Reference

Ukrainian National Transliteration Table

The Ukrainian National Transliteration Table given below (in its simplified version) provides letter-for-letter equivalents for transliterating Ukrainian personal and place names into English. In this course we use the table for all transliteration in texts and exercises (with one exception – see Note 1 below the table).

Ukrainian

English

Comments

Examples

А

А

 

Алушта – Alushta

Б

B

 

Борщагівка – Borschahivka

В

V

 

Вишгород – Vyshhorod

Г

H, gh

Н – in most cases; gh – when recreating the combination зг.

Гадяч – Hadiach;
Згорани – Zghorany

Ґ

G

 

Ґалаґан – Galagan

Д

D

 

Дон – Don

Е

E

 

Рівне – Rivne

Є

Ye, ie

Ye – at the beginning of words
іе – in other positions

Єнакієве – Yenakiieve;
Наєнко – Naienko

Ж

Zh

The combination жж is transliterated as a single zh.

Житомир – Zhytomyr;
Запоріжжя – Zaporizhia

З

Z

 

Закарпаття – Zakarpattia

И

Y

 

Медвин – Medvyn

I

I

 

Iршава – Irshava

Ї

I

Yi – at the beginning of words
і
– in other positions

Їжакевич – Yizhakevych;
Кадіївка – Kadiivka

Й

Y, i

Y – at the beginning of words
і
– in other positions

Йосипівка – Yosypivka;
Стрий – Stryi

К

K

 

Київ – Kyiv

Л

L

 

Лебедин – Lebedyn

М

M

 

Миколаїв – Mykolaiv

Н

N

 

Ніжин – Nizhyn

О

O

 

Одеса – Odesa

П

P

 

Полтава – Poltava

Р

R

 

Ромни – Romny

С

S

 

Суми – Sumy

Т

T

 

Тетерів – Teteriv

У

U

 

Ужгород – Uzhhorod

Ф

F

 

Фастів – Fastiv

Х

Kh

 

Харків – Kharkiv

Ц

Ts

The combination цц is transliterated as a single ts.

Біла Церква – Bila Tserkva

Ч

Ch

The combination чч is transliterated as a single ch.

Чернівці – Chernivtsi

Ш

Sh

The combination шш is transliterated as a single sh.

Шостка – Shostka

Щ

Sch

See Note 1 below.

Гоща – Hoscha

Ь

'

Softening marks are omitted except when transliterating the combinations ьо and ьї

Львів – Lviv;
Ананьїв – Anan'iv

Ю

Yu, iu

Yu – at the beginning of words
iu
– in other positions

Юрій – Yurii;
Крюківка – Kriukivka

Я

Ya, ia

Ya – at the beginning of words
іа
– in other positions

Яготин – Yahotyn;
Iчня – Ichnia

'

 

Apostrophes are omitted.

Знам’янка – Znamianka

 

Note 1: In the above table the transliteration of the letter щ is given as sch. In this course, however, the letter is transliterated as shch (e.g. Borshchahivka, Hoshcha) as this more accurately reflects its sound.

Note 2: The following geographical names retain their traditional renderings:
Україна –
Ukraine (without the article "the"), Крим – Crimea, Чорне море – Black Sea, Азовське море – Sea of Azov.