Difference between Ukrainian letters Г and Ґ

The most important thing to know about Ukrainian letters Г and Ґ is that they are 2 different letters, they don’t interchange, they are used in different words and their pronunciation is different. Read this article to learn in detail about Ukrainian letters Г and Ґ.

Between Ukrainian letters Г and Ґ, the most commonly used one is letter Г.

There are much wore words that contain letter Г in the Ukrainian language.

Ukrainian letter Г

Here are some Ukrainian words that start with letter ‘ Г ‘

Ukrainian words that start with letter Г

Watch the video below to hear the pronunciation of Ukrainian letter ‘ Г ‘

Ukrainian letter Ґ

Letter Ґ in the Ukrainian Alphabet

Interesting fact:

Letter Ґ is the autochthonous letter in the Ukrainian alphabet and has been used in speech since the times of Old Slavic language. However, there were periods when letter Ґ was removed from the Ukrainian alphabet – in the late 17th century and in the 30-ties of the 20th century. In both instances, Russian authorities have abolished it and removed it from the alphabet to make the Ukrainian alphabet closer to Russian.

To compare, the Russian alphabet only has letter Г which is pronounced at the back of the tongue, like English “G” or Ukrainian “Ґ“.

Ukrainian letter “Ґ” officially returned to the Ukrainian Pravopys (Collection of Grammar and Spelling Rules) only in 1990, when Ukraine had less influence from the Soviet authorities.

Related: Ukrainian Language – History and Main Features

Words with Ґ in the Ukrainian language may have Old Ukrainian origin or be borrowed and then Ukrainized words.

The same is true for Ukrainian words with letter Г.

As words containing those letters were joining the Ukrainian language in different periods, their pronunciation was based on the rules valid at that time.

Ukrainian words with letter Ґ

There are far fewer words that contain letter Ґ in the Ukrainian vocabulary than those with letter Г.

As there are only a few words with letter Ґ, we recommend learning the most common words with letter Ґ by heart to never mix them with those containing letter Г.

Here are some Ukrainian words that start with the letter Ґ

Difference between Ukrainian letters Г and Ґ

The spelling and the pronunciation of letters Г and Ґ in Ukrainian are similar, yet different.

If you observe carefully, there is one extra zig-zag line going towards the top in the letter Ґ.

There is also a slight difference in terms of their pronunciation.

Pronunciation of Ukrainian letters Г and Ґ

Pronunciation of letter Г is a bit challenging for English speakers.

Г is pronounced as a soft “g” that is close to “h”, a sound between “g” and “h”.

Ґ is pronounced like standard English “g”, like in “good”.

Homonyms with Ukrainian letters Г and Ґ

Did you notice any homonyms starting with the Ukrainian letters Г and Ґ?

Homonyms are words that sound or look alike but have different meanings.

Take a look at these 2 examples:

RELATED: UKRAINIAN ALPHABET AND PRONUNCIATION

Learn Most Common Ukrainian Words – Concise Ukrainian Dictionary

Prepare yourself to communicate in Ukrainian and translate Ukrainian texts easily – discover our Ukrainian-to-English dictionary (e-book or paperback)