How to use it
- Type the Russian name, place or word in Cyrillic letters in Russian text.
- Copy the result from Romanized text, or download it as a text file.
- Check Letters used for the letters with two forms, such as е, which is ye at the start of a word and e elsewhere.
The BGN/PCGN 1947 system
The BGN/PCGN system for Russian was adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) in 1944 and by the Permanent Committee on Geographical Names (PCGN) in the United Kingdom in 1947. It was made for romanizing names written in the Russian Cyrillic alphabet, and the PCGN publishes its table in a November 2022 edition.
The letters
- Most letters have one Latin form: б is b, в is v, ж is zh, х is kh, ц is ts, ч is ch, ш is sh and щ is shch.
- The letters ы and й are both y, э is e, ю is yu and я is ya.
- Capital letters follow the Latin form: Ж is Zh, and a word written in capitals is written in capitals, so ЖУК is ZHUK.
Where a letter changes
- е is ye at the start of a word, and after a vowel, й, ь or ъ. Elsewhere it is e: Зеленоградск is Zelenogradsk, and in Подъезд the е after ъ is ye.
- ё follows the same rule: yë at the start of a word and after those letters, ë elsewhere. Ёлкино is Yëlkino.
- The soft sign ь becomes ’ and the hard sign ъ becomes ”, the marks the table gives. Ульяновск is Ul’yanovsk.
What the tool does not do
- It romanizes Russian letters only. Ukrainian letters such as і, ї, є and ґ stay as they are, so a Ukrainian word comes out partly in Cyrillic.
- It applies the basic table and its first two notes. The table's optional forms for unusual letter sequences are not used.
- Other systems, such as the scientific or ISO transliterations, give other letters, and this tool does not offer them. A passport or visa follows the spelling of the issuing office.
Worked example: Ульяновск, Ёлкино and Подъезд
In Ульяновск, У is U, л is l, ь is ’, я is ya, н is n, о is o, в is v, с is s and к is k, so the name is Ul’yanovsk. Ёлкино begins with ё, so it is Yëlkino. In Подъезд the е follows the hard sign ъ, so it is ye, and the word is Pod”yezd.
| Russian | Romanized |
|---|---|
| Ульяновск | Ul’yanovsk |
| Ёлкино | Yëlkino |
| Подъезд | Pod”yezd |
Frequently asked questions
Why do the names have ’ and ” instead of plain apostrophes and quotation marks?
The table gives those marks for the soft sign ь and the hard sign ъ, and the notes of the PCGN document list them with their Unicode numbers. Many texts leave the marks out or use plain apostrophes, so copy the form your reader expects.
Does this tool handle Ukrainian or Bulgarian?
No. The tool follows the BGN/PCGN 1947 table for Russian. Letters that are not in the Russian alphabet, such as Ukrainian і, ї, є and ґ, stay as they are, so the output of a Ukrainian word keeps its Cyrillic letters.
When is е written ye and when e?
е is ye at the start of a word, and after a vowel, й, ь or ъ. After a consonant in the middle of a word it is e, so Зеленоградск is Zelenogradsk. The tool applies this rule itself, so you do not need to check each letter.
Is the text I type sent anywhere?
No. The conversion runs in your browser, and the text you type is not stored or sent to us.
Sources
- PCGN, Romanization of Russian: BGN/PCGN 1947 system (November 2022, PDF)
- GOV.UK, Romanization systems (PCGN publication page)
Figures and text last checked on Wednesday, November 11, 2026.