One dot, two dots, or a little arc?

One letter, two cases

И is a vowel close to i in bit; І is ee; Ї is yi; Й is the consonant y in yes. Compare the marks and the body of each letter. Compare the examples side by side. Letter names label the characters; the sound cues explain how to pronounce them.

y

И и is approximately the vowel in bit, not ee. Compare И и with І і and Й й. The teaching label y names this vowel; it is not English y in yes.

и

y

i

І і makes ee, as in see. The lowercase has one dot; ї has two and adds a y sound.

і

i

yi

Ї ї makes yi: y as in yes followed by ee. Its two dots distinguish it from І і.

ї

yi

yot

Й й is the consonant y in yes. Look for the short curved mark above И и; it is not a vowel.

й

yot