---
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type: Profile
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title: Ukrainian
description: Ukrainian is an East Slavic language and the sole official language of Ukraine, written in Cyrillic. Its iotation and vocative case reflect distinct evolution from Russian and Belarusian neighbors.
llms_summary: "Ukrainian. (Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine). Profile. Grammatical Typology SVO (flexible), Fusional. L1 Native Speakers 35000000 (35M). Language Family Indo-European / Balto-Slavic / Slavic / East Slavic. Language Vitality Index 8/10 (National) scale. Number of Countries 2 countries. Standard Script Cyrillic (Ukrainian alphabet). Total Speakers 45000000 (45M). UNESCO Risk Category Safe. Web Domain Share (%) 0.3 %. Writing System Complexity Level 3 (Cyrillic Alphabet) level. Linguistics & Culture. Ukrainian is an East Slavic language and the sole official language of Ukraine, written in Cyrillic. Its iotation and vocative case reflect distinct evolution from Russian and Belarusian neighbors.  canonical profile on Structured Pages"
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content_sha256: 7f7036857129c2e09c193caeb9c6d3603e068f5644fe804a03569c2c3a6628df
indexed_at: "2026-08-05T14:05:49.391Z"
date_modified: 2026-08-04
license: citation-free
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---
# Ukrainian

Ukrainian is an East Slavic language and the sole official language of Ukraine, written in Cyrillic. Its iotation and vocative case reflect distinct evolution from Russian and Belarusian neighbors.

*Last updated: 2026-08-04*

## Record

- **Title**: [Ukrainian](https://structuredpages.com/ukrainian/?format=md)
- **Place**: Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine
- **Range**: ukraine · poland · canada
- **Use case**: Linguistics & Culture
- **Website**: https://mon.gov.ua/
- **Contact address**: Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine
- **Coordinates**: 50.4501, 30.5234

### Summary

Ukrainian is an East Slavic language and the sole official language of Ukraine, written in Cyrillic. Its iotation and vocative case reflect distinct evolution from Russian and Belarusian neighbors.

### Description

## Historical Evolution

Ukrainian developed from the dialects of Kievan Rus', with the Ems Ukaz (1876) suppressing published Ukrainian in the Russian Empire. Soviet policy alternated promotion and Russification; independence (1991) restored national status. Literature from Shevchenko to modern wartime poetry anchors identity.

## Phonology

Ukrainian has a richer vowel inventory than Russian, including /i/ vs /ɪ/ (і vs и). The consonant /ɦ/ contrasts with /x/. Stress is mobile and unpredictable, unlike Russian patterns in some cognates.

## Syntax

Ukrainian is SVO with seven cases including vocative for direct address (e.g., Боже!). Aspectual verb pairs and motion verb prefixes parallel other East Slavic languages. Clitic pronouns and negation (не … ні) show unique colloquial forms.

### Categories

- language
- slavic

### Attributes

| Property | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Grammatical Typology | SVO (flexible), Fusional |
| L1 Native Speakers | 35000000 (35M) |
| Language Family | Indo-European / Balto-Slavic / Slavic / East Slavic |
| Language Vitality Index | 8/10 (National) scale |
| Number of Countries | 2 countries |
| Standard Script | Cyrillic (Ukrainian alphabet) |
| Total Speakers | 45000000 (45M) |
| UNESCO Risk Category | Safe |
| Web Domain Share (%) | 0.3 % |
| Writing System Complexity | Level 3 (Cyrillic Alphabet) level |