Languages › Russian › Keyboard

How to type in Russian

Your computer and your phone already have a Russian keyboard. It only needs turning on, and here's how on each, plus how the letters are laid out.

Typing a word yourself is part of learning it: you remember what you've had to spell. AnimeLang doesn't transliterate, so this is the first ten minutes of the course.

On a Mac

Open System Settings › Keyboard, then Text Input › Edit.
Click +, search for Russian and add Russian – PC. It's laid out like the Russian keyboard on Windows, with ё left of 1. Apple's plain Russian moves ё and some punctuation.
Switch with Control-Space, or from the input menu in the menu bar. To use the 🌐 key instead, set Keyboard › “Press 🌐 key to” › Change Input Source.

On Windows 11

Open Settings › Time & language › Language & region.
Next to Preferred languages, choose Add a language, pick Russian, then Next and Install. Its keyboard is Russian.
Switch with Windows key + Space.

On an iPhone or iPad

Go to Settings › General › Keyboard › Keyboards › Add New Keyboard and choose Russian.
To switch, touch and hold the 🌐 key and pick the keyboard.

On Android

With the keyboard open, tap Settings › Languages › Add keyboard in Gboard, pick Russian and tap Done.
To switch, touch and hold the space bar.

Where the letters are

The standard layout is called ЙЦУКЕН, after its top row: й on Q, ц on W, у on E, к on R. Two of the commonest letters sit under your index fingers: а on F and о on J.

If you'd rather start from sounds, there are phonetic layouts that put а on A, б on B and я on Q: Russian – QWERTY on a Mac and Russian - Mnemonic on Windows. They're a fine first step, but switch to the standard one once the letters feel familiar.

From Apple's, Microsoft's and Google's own help: Mac, Windows, iPhone, Gboard, and Windows keyboard layouts.