Transliteration from Russian to English

Note: "Journalistic style" refers to spellings that appear in everyday newspapers and news magazines. "Library of Congress" is the transliteration system used in American academic libraries.

а = a: Адамов - Adamov
б = b: Басилашвили - Basilashvili
в = v: Волга - Volga
г = g: Горбачёв - Gorbachev, Сегодня - Segodnya
д = d: Дон - Don
е = e (ye at the beginning of a word in journalistic style): Вера - Vera; Ева - Eva, Yeva
ё = e: Хрущёв - Khrushchev
ж = zh: Женя - Zhenya
з = z: Зина - Zina
и = i: Истра - Istra
й = y: (i in Library of Congress): Край - Kray, Krai. (See note on adjectival endings)
к = k: Кирилл - Kirill
л = l: Лимонов - Limonov
м = m: Магадан - Magadan
н = n: Нева - Neva
о = o: Ока - Oka
п = p: Пенза - Penza
р = r: Ростов - Rostov
с = s: Саратов - Saratov
т = t: Тула - Tula
у = u: Уфа - Ufa
ф = f: Форос - Foros
х = kh: (x in some scholarly venues): Хабаровск - Khabarovsk; Xabarovsk
ц = ts: Царское Село - Tsarskoe Selo
ч = ch: Челябинск - Chelyabinsk
ш = sh: Шеварднадзе - Shevardnadze
щ = shch: Щёлково - Shchelkovo
ъ = " (usually omitted in journalistic style): объяснить - ob"yasnit'; obyasnit
ы = y: Сыктывкар - Syktyvkar
ь = ' (usually omitted in journalistic style): Пермь - Perm'; Perm
э = e ('e in some scholarly venues): Эткинд - Etkind, 'Etkind
ю = yu (iu in Library of Congress): Южное - Yuzhnoe, IUzhnoe
я = ya (ia in Library of Congress): Ясная Поляна - Yasnaya Polyana, IAsnaia Poliana

Adjectival endings in the nominative masculine

Unstressed masculine adjectival endings in journalistic style usually come out as -y. Compare:
 
 
Rusian word


..
Новый Сад
Невский
Большой
Journalistic


..
Novy Sad
Nevsky 
Bolshoy, Bolshoi
Library of Congress


..
Novyi Sad
Nevskii
Bol'shoi
"Exact" (as in National Geographic maps)

Novyi, Noviy, Novyy
Nevskiy
Bol'shoy, Bol'shoi