Pyrimidine (C₄H₄N₂; /pɪˈrɪ.mɪˌdiːn, paɪˈrɪ.mɪˌdiːn/) is an aromatic, heterocyclic, organic compound similar to pyridine (C₅H₅N). One of the three diazines (six-membered heterocyclics with two nitrogen atoms in the ring), it has nitrogen atoms at positions 1 and 3 in the ring.250  The other diazines are pyrazine (nitrogen atoms at the 1 and 4 positions) and pyridazine (nitrogen atoms at the 1 and 2 positions).

In nucleic acids, three types of nucleobases are pyrimidine derivatives: cytosine (C), thymine (T), and uracil (U).