Bulgarian Letter В: Looks Like B, Sounds Like V
The Bulgarian letter В is the third letter of the alphabet and a consonant pronounced [v], like the ‘v’ in ‘van’, even though it looks like English B. Its name is въ (vuh). At the end of a word or before a voiceless consonant it sounds like [f]. It is transliterated as v.
The Bulgarian letter В is a ‘v’, full stop. It is the classic false friend of Cyrillic: the capital looks exactly like English B, so your eyes want to read ‘b’ every time. Learning to override that reflex is the single biggest step in reading Bulgarian signs.
How to pronounce the Bulgarian letter В
Rest your top teeth on your lower lip and voice the sound, as in ‘very’. Bulgarian has no separate ‘w’ letter, so В also replaces English ‘w’ in some older loanwords and names.
| Word | Transliteration | Meaning | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|
| вода | voda | water | |
| вино | vino | wine | |
| Варна | Varna | Varna (city) | |
| вторник | vtornik | Tuesday (said ‘ftornik’) | |
| нов | nov | new (said ‘nof’) |
When В sounds like Ф
В follows the same devoicing rules as Б, Г, Д, Ж and З. At the end of a word it becomes [f]: нов (nov, new) is pronounced ‘nof’. Before a voiceless consonant it also turns into ‘f’, so вторник (vtornik, Tuesday) begins with ‘ft’. The phonology overview treats this as part of regular voicing assimilation.
The preposition в (v, in) shows the rule on every street corner. В София (v Sofia, in Sofia) is said ‘fSofia’, with the two words run together. Before a voiced sound it stays ‘v’: в Бургас (v Burgas, in Burgas) keeps its buzz. The pronunciation guide lists all six letters that behave this way.
В or във? A spelling rule worth knowing
A lone ‘v’ before a word that starts with В or Ф would be impossible to hear. So Bulgarian spells the preposition във (vav) in that position: във Варна (vav Varna, in Varna), във Франция (vav Frantsia, in France). The same logic gives със (sas) instead of с (s, with) before С and З. Russian handles this differently, with forms like во and со, so do not copy Russian here.
Reading tip: when you see във, read it as one short syllable, ‘vuhv’, closely tied to the next word.
Bulgarian letterforms: the handwritten-style в
In Russian typefaces lowercase в is a small copy of the capital. Bulgarian fonts often use a form with a tall ascender, closer to a handwritten ‘b’ or a ‘6’ turned upright. The type foundry type.today describes Bulgarian lowercase as deliberately handwritten in feel. You will see this в on Bulgarian websites and books, which makes the B-confusion even stronger. See Bulgarian Cyrillic for the full set.
The name and transliteration
The letter is called въ, ‘vuh’; Russian calls it ‘vé’. Under the 2009 Transliteration Act it is always v, even where it is pronounced ‘f’. That is why Велико Търново is Veliko Tarnovo and Иванов is Ivanov, never Ivanof.
В is common. One corpus count by Sttmedia places it ninth of 30 letters, at roughly 4.5%, helped by the preposition в and verbs like виждам (vizhdam, I see).
Common mistakes with the Bulgarian letter В
- Reading В as ‘b’. Practice with names you know: Варна, Виена, Ватикан all start with ‘v’. Our alphabet quiz drills exactly this kind of false friend.
- Mixing it up with Б, which is the real ‘b’.
- Pronouncing a hard ‘v’ at the end of surnames ending in –ов. It is closer to ‘-of’, though the spelling stays -ov.
- Writing в before words starting with В or Ф. The correct form is във.
Next comes Г, the letter that looks like an upside-down L.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the Bulgarian В look like B?
Both come from the Greek letter beta, which was pronounced ‘v’ by the time Cyrillic was created. Latin kept the ‘b’ value; Cyrillic used a separate letter, Б, for ‘b’.
How do you pronounce the Bulgarian letter В?
Like English ‘v’. At the end of a word or before a voiceless consonant it sounds like ‘f’.
When do you write във instead of в?
Before a word that begins with В or Ф, as in във Варна. Elsewhere the preposition is just в.
Is Ivanov or Ivanof correct?
Ivanov. The official Streamlined System transliterates letters, so В is always v, even though the final sound is closer to ‘f’.
What is the letter В called in Bulgarian?
Its name is въ, pronounced ‘vuh’.
Sources
- Bulgarian alphabet (Wikipedia)
- Bulgarian phonology (Wikipedia)
- Transliteration Act, SG No. 19/2009 (Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works)
- Bulgarian Cyrillic letterforms (type.today)
- Bulgarian letter frequency (Sttmedia corpus count)