Instruction on transliteration of Belarusian geographical names with letters of Latin script

System for romanization of Belarusian-language texts

For the romanization of Belarusian on English Wikipedia, see BGN/PCGN romanization of Belarusian.

For geographic naming conventions for Belarusian on English Wikipedia, see Naming conventions.

Instruction on transliteration of Belarusian geographical names with letters of Latin script is an official standard of Romanization of Belarusian geographical names.

Status

The instruction was adopted by a decree of the Belarusian State Committee on Land Resources, Geodetics and Cartography (2000-11-23). The official name of the document is: Russian: «Инструкция по транслитерации географических названий Республики Беларусь буквами латинского алфавита». The document had been published in the National registry of the judicial acts of the Republic Belarus (issue №3, 2001-01-11).

It is reported in the press that since October 2006 this instruction is recommended^[1] for use by the Working Group on Romanization Systems of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN).^[2] The final decision of the UN was planned for a 2007 conference.

The system was modified again on 11 June 2007, mainly in order to conform with the recommendations of the UN WGRS, which advise avoiding the use of digraphs if possible, and adopted by the UN in version 3.0 of their romanization report, 17 March 2008.^[3] This transliteration standard is based on the traditional Belarusian Latin alphabet (Łacinka).^[4]

In February 2013 the system was recommended for adoption as the international system for the romanization of Belarusian geographical names.^[4]^[5]

The instruction replaces the previous equivalent regulations and sets up the rules of the rendering of the Belarusian geographical names, which are mandatory on the territory of the Republic of Belarus, when producing the cartographic and other (equivalent?) goods, destined for the international use.

A new romanization system has been adopted in 2023 for both Belarusian and Russian within the country, effectively abandoning the use of Łacinka-based transliteration in favour of more Anglicised spellings.^[6]

Romanization guidelines

The 2023 transliteration no longer uses diacritical signs.

Table describing Instruction on transliteration (2023) with examples
Cyrillic	Romanization	Special provision	Examples
А а	A а	-	Адамаўка - Adamawka
Б б	B b	-	Бабруйск - Babrujsk
В в	V v	-	Воранава - Voranava
Г г	G g	-	Гогалеўка - Gogaliewka
Д д	D d	-	Дзедаў Курган - Dziedaw Kurgan
Е е	Je je	In the beginning of a word, after a vowel, apostrophe, a separating soft sign or Ўў/Ww.	Ельск - Jеlsk, Заазер’е - Zaazierje, Панізоўе - Panizowje
Е е	iе	After a consonant.	Віцебск - Viciebsk
Ё ё	Jo jo	In the beginning of a word, after a vowel, apostrophe, a separating soft sign or Ўў/Ww.	Ёды - Jody, Мікалаёўка - Mikalajowka, Вераб’ёвічы - Vierabjovichy, Мураўёўка - Murawjowka
Ё ё	io	After a consonant.	Вётхава - Viothava
Ж ж	Zh zh	-	Жажэлка - Zhazhelka
З з	Z z	-	Загуззе - Zaguzzie
І і	I i	-	Iзабелін - Izabielin
Й й	J j	-	Лагойск - Lagojsk
К к	K k	-	Каранёўка - Karaniowka
Л л	L l	-	Лепель - Liepiel
М м	M m	-	Мамонава - Mamonava
Н н	N n	-	Нёман - Nioman
О о	O o	-	Обеч - Obiech, Полацк - Polack
П п	P p	-	Паперня - Papiernia
Р р	R r	-	Расцяробы - Rasciaroby
С с	S s	-	Свіслач - Svislach
Т т	T t	-	Татаршчына - Tatarshchyna
У у	U u	-	Улукаўе - Ulukawje
Ў ў	W w	-	Тураў - Turaw
Ф ф	F f	-	Фанiпаль - Fanipal, Сафіеўка - Safijewka
Х х	H h	-	Хацюхова - Haciuhova
Ц ц	C c	-	Цяцерын - Ciacieryn
Ч ч	Ch ch	-	Чарнаручча - Charnaruchcha
Ш ш	Sh sh	-	Шаркаўшчына - Sharkawshchyna
’(apostrophe)	-	Not transliterated, but j is added if followed by е ё ю я і.	Раз’езд - Razjezd, Мар’іна Горка - Marjina Gorka
ы	y	-	Паставы - Pastavy
ь	-	Not transliterated, but j is added if followed by е ё ю я.	Вільянава - Viljanava, Вародзькаў 1 - Varodzkaw 1
Э э	E e	-	Эйвідавічы - Ejvidavichy, Чачэрск - Chachersk
Ю ю	Ju ju	In the beginning of a word, after a vowel, apostrophe, a separating soft sign or Ўў/Ww.	Юрацішкі - Juracishki, Гаюцiна - Gajucina
Ю ю	iu	After a consonant.	Цюрлі - Ciurli
Я я	Ja ja	In the beginning of a word, after a vowel, apostrophe, a separating soft sign or Ўў/Ww.	Ямнае - Jamnaje, Баяры - Bajary, Валяр’яны - Valiarjany, Гаўя - Gawja
Я я	iа	After a consonant.	Вязынка - Viazynka

Note: The initial 2000 version differed from the 2007 one: ў = ú, ь = ’ (apostrophe; e.g., дзь = dz’, зь = z’, ль = l’, нь = n’, сь = s’, ць = c’).

References

^ "Ninth United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names" (PDF). State Committee of the Property of the Republic of Belarus. 10 July 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 August 2009.
^ Olga Shestkova (13 October 2006). На мировых картах не будет Weissrusland. Только Belarus’: Иностранцы будут писать наши названия белорусской латинкой [On world maps there will be no Weissrussland. Only Belarus': Foreigners will write our names in Belarusian Latinka] (in Russian). Komsomolskaya Pravda. Archived from the original on 17 October 2006.
^ "Report on the current status of United Nations Romanization Systems for geographical names: Compiled by the UNGEGN Working Group on Romanization Systems Version 2.2" (PDF). Institute of the Estonian Language. January 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2007.
^ ^a ^b "Report on the current status of United Nations Romanization Systems for geographical names compiled by the UNGEGN Working Group on Romanization Systems Version 4.0: Belarusian". Institute of the Estonian Language. February 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
^ "United Nations Group of Experts on geographical names (UNGEGN): Working Group on Romanization Systems Resolution X/6 (2012), Romanization of Belarusian geographical names". Institute of the Estonian Language. 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
^ "Instrukcija po peredache naimenovanij geograficheskih objektov s belorusskogo i russkogo jazykov na drugie jazyki i transliteracii naimenovanij geograficheskih objektov bukvami latinskogo alfavita". Gosudarstvennyj komitet po imushchestvu Respubliki Belarus. 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2024.

External links

№8/4488 Об утверждении Инструкции по транслитерации географических названий Республики Беларусь буквами латинского алфавита // Национальный реестр правовых актов Республики Беларусь. №3, 11 января 2001.
8/16668 О внесении изменений и дополнений в Инструкцию по транслитерации географических названий Республики Беларусь буквами латинского алфавита
О передаче наименований географических объектов с белорусского и русского языков на другие языки
National System of Geographic Names Transmission into Roman Alphabet in Belarus. Ninth United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names. New York, 21–30 August 2007. Document E/CONF.98/CRP.21.
United Nations Statistics Division, Geographical Names
Keyboard Lithuaniae 1009—2009 i Litwinska-biełaruskaja lacinskaja abeceda

Romanization

By publisher (for several languages)