart above shows all 30 letters in order, with each name and a hear button. Use it in three rounds:
- Listen. Tap each letter in order and repeat the name aloud.
- Sing with the chart. Sing the six lines while pointing at each letter as you say it. Pointing ties the shape to the sound.
- Sing without it. Close your eyes and sing the whole alphabet. Check yourself against the chart afterward.
Once the order is solid, switch from names to sounds. Read б as [b] rather than бъ when it is inside a word. Then try the Bulgarian alphabet quiz to test whether you recognize letters out of order.
Bulgarian alphabet song tips for parents and teachers
- Add movement. Children can clap once per letter or stand up on each vowel (а е и о у ъ ю я).
- Pause on the long names. Make и кратко, ер голям and ер малък a game, for example by whispering “small er.”
- Pair each line with letter cards. Lay out the five cards of a line before singing it.
- Use the child’s name. Find its letters in the song and sing those louder.
- Keep sessions short. Two or three runs a day work better than one long session.
Heritage learners abroad often combine a song with the plan on how to learn the Bulgarian alphabet, which adds reading practice with real words.
Common mistakes with alphabet songs
- Using a Russian song. It has 33 letters and Russian names such as эль and эм.
- Skipping Ъ and Ь because they are hard to sing. They are real letters with real names.
- Singing “ee” for е. The letter name is “eh,” as in “bet.”
- Stopping at names. Names help with order and spelling aloud, but reading needs the plain sounds.
- Assuming a catchy video is accurate. Check the letter count is 30 and the order ends ю, я.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an official Bulgarian alphabet song?
No. Bulgarian teachers and children’s media use many different tunes. The song most associated with the alphabet is the hymn Върви, народе възродени, sung at school ceremonies on 24 May.
How do you say the letter names in the Bulgarian alphabet?
Vowels are said as their sound. Consonants add a short ‘uh’ (the vowel ъ): бъ, въ, гъ. Й, Ъ and Ь have the longer names и кратко, ер голям and ер малък.
What tune can I use to sing the Bulgarian alphabet?
Any steady tune works. Splitting the letters into six lines of five fits the melody of ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’, which is in the public domain.
What song do Bulgarian children sing on 24 May?
They sing the hymn to Saints Cyril and Methodius, Върви, народе възродени, with words by Stoyan Mihaylovski (1892) and music by Panayot Pipkov (1901).
Why does my alphabet song video have 33 letters?
It is almost certainly a Russian alphabet song. The Bulgarian alphabet has 30 letters and no Ё, Ы or Э.
Sources
- Anthem of the Bulgarian Enlightenment (Wikipedia)
- BNR: A little song about the Bulgarian alphabet
- Bulgarian alphabet (Wikipedia)