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 |