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; |
|
Ґ |
G |
|
Ґалаґан – Galagan |
|
Д |
D |
|
Дон – Don |
|
Е |
E |
|
Рівне – Rivne |
|
Є |
Ye, ie |
Ye – at the beginning of words |
Єнакієве – Yenakiieve; |
|
Ж |
Zh |
The combination жж is transliterated as a single zh. |
Житомир – Zhytomyr; |
|
З |
Z |
|
Закарпаття – Zakarpattia |
|
И |
Y |
|
Медвин – Medvyn |
|
I |
I |
|
Iршава – Irshava |
|
Ї |
I |
Yi – at the beginning of words |
Їжакевич – Yizhakevych; |
|
Й |
Y, i |
Y – at the beginning of words |
Йосипівка – Yosypivka; |
|
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; |
|
Ю |
Yu, iu |
Yu – at the beginning of words |
Юрій – Yurii; |
|
Я |
Ya, ia |
Ya – at the beginning of words |
Яготин – Yahotyn; |
|
' |
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.

