Project:Romanization of Russian

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)	In the beginning of words after vowels after ь after ъ	Ельцин = Yeltsin Танеев = Taneyev Раздольное = Razdolnoye Юрьев = Yuryev (ь omitted — see ь below) 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	When followed by an iotated vowel (е, ё, ю, я) at the end of words When followed by a consonant	Усолье = Usolye Выхухоль = Vykhukhol 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