Project:Romanization of Russian

Tchaikovsky Research

Several different standards of rendering the names of Russian people and places into the Latin alphabet. For example the composer's name — Пётр Ильич Чайковский — can be romanized variously as:

  • Pëtr Ilʹič Čajkovskij (United Nations standard)
  • Pëtr Il'ich Chaïkovskiï (U.S. Library of Congress system)
  • Pyotr Ilyich Chaykovsky (British system)
  • Petr Ilich Chaikovskiy (Russian passport conversion system)
  • Pjotr Iljitsch Tschaikowski (German standard)
  • Piotr Ilitch Tchaïkovski (French standard)
  • Pjotr Iljitj Tjajkovski (Swedish standard)
  • Piotr Iljicz Czajkowski (Polish standard)
  • Piotr Ilich Chaikovski (Spanish standard)

The romanization system used on Tchaikovsky Research is a modification of the British system, and is currently also used on the English Wikipedia, from which the table below has been adapted.

Exceptions may be made for:

  • the surname Tchaikovsky (and its feminine form Tchaikovskaya)
  • individuals who adopted a distinctive spelling of their name after emigrating to the West (e.g. Sergey Rakhmaninov chose to use the form Sergei Rachmaninoff).
  • non-Russian surnames (e.g. Jurgenson and Rubinstein, rather than Yurgenson and Rubinshteyn).
Russian
spelling
English
romanization
Special provision Examples
А (а) A (a) Аликово = Alikovo
Поганкино = Pogankino
Б (б) B (b) Болотин = Bolotin
Колбасин = Kolbasin
В (в) V (v) Воронин = Voronin
Привалин = Privalin
Г (г) G (g) Галкин = Galkin
Луговой = Lugovoy
Д (д) D (d) Дровяное = Drovyanoye
Подгорск = Podgorsk
Е (е) E (e) Except in the cases below Белкин = Belkin
Ye (ye)
  1. In the beginning of words
  2. after vowels
  3. after ь
  4. after ъ
  1. Ельцин = Yeltsin
  2. Танеев = Taneyev
  3. Раздольное = Razdolnoye
  4. Юрьев = Yuryev (ь omitted — see ь below)
  5. Подъездной = Podyezdnoy
Ё (ё) Yo (yo) Ёлкино = Yolkino
Озёрск = Ozyorsk
Ж (ж) Zh (zh) Жиров = Zhirov
Приволжское = Privolzhskoye
З (з) Z (z) Зорин = Zorin
Обозов = Obozov
И (и) I (i) Except in an -ий ending (see below) Иркутск = Irkutsk
Владивосток = Vladivostok
Й (й) Y (y) Except in –ый and –ий endings (see below) Йошкар-Ола = Yoshkar-Ola
Бийск = Biysk
К (к) K (k) Киров = Kirov
Галкин = Galkin
Л (л) L (l) Лапинск = Lapinsk
Комсомольск = Komsomolsk
М (м) M (m) Мичурин = Michurin
Колыма = Kolyma
Н (н) N (n) Нальчик = Nalchik
Савино = Savino
О (о) O (o) Оха = Okha
Грозный = Grozny
П (п) P (p) Петроград = Petrograd
Ставрополь = Stavropol
Р (р) R (r) Родниковое = Rodnikovoye
Высокогорск = Vysokogorsk
С (с) S (s) Ступино = Stupino
Бирск = Birsk
Т (т) T (t) Тавричанка = Tavrichanka
Ростов = Rostov
У (у) U (u) Улетайск = Uletaysk
Шушенское = Shushenskoye
Ф (ф) F (f) Фёдоровка = Fyodorovka
Корфу = Korfu
Х (х) Kh (kh) Харков = Kharkov
Оха = Okha
Ц (ц) Ts (ts) Царское = Tsarskoye
Зарецкий = Zaretsky
Ч (ч) Ch (ch) Черемшаны = Cheremshany
Зареченск = Zarechensk
Ш (ш) Sh (sh) Шадрин = Shadrin
Моршанск = Morshansk
Щ (щ) Shch (shch) Щукино = Shchukino
Рощинский = Roshchinsky
ъ (твёрдый знак) Omitted When followed by an iotated vowel (е, ё, ю, я) Подъярский = Podyarsky
y When followed by a non-iotated vowel (а, и, о, у, ы, э) (Мусийкъонгийкоте→Musiykyongiykote)
Ы (ы) Y (y) Except in an –ый ending (see below) Ытык-Кюёль = Ytyk-Kyuyol
Давыдов = Davydov
ь (мягкий знак) Omitted
  1. When followed by an iotated vowel (е, ё, ю, я)
  2. at the end of words
  3. When followed by a consonant
  1. Усолье = Usolye
  2. Выхухоль = Vykhukhol
  3. Дальнегорск = Dalnegorsk
y When followed by a non-iotated vowel (а, и, о, у, ы, э) Ильчнский = Ilyinsky
Э (э) E (e) Элиста = Elista
Тетраэдральный = Tetraedralny
Ю (ю) Yu (yu) Юрасов = Yurasov
Козючинск = Kozyuchinsk
Я (я) Ya (ya) Яковлев = Yakovlev
Бурянск = Buryansk
Йе (йe) Ye (ye) Майер = Mayer
–ый endings -y Красный = Krasny
–ий endings -y In names of people and adjectives of Russian origin. Синий = Siny; Veliky
-iy Noun or of non-Russian origin Рыркайпий = Ryrkaypiy
-ые endings -ye Набережные Челны = Naberezhnye Chelny