BGN/PCGN romanization of Russian


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 and by the Permanent Committee on Geographical Names for British Official Use. 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.
Russian
letter		RomanizationSpecial provisionExamples
А A -Азов = Azov
Тамбов = Tambov
Б B -Барнаул = Barnaul
Кубань = Kuban
В V -Владимир = Vladimir
Ульяновск = Ulyanovsk
Г G -Грозный = Groznyy
Волгодонск = Volgodonsk
Д D -Дзержинский = Dzerzhinskiy
Нелидово = Nelidovo
Е Ye
  1. Word-initially;
  2. after vowels;
  3. after й;
  4. after ь;
  5. after ъ.
  • Елизово = Yelizovo
  • Чапаевск = Chapayevsk;
  • Мейеровка = Meyyerovka;
  • Юрьев = Yurʼyev;
  • Объезд = Obˮyezd.
    • Е E All other casesБелкино = Belkino
    Ё Yë
  • Word-initially;
  • after vowels;
  • after й;
  • after ь;
  • after ъ.
  • Ёдва = Yëdva;
  • Змииёвка = Zmiiyëvka;
  • Айёган = Ayyëgan;
  • Воробьёво = Vorobʼyëvo;
  • Кебанъёль = Kebanˮyël.
    • Ё All other casesОзёрный = Ozërnyy
    Ж Zh -Жуков = Zhukov Лужники = Luzhniki
    З Z -Звенигород = Zvenigorod
    Вязьма = Vyazma
    И I -Иркутск = Irkutsk
    Апатиты = Apatity
    Й 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
    Й Y All other casesЙошкар-Ола = Yoshkar-Ola
    Бийск = Biysk
    К K -Киров = Kirov
    Енисейск = Yeniseysk
    Л L -Ломоносов = Lomonosov
    Нелидово = Nelidovo
    М M -Менделеев = Mendeleyev
    Каменка = Kamenka
    Н N -Новосибирск = Novosibirsk
    Кандалакша = Kandalaksha
    О O -Омск = Omsk
    Красноярск = Krasnoyarsk
    П P -Петрозаводск = Petrozavodsk
    Серпухов = Serpukhov
    Р R -Ростов = Rostov
    Северобайкальск = Severobaykalsk
    С S -Сковородино = Skovorodino
    Чайковский = Chaykovskiy
    Т T -Тамбов = Tambov
    Мытищи = Mytishchi
    У U -Углич = Uglich
    Дудинка = Dudinka
    Ф F -Фурманов = Furmanov
    Уфа = Ufa
    Х Kh -Хабаровск = Khabarovsk
    Прохладный = Prokhladnyy
    Ц Ts -Цимлянск = Tsimlyansk
    Елец = Yelets
    Ч Ch -Чебоксары = Cheboksary
    Печора = Pechora
    Ш Sh -Шахтёрск = Shakhtërsk
    Мышкин = Myshkin
    Щ Shch -Щёлково = Shchëlkovo
    Ртищево = Rtishchevo
    Ъ ˮThis letter does not occur at the beginning of a word.Куыркъявр = Ku·yrkˮyavr
    Ы 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
    Ы ·yAfter 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
    Ы Y All other cases. This letter does not occur at the beginning of words of Russian origin.Ыттык-Кюёль = Yttyk-Kyuyël
    Тында = Tynda
    Ь This letter does not occur at the beginning of a word.Тюмень = Tyumen
    Э ·eAfter 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
    Э E All other casesЭлектрогорск = Elektrogorsk
    Руэм = Ruem
    Ю Yu -Юбилейный = Yubileynyy
    Ключевская = Klyuchevskaya
    Я Ya -Якутск = Yakut·sk
    Брянск = Bryansk
    Тс 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 Sh·ch Used primarily for romanization of non-Russian-language names from Russian spelling. The use of this digraph is optional.Ташчишма = Tash·chishma