Lje

Cyrillic letter Lje
Phonetic usage:[ʎ]
The Cyrillic script
Slavic letters
АА́А̀А̂А̄ӒБВ
ГҐДЂЃЕЕ́Ѐ
Е̂Е̄ЁЄЖЗЗ́Ѕ
ИІЇИ́ЍИ̂Ӣ
ЙӤЈКЛЉМН
ЊОО́О̀О̂ŌӦП
РСС́ТЋЌУУ́
У̀У̂ӮЎӰФХЦ
ЧЏШЩЪЪ̀Ы
Ы́ЬѢЭЭ́ЮЮ́Ю̀
ЯЯ́Я̀
Non-Slavic letters
ӐА̊А̃Ӓ̄ӔӘӘ́Ә̃
ӚВ̌ԜГ̑Г̇Г̣Г̌Г̂
Г̆Г̈г̊ҔҒӺҒ̌
ғ̊ӶГ̡Д́Д̌Д̈Д̣Д̆
ӖЕ̃Ё̄Є̈ԐԐ̈ҖӜ
ӁЖ̣ҘӞЗ̌З̣З̆Ӡ
И̃ҊҚӃҠҞҜК̣
к̊қ̊ԚЛ́ӅԮԒ
Л̈ӍН́ӉҢԨӇ
ҤО̆О̃Ӧ̄ӨӨ̄Ө́Ө̆
ӪԤП̈Р̌ҎС̌ҪС̣
С̱Т́Т̈Т̌Т̇Т̣Ҭ
У̃ӲУ̊Ӱ̄ҰҮҮ́Х̣
Х̱Х̮Х̑Х̌ҲӼх̊Ӿ
ӿ̊ҺҺ̈ԦЦ̌Ц̈ҴҶ
Ҷ̣ӴӋҸЧ̇Ч̣Ҽ
ҾШ̣Ы̆Ы̄ӸҌ
ҨЭ̆Э̄Э̇ӬӬ́Ӭ̄Ю̆
Ю̈Ю̄Я̆Я̄Я̈Ӏʼˮ
Archaic or unused letters
А̨Б̀Б̣Б̱В̀Г̀Г̧
Г̄Г̓Ҕ̀Ҕ̆ԀД̓Д̀
Д̨ԂЕ̇Е̨Ж̀
Ж̑Џ̆
Ꚅ̆З̀З̑ԄԆԪ
І̂І̣І̨
Ј̵Ј̃К̓К̀К̆Ӄ̆К̑
К̇К̈К̄ԞК̂Л̀
ԠԈЛ̑Л̇Ԕ
М̀М̃Н̀Н̄Н̧Н̃
ԊԢН̡Ѻ
П̓П̀П́
ҦП̧П̑ҀԚ̆Р́Р̀
Р̃ԖС̀С̈ԌҪ̓
Т̓Т̀ԎТ̑Т̧Ꚍ̆
ѸУ̇У̨
ꙋ́Ф̑Ф̓Х́Х̀Х̆Х̇Х̧
Х̾Х̓һ̱ѠѼѾ
Ц̀Ц́Ц̓Ꚏ̆
Ч́Ч̀Ч̆Ч̑Ч̓
ԬꚆ̆Ҽ̆Ш̀Ш̆
Ш̑Щ̆Ꚗ̆Ъ̄Ъ̈Ъ̈̄
Ы̂Ы̃Ѣ́Ѣ̈Ѣ̆
Э̨Э̂Ю̂Я̈
Я̂Я̨ԘѤѦѪ
ѨѬѮѰѲѴѶ

Lje, or Lle (Љ љ; italics: Љ љ; also called lye) is a letter of the Cyrillic script.

The letter Lje in serif and italic styles

Lje represents a palatal lateral /ʎ/, a sound similar (but not identical) to the palatalized alveolar lateral approximant /lʲ/, which is in some languages represented by the digraph ⟨ль⟩ and pronounced /lʲ/ like the ⟨ll⟩ in "million". Compare Latvian ⟨ļ⟩, Slovak ⟨ľ⟩, Portuguese ⟨lh⟩, Spanish ⟨ll⟩ and Italian ⟨gl⟩.

Lje is a ligature of ⟨л⟩ and ⟨ь⟩.[1] It was invented by Vuk Stefanović Karadžić for use in his 1818 dictionary, replacing the earlier digraph ⟨ль⟩.[1] It corresponds to the digraph Lj in Gaj's Latin alphabet for Serbo-Croatian.[1]

It is today used in Macedonian, variants of Serbo-Croatian when written in Cyrillic (Bosnian, Montenegrin and Serbian), and Itelmen.

It was also once used in the Udege language, and in the Lithuanian Cyrillic alphabet.

Lje is commonly transliterated as lj but it can also be transliterated as ľ, or ļ.

  1. ^ a b c Maretić, Tomislav. Gramatika i stilistika hrvatskoga ili srpskoga književnog jezika. 1899.