2009-12-28

Romanization systems used in the Place Names Database (KNAB)

The following table will show which romanization systems are used in KNAB to represent place names from non-Roman languages.

Column 3 indicates cases when there are own romanization systems in use for Estonian. Mostly these are for languages using the Cyrillic, some have been adopted in the 1970's by the Estonian orthological committee (VÕK), others have been adapted for KNAB. > is given in cases when the system indicated in Column 4 is used.

Column 4 names the system used in KNAB as the main, representative system for any particular language. Abbreviations:

• BGN/PCGN – systems adopted jointly by the United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) and the Permanent Committee on Geographical Names for British Official Use (PCGN);
• KNAB – systems created specifically for KNAB;
• national romanization – a system approved in the country concerned but which has not yet been approved as the single international romanization system;
• UN – systems recommended for application as the single international romanization system at the United Nations Conferences on the Standardization of Geographical Names; mostly these systems are based on national romanization systems;
• VÕK – systems approved by the Estonian Orthological Committee in the 1970's.

Column 5 indicates methods used in KNAB to ensure the possibility to restore original-script spellings of names. In many instances the romanization systems used are reversible, and there is no need for additional measures. This is signified by the equal mark (=). "KNAB additional symbols" means that the "normal" Roman-script spelling is complemented by additional symbols, such as the middle point (·), in cases there could be ambiguities. In some cases (Burmese, Thai, Tibetan, etc.) the original spellings are recorded using separate transliterations. This means that names are recorded twice: using both "pronounceable" romanizations and transliterations (often ISO ones, if available). Transliterated name forms do not show in the Internet-version of KNAB.

Column 6 describes how will the user of the Internet-version see the corresponding non-Roman names. All names are first given using romanization systems indicated in Column 4. For ten languages (Armenian, Bulgarian, Byelorussian, Georgian, Kazakh, Kirghiz, Mongolian, Russian, Tajik, Ukrainian) an additional variant has been generated using the appropriate BGN/PCGN romanization systems. (These variants are not added if they coincide with the main name form.)

To facilitate an overview of all changes on this page (additions of new systems, revisions of existing ones) there is a page with chronology of changes.

Language	Script	In Estonian texts	In KNAB	To ensure reversibility	Presentation on the Internet
Abaza	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1993	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Abkhaz	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1993	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Adyghian	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1993	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Altay	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1995	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Amharic	Ethiopic	>	BGN/PCGN 1967, without diacritics	BGN/PCGN + KNAB additional symbols	romanization / Amharic
Arabic	Perso-Arabic	>	UN 1972	=	romanization / Arabic
Armenian	Armenian	Est. transcr., VÕK 1976	KNAB 1993	=	KNAB romanization 1993 / Armenian / BGN/PCGN romanization (1981)
Assamese	Assamese	>	UN 1972, modif.	KNAB additional symbols	romanization / Assamese
Avar	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1993	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Azerbaijani	Roman	>	Roman	=	Roman
Bashkir	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	draft Roman alphabet 2002 (adapted)	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Bengali	Bengali	>	UN 1972, modif.	KNAB additional symbols	romanization / Bengali
Bulgarian	Cyrillic	>	UN 1977	=	UN romanization 1977 / Cyrillic / BGN/PCGN romanization 1952
Burmese	Burmese	>	BGN/PCGN 1970	KNAB transliteration 2003	romanization / Burmese
Buryat	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1994	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Byelorussian	Cyrillic	Est. transcr., VÕK 1976	national romanization 2007	KNAB additional symbols	national romanization 2007 / Cyrillic / BGN/PCGN romanization 1979
Chechen	Cyrillic / Roman	>	Roman alphabet 1992	=	Roman / Cyrillic
Chinese	Chinese	>	UN 1977	Unicode	romanization / Chinese
Chukchi	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1994	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Chuvash	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1995	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Coptic	Coptic	>	KNAB 2001	=	romanization / Coptic
Crimean Tatar	Roman / Cyrillic	>	Roman alphabet 1993	=	Roman / Cyrillic
Dargwa	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1993	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Dari	Perso-Arabic	>	UN 1967 (Persian)	KNAB additional symbols	romanization / Dari
Dungan	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1994 (=pinyin)	=	romanization
Dzongkha	Tibetan	>	national romanization 1997	see Tibetan transliteration	romanization / Dzongkha
Erzya	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1994	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Eskimo (in Russia)	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1994	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Even	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1994	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Evenk	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1994	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Gagauz	Roman / Cyrillic	>	KNAB 1995	=	Roman / Cyrillic
Georgian	Georgian	Est. transcr., VÕK 1976	KNAB 1993	=	KNAB romanization 1993 / Georgian/  BGN/PCGN romanization 1981
Greek	Greek	>	UN 1987	UN 1987 transliteration	romanization / Greek
--Classical Greek	Greek	>	Latin transcription	KNAB additional symbols	romanization / Greek
Gujarati	Gujarati	>	UN 1972, modif.	KNAB additional symbols	romanization / Gujarati
Hebrew	Hebrew	>	UN 2007	ISO 259:1984	romanization / Hebrew
Hindi	Devanagari	>	UN 1972	KNAB additional symbols	romanization / Devanagari
Ingush	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 2003 (= Roman alphabet 1923-1937)	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Inuktitut	Canadian aboriginal syllabics	>	national romanization (?)	=	romanization / Inuktitut syllabics
Japanese	Sino-Japanese	>	Modif. Hepburn	= + Unicode	romanization / Japanese
Kabardian-Circassian	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1993	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Kalmyk	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1994	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Kannada	Kannada	>	UN 1972, modif.	KNAB additional symbols	romanization / Kannada
Karachay-Balkar	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1995	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Kara-Kalpak	Cyrillic / Roman	>	Roman alphabet (2004?)	=	Roman / Cyrillic
Karay	Cyrillic / Roman	>	KNAB 2002	=	romanization
Kazakh	Cyrillic	Est. transcr., VÕK 1977	KNAB 1981	=	KNAB romanization 1981 / Cyrillic / BGN/PCGN romanization 1979
Khakass	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1995	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Khanty	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1994	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Khmer	Khmer	>	UN 1972	KNAB transliteration 1994, modified 2003	romanization / Khmer
Kirghiz	Cyrillic	Est. transcr., VÕK 1977	KNAB 1981	=	KNAB romanization 1981 / Cyrillic / BGN/PCGN romanization 1979
Komi	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1994	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Komi-Permyak	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1994	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Korean	Korean	>	McCune-Reischauer 1939	KNAB transliteration 1998	romanization / Korean
Koryak	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1994	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Kumyk	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1995	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Kurdish	Arabic / Roman	>	Roman alphabet in Syria and Lebanon 1931	=	Roman
Lakh	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1993	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Lao	Lao	>	BGN/PCGN 1966	KNAB Thai transliteration 2003	romanization / Lao
Lezgian	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1993	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Macedonian	Cyrillic	>	UN 1977	KNAB additional symbols	romanization / Cyrillic
Malayalam	Malayalam	>	UN 1972, modif.	KNAB additional symbols	romanization / Malayalam
Maldivian	Thaana	>	national romanization 1987	KNAB additional symbols	romanization / Thaana
Mansi	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1994	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Marathi	Devanagari	>	UN 1972, modif.	KNAB additional symbols	romanization / Devanagari
Mari	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1994	=	romanization / Cyrillic
-- Hill Mari	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1994	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Moksha	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1994	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Moldavian	Roman	>	Roman	=	Roman
Mon	Mon (Burmese)	>	KNAB 2003	KNAB Burmese transliteration 2003	romanization
Mongolian	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1993	=	KNAB romanization 1993 / Cyrillic / BGN/PCGN romanization 1964
-- Classical Mongolian	Mongolian	>	KNAB 2007 (mncl, in Mongolia); UN 1977 (mnCN, pinyin, in China)	KNAB transliteration 2007	romanization / Mongolian
Nanai	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1994	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Nenets	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1994	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Nepali	Devanagari	>	UN 1972, modif.	KNAB additional symbols	romanization / Devanagari
Nivkh	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1994	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Nogay	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1995	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Oriya	Oriya	>	UN 1972, modif.	KNAB additional symbols	romanization / Oriya
Ossetic	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1998 (= Roman alphabet 1923-1938)	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Pashto	Perso-Arabic	>	BGN/PCGN 1968	KNAB additional symbols	romanization / Pashto
Persian	Perso-Arabic	>	UN 1967	KNAB additional symbols	romanization / Persian
Punjabi	Gurmukhi	>	UN 1972, modif.	KNAB additional symbols	romanization / Punjabi
Russian	Cyrillic	Est. transcr., VÕK	UN 1987	=	UN romanization 1987 / Cyrillic / BGN/PCGN romanization 1947
Serbian	Cyrillic	>	UN 1977	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Selkup	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1994	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Shan	Shan (Burmese)	>	KNAB 2003	KNAB Burmese transliteration 2003	romanization
Sinhalese	Sinhalese	>	KNAB 1989 (=UN 1972 proposal, modif.)	KNAB additional symbols	romanization / Sinhalese
Tabassaran	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 2003	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Tajik	Cyrillic	Est. transcr., VÕK 1977	KNAB 1981	=	KNAB romanization 1981 / Cyrillic / BGN/PCGN romanization 1994
Talysh	Cyrillic / Roman	>	KNAB 1998	=	romanization
Tamil	Tamil	>	UN 1972	KNAB additional symbols	romanization / Tamil
Tatar	Cyrillic / Roman	>	Roman alphabet 2001 (simplified version)	=	Roman / Cyrillic
Telugu	Telugu	>	UN 1972, modif.	KNAB additional symbols	romanization / Telugu
Thai	Thai	>	UN 2002	ISO 11940: 1998	romanization / Thai
Tibetan	Tibetan	>	UN 1977 (pinyin)	Wylie transliteration 1959	romanization / Tibetan
Tigrinya	Ethiopic	>	BGN/PCGN 2007	=	romanization / Tigrinya
Turkmen	Roman	>	Roman alphabet 1999 (1993 modif.)	=	Roman
Tuvinian	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1995	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Udmurt	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1994	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Uighur	Perso-Arabic	>	UN 1977 (pinyin)	KNAB additional symbols	romanization / Uighur (Arabic)
Ukrainian	Cyrillic	Est. transcr., VÕK 1975	national romanization 1993	KNAB additional symbols	national romanization 1996 / Cyrillic / BGN/PCGN romanization 1965
Urdu	Perso-Arabic	>	UN 1972	KNAB additional symbols	romanization / Urdu
Uzbek	Roman / Cyrillic	>	Roman alphabet 1995	=	Roman
Yakut	Cyrillic	Est. transcr.	KNAB 1995	=	romanization / Cyrillic
Yiddish	Hebrew	>	KNAB 1998	ISO 259: 1984	romanization / Yiddish
Caucasian smaller peoples	-	-	KNAB 2003	=	(transcription)