What is з?

з is a letter in the Cyrillic script. It is typically pronounced like the voiced alveolar fricative /z/ (as in "zoo").

  • Its name is "ze" (зе) in most Slavic languages using the Cyrillic alphabet.

  • It originated from the Greek letter <a href="https://www.wikiwhat.page/kavramlar/Zeta">Zeta</a> (Ζ, ζ).

  • In the Cyrillic numeral system, з has a value of 7.

  • A visually similar letter, <a href="https://www.wikiwhat.page/kavramlar/E">E</a> (Е, е), exists in the Cyrillic alphabet but represents a different sound (typically /je/ or /e/). Therefore, it's important to distinguish between the two. Confusion can easily arise for those unfamiliar with the script.

  • The lowercase form of з is simply a smaller version of the uppercase form. There are no significant variations in its shape across different Cyrillic fonts.

  • It's an essential letter in many Slavic languages such as Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian, and others. It also appears in some non-Slavic languages that use Cyrillic.