BGN/PCGN romanization system for Russian is a method for romanization of Cyrillic Russian texts, that is, their transliteration into the Latin alphabet as used in the English language.
There are a number of systems for romanization of Russian, but the BGN/PCGN system is relatively intuitive for anglophones to pronounce. It is part of the larger set of BGN/PCGN romanizations, which includes methods for 29 different languages. It was developed by the United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) and by the Permanent Committee on Geographical Names for British Official Use (PCGN). The portion of the system pertaining to the Russian language was adopted by BGN in 1944, and by PCGN in 1947.
This romanization of Russian can be rendered by using only the basic letters and punctuation found on English-language keyboards. No diacritics or unusual letters are required, but the interpunct character (·) is optionally used to avoid some ambiguity.
In many publications, a simplified form of the system is used to render English versions of Russian names, which typically converts ë to yo, simplifies -iy and -yy endings to -y and omits apostrophes for ъ and ь.
The following table describes the system and provides examples.
Russianletter Romanization Special provision Examples А (а) A (a) None Азов = Azov Тамбов = Tambov Б (б) B (b) None Барнаул = Barnaul Кубань = Kuban В (в) V (v) None Владимир = Vladimir Ульяновск = Ulyanovsk Г (г) G (g) None Грозный = Groznyy Волгодонск = Volgodonsk Д (д) D (d) None Дзержинский = Dzerzhinskiy Нелидово = Nelidovo Е (е) Ye (ye) Word-initially; after vowels; after й; after ь; after ъ. Елизово = Yelizovo Чапаевск = Chapayevsk; Мейеровка = Meyyerovka; Юрьев = Yurʼyev; Объезд = Obˮyezd. E (e) All other cases Белкино = Belkino Ё (ё) Yë (yë) Word-initially; after vowels; after й; after ь; after ъ. Ёдва = Yëdva; Змииёвка = Zmiiyëvka; Айёган = Ayyëgan; Воробьёво = Vorobʼyëvo; Кебанъёль = Kebanˮyël. () All other cases Озёрный = Ozërnyy Ж (ж) Zh (zh) None Жуков = Zhukov Лужники = Luzhniki З (з) Z (z) None Звенигород = Zvenigorod Вязьма = Vyazma И (и) I (i) None Иркутск = Irkutsk Апатиты = Apatity Й (й) Y· (y·) Before а, у, ы, or э. Used primarily for romanization of non-Russian-language names from Russian spelling. The use of this digraph is optional. Тыайа = Ty·ay·a Сайылык = Say·ylyk Ойусардах = Oy·usardakh Y (y) All other cases Йошкар-Ола = Yoshkar-Ola Бийск = Biysk К (к) K (k) None Киров = Kirov Енисейск = Yeniseysk Л (л) L (l) None Ломоносов = Lomonosov Нелидово = Nelidovo М (м) M (m) None Менделеев = Mendeleyev Каменка = Kamenka Н (н) N (n) None Новосибирск = Novosibirsk Кандалакша = Kandalaksha О (о) O (o) None Омск = Omsk Красноярск = Krasnoyarsk П (п) P (p) None Петрозаводск = Petrozavodsk Серпухов = Serpukhov Р (р) R (r) None Ростов = Rostov Северобайкальск = Severobaykalsk С (с) S (s) None Сковородино = Skovorodino Чайковский = Chaykovskiy Т (т) T (t) None Тамбов = Tambov Мытищи = Mytishchi У (у) U (u) None Углич = Uglich Дудинка = Dudinka Ф (ф) F (f) None Фурманов = Furmanov Уфа = Ufa Х (х) Kh (kh) None Хабаровск = Khabarovsk Прохладный = Prokhladnyy Ц (ц) Ts (ts) None Цимлянск = Tsimlyansk Елец = Yelets Ч (ч) Ch (ch) None Чебоксары = Cheboksary Печора = Pechora Ш (ш) Sh (sh) None Шахтёрск = Shakhtërsk Мышкин = Myshkin Щ (щ) Shch (shch) None Щёлково = Shchëlkovo Ртищево = Rtishchevo Ъ (ъ) ˮ This letter does not occur at the beginning of a word. Куыркъявр = Ku·yrkˮyavr Ы (ы) Y· (y·) Before а, у, ы, or э. Used primarily for romanization of non-Russian-language names from Russian spelling. The use of this digraph is optional. Ыгыатта = Ygy·atta Тыайа = Ty·ay·a Тыэкан = Ty·ekan ·y After any vowel. Used primarily for romanization of non-Russian-language names from Russian spelling. The use of this digraph is optional. Суык-Су = Su·yk-Su Куыркъявр = Ku·yrkˮyavr Y (y) All other cases. This letter does not occur at the beginning of words of Russian origin. Ыттык-Кюёль = Yttyk-Kyuyël Тында = Tynda Ь (ь) This letter does not occur at the beginning of a word. Тюмень = Tyumen Э (э) ·e After any consonant except й. Used primarily for romanization of non-Russian-language names from Russian spelling. The use of this digraph is optional. Улан-Удэ = Ulan-Ud·e E (e) All other cases Электрогорск = Elektrogorsk Руэм = Ruem Ю (ю) Yu (yu) None Юбилейный = Yubileynyy Ключевская = Klyuchevskaya Я (я) Ya (ya) None Якутск = Yakut·sk Брянск = Bryansk Тс (тс) T·s (t·s) Used primarily for romanization of non-Russian-language names from Russian spelling. The use of this digraph is optional. Вяртсиля = Vyart·silya Шч (шч) Sh·ch (sh·ch) Used primarily for romanization of non-Russian-language names from Russian spelling. The use of this digraph is optional. Ташчишма = Tash·chishma
See also ISO 9 GOST 16876-71 Wikipedia:Romanization of Russian
Notes
References
External links GEOnet Names Server BGN/PCGN transliteration online, also supports the ISO 9, ALA-LC, GOST / UN, and Scholarly systems