The Romanization System
Persian
Letters of the Alphabet
Initial Medial Final Alone Romanization
(omit (see Note 1 ا ﺎ ﺎ ا
b ﺏ ﺐ ﺒ ﺑ
p ﭖ ﭗ ﭙ ﭘ
t ﺕ ﺖ ﺘ ﺗ
s ﺙ ﺚ ﺜ ﺛ
j ﺝ ﺞ ﺠ ﺟ
ch ﭺ ﭻ ﭽ ﭼ
ḥ ﺡ ﺢ ﺤ ﺣ
kh ﺥ ﺦ ﺨ ﺧ
d ﺩ ﺪ ﺪ ﺩ
z ﺫ ﺬ ﺬ ﺫ
r ﺭ ﺮ ﺮ ﺭ
z ﺯ ﺰ ﺰ ﺯ
zh ﮊ ﮋ ﮋ ﮊ
s ﺱ ﺲ ﺴ ﺳ
sh ﺵ ﺶ ﺸ ﺷ
ṣ ﺹ ﺺ ﺼ ﺻ
̤z ﺽ ﺾ ﻀ ﺿ
ṭ ﻁ ﻂ ﻄ ﻃ
ẓ ﻅ ﻆ ﻈ ﻇ
(ayn) ’ ﻉ ﻊ ﻌ ﻋ
gh ﻍ ﻎ ﻐ ﻏ
f ﻑ ﻒ ﻔ ﻓ
q ﻕ ﻖ ﻘ ﻗ
(k (see Note 2 ﻙ ﻚ ﻜ ﻛ
(g (see Note 3 ﮒ ﮓ ﮕ ﮔ
l ﻝ ﻞ ﻠ ﻟ
m ﻡ ﻢ ﻤ ﻣ
n ﻥ ﻦ ﻨ ﻧ
(v (see Note 3 ﻭ ﻮ ﻮ ﻭ
(h (see Note 4 ة ، ه ـﺔ ، ﻪ ﻬ ﻫ
(y (see Note 3 ﻯ ﻰ ﻴ ﻳ
Vowels and Diphthongs (see Note 5)
◌ َ A آ ، ◌اَ ā (see Note 6) ﻯ ◌ِ ī
◌ ُ U ﻯ ◌ َ á (see Note 7) ﻭ ◌ْ َ aw
◌ ِ I ﻭ ◌ُ ū ﻯ ْ ◌ َ ay
Notes
1. For the use of ا (alif) to support ء (hamzah) and (maddah), see rule 1(a). For the
romanization of ء and , see rules 4 and 5 respectively. For the use of ا (alif) to
represent the long vowel romanized ā, see the table of vowels and diphthongs, and rule
1(b).
2. Final and (often written ک and گ) may have the form ﻚ, without the distinguishing
upper stroke or strokes. The two letters are always distinguished in romanization.
3. For other values of و and ی, see the table of vowels and diphthongs, and rules 2, 3, and
7.
4. ة (dotted ه) when used as an alternative to ت is romanized t.
5. Vowel points are not printed on Library of Congress cards.
6. See rules 1(b) and 5.
7. See rule 3(d).
RULES OF APPLICATION
Letters Which May Be Romanized in Different Ways Depending on Their Context
1. ا (alif) is used:
(a) As a support for ء (hamzah) and (maddah). In these cases it is not
represented in romanization. See rules 4 and 5.
(b) To indicate the long vowel romanized ā. For the use of ا in tanvīn, see rule 6.
داﻧﺎ dānā
2. ﻭ is used to represent:
(a) The consonant romanized v.
ورزش varzish
دوا davā
ﺳﺮو sarv
Silent و following is retained in romanization. ﺨ ﺧﻮاﺳﺘﻦ khvāstan
ﺧﻮد khvud
(b) The long ū-vowel (and short u-vowel in some monosyllables) is romanized ū.
دور dūr
ﭼﻮن chūn
ﺗﻮ tū
(c) The diphthong romanized aw.
ﻓﺮدوﺳﯽ Firdawsī
When the diphthong precedes a consonantal و, the combination is romanized
avv. See rule 7.
و may be used as a support for ء (hamzah); in this case it is not represented in
romanization. See rule 4.
3. ی is used to represent:
(a) The consonant romanized y.
ﯾﺎر yār
ﺳﯿﺎه siyāh
ﭘﺎی pāy
(b) The long vowel romanized ī.
اﯾﺮان Īrān
ﻗﺎﻟﯽ qālī
(c) The diphthong romanized ay.
اﯾﻮان ayvān
ری ray
(d) The final long vowel romanized á.
َ ﻣﺼﻄﻔﯽ Muṣṭafá
For the use of ی (y) as a mark of izāfah ̤ , see rule 8(c).
ی in the medial forms ﯨ, ﯩ, without dots, may be used as a support for ء (hamzah);
in this case ی is not represented in romanization. See rule 4 below.
Orthographic Symbols Other than Letters and Vowel Signs
The signs listed below are frequently omitted in Persian writing and printing; their presence must
then be inferred. They are represented in romanization according to the following rules:
4. ء (hamzah)
(a) When initial, ء is not represented in romanization.
(b) When medial or final, ء is romanized ʼ (alif) except as noted in (c) and (d) below. ﻣﺆﺛﺮ muʼassir
ﺧﻠﻔﺎء khulafāʼ
ﭘﺎﺋﯿﻦ pāʼīn
(c) When used as a mark of izāfah ̤ , ء is romanized -ʼi.
astānah-ʼi dar در اﺳﺘﺎﻧﮥ
(d) When used to mark the indefinite article, ء is romanized ʼi.
ﺧﺎﻧﮥ khānahʼi
5. (maddah)
(a) Initial آ is romanized ā.
آب āb
Kullīyat al-Ādāb اﻵداب ﮐﻠﯿﺔ
(b) Medial آ, when it represents the phonetic combination ʼā, is so romanized.
ﻣﺂﺛﺮ maʼāsir
درﯾﺎآﺑﺎدی Daryāʼābādī
(c) is otherwise not represented in romanization.
ﮔﺮدآورﻧﺪه girdāvarandah
6. Tanvīn, (written ٌ◌, ◌ٍ , ً◌, ◌اً ), which occurs chiefly in Arabic words, is romanized un, in,
an, and an, respectively.
7. ◌ّ (shaddah or tashdīd) is represented by doubling the letter or digraph concerned.
ﺧﺮّم khurram
اوّل avval
ﺑﭽّﻪ bachchah
ّ ﺧﯿﺎم Khayyām
Note the exceptional case where ◌ّ is written over و and ی to represent the combination
of long vowel plus consonant.
ّ ﻧﺸﺮﯾﺎت nashrīyāt
ﻗﻮّه qūvah
Grammatical Structure as It Affects Romanization
8. Izāfah ̤ . When two words are associated in the relation known as izāfah ̤ , the first (the
muz̤āf) is followed by an additional letter or syllable in romanization. This is added
according to the following rules:
(a) When the muzāf ̤ bears no special mark of izāfah ̤ , it is followed by -i.
dar-i bāgh ﺑﺎغ در qālī-i Īrān اﯾﺮان ﻗﺎﻟﯽ
khānah-i buzurg ﺑﺰرگ ﺧﺎﻧﻪ
(b) When the muzāf ̤ is marked by the addition of ء, it is followed by -ʼi.
qālī-ʼi Īrān اﯾﺮان ﻗﺎﻟﺊ
khānah-ʼi buzurg ﺑﺰرگ ﺧﺎﻧﮥ
(c) When the muzāf ̤ is marked by the addition of ی, it is followed by -yi.
rū-yi zamīn زﻣﯿﻦ روی
درﯾ ﺎی ﺧﺰر Daryā-yi Khazar
ﺧﺎﻧﻪ ی ﺑﺰرگ khānah-yi buzurg
(d) Izāfah ̤ is represented in romanization of personal names only when expressly
identified in the Persian script.
Affixes and Compounds
9. Affixes.
(a) When the affix and the word with which it is connected grammatically are written
separately in Persian, the two are separated in romanization by a single prime
( ʹ ). See also 12(b) below.
ﺧﺎﻧﻪ ﻫﺎ khānahʹhā
ﺧﺎﻧﻪ ام khānahʹam
ﺧﺎﻧﻪ ای khānahʹī
ﻣﯽ روم mīʹravam
but mīravam ﻣﯿﺮوم
ﺑﻪ ﮔﻮ bihʹgū
ﺑﺮ رﺳﯿﻬﺎ barʹrasīhā
ﮐﺎﻇﻢ زاده Kāẓimʹzādah
but Kāẓimzādah ﮐﺎﻇﻤﺰاده
(b) The Arabic article al is separated by a hyphen, in romanization, from the word to
which it is prefixed.
dār al-muʻallimīn اﻟﻤﻌﻠﻤﯿﻦ دار
ʻAbd al-Ḥusayn اﻟﺤﺴﯿﻦ ﻋﺒﺪ
10. Compounds. When the elements of a compound (except a compound personal name)
are written separately in Persian, they are separated in romanization by a single prime
( ʹ ). See also 12(b) below.
ﻣﺮﯾﺾ ﺧﺎﻧﻪ ̤ marīzʹkhānah
but marīzkhānah ̤ ﻣﺮﯾﻀﺨﺎﻧﻪ ﺷﺎه ﻧﺎﻣﻪ Shāhʹnāmah
but Shāhnāmah ﺷﺎﻫﻨﺎﻣﻪ
Note the treatment of compound personal names:
ﻏﻼم ﻋﻠﯽ or ﻏﻼﻣﻌﻠﯽ Ghulām ʻAlī
ﺷﺎه ﺟﻬﺎن or ﺷﺎﻫﺠﻬﺎن Shāh Jahān
ﺑﻲ ﻃﺎﻟﺐ اﺑﻦ ا or اﺑﻦ اﺑﯿﻄﺎﻟﺐ Ibn Abī Ṭālib
Orthography of Persian in Romanization
11. Capitalization.
(a) Rules for the capitalization of English are followed, except that the Arabic article
al is lowercased in all positions.
(b) Diacritics are used with both capital and lowercase letters.
12. The single prime ( ʹ ) is used:
(a) To separate two letters representing two distinct consonantal sounds, when the
combination might otherwise be read as a digraph.
marzʹhā ﻣﺮزﻫﺎ
(b) To mark the use of a letter in its final form when it occurs in the middle of a word.
See also rules 9(a) and 10 above.
راه ﻫﺎ rāhʹhā
ﻗﺎ ﻢﯾ ﻣﻘﺎ ﻣﯽ Qāyimʹmaqāmī
ﺑﻪ آذﯾﻦ Bihʹāzīn
13. Foreign words in a Persian context, including Arabic words, are romanized according to
the rules for Persian. For short vowels not indicated in the script, the Persian vowels
nearest the original pronunciation of the word are supplied in romanization.
14. Dictionaries.
In romanizing Persian, the Library of Congress has found it necessary to consult
dictionaries as an appendage to the romanization tables, primarily for the purpose of
supplying vowels. For Persian, the principal dictionary consulted is:
M. Muʼīn. Farhang-i Fārsī-i mutavassit.
Arabic
Letters of the Alphabet
Initial Medial Final Alone Romanization
(omit (see Note 1 ا ﺎ ﺎ ا
b ﺏ ﺐ ﺒ ﺑ
t ﺕ ﺖ ﺘ ﺗ
th ﺙ ﺚ ﺜ ﺛ
j ﺝ ﺞ ﺠ ﺟ
ḥ ﺡ ﺢ ﺤ ﺣ
kh ﺥ ﺦ ﺨ ﺧ
d ﺩ ﺪ ﺪ ﺩ
dh ﺫ ﺬ ﺬ ﺫ
r ﺭ ﺮ ﺮ ﺭ
z ﺯ ﺰ ﺰ ﺯ
s ﺱ ﺲ ﺴ ﺳ
sh ﺵ ﺶ ﺸ ﺷ
ṣ ﺹ ﺺ ﺼ ﺻ
ḍ ﺽ ﺾ ﻀ ﺿ
ṭ ﻁ ﻂ ﻄ ﻃ
ẓ ﻅ ﻆ ﻈ ﻇ
(ayn) ’ ﻉ ﻊ ﻌ ﻋ
gh ﻍ ﻎ ﻐ ﻏ
(f (see Note 2 ﻑ ﻒ ﻔ ﻓ
(q (see Note 2 ﻕ ﻖ ﻘ ﻗ
k ﻙ ﻚ ﻜ ﻛ
l ﻝ ﻞ ﻠ ﻟ
m ﻡ ﻢ ﻤ ﻣ
n ﻥ ﻦ ﻨ ﻧ
(h (see Note 3 ة ، ه ـﺔ ، ﻪ ﻬ ﻫ
w ﻭ ﻮ ﻮ ﻭ
y ﻯ ﻰ ﻴ ﻳ
Vowels and Diphthongs
◌ َ a اَ◌ ā (see Rule 5) ﻯ ِ◌ ī
◌ ُ u ﻯ ◌ َ á (see Rule 6(a)) ﻭ َ◌ْ aw
◌ ِ i ﻭ ُ◌ ū ﻯ ْ ◌ َ ay
Letters Representing Non-Arabic Consonants
This list is not exhaustive. It should be noted that a letter in this group may have more than one
phonetic value, depending on the country or area where it is used, and that the romanization will
vary accordingly.
v ڤ ch چ g گ
v ۋ zh چ G ڴ
v ڥ zh ژ P پ
Notes
1. For the use of alif to support hamzah, see rule 2. For the romanization of hamzah by the
consonantal sign ’ (alif), see rule 8(a). For other orthographic uses of alif see rules 3-5.
2. The Maghribī variations ڢ and ڧ are romanized f and q respectively.
3. ة in a word in the construct state is romanized t. See rule 7(b).
RULES OF APPLICATION
Arabic Letters Romanized in Different Ways Depending on Their Context
1. As indicated in the table, ﻭ and may represent: ي
(a) The consonants romanized w and y, respectively.
وﺿﻊ ’waḍ
ﻋﻮض iwaḍ’
دﻟﻮ dalw
ﻳﺪ yad
ﺣﻴﻞ ḥiyal
ﻃﻬﻲ ṭahy
(b) The long vowels romanized ū, ī, and ā respectively.
اوﻟﻰ ūlá
ﺻﻮرة ṣūrah
ذو dhū
اﻳﻤﺎن īmān
ﺟﻴﻞ jīl
ﻓﻲ fī
ﻛﺘﺎب kitāb
ﺳﺤﺎب saḥāb
ﺟﻤﺎن jumān
See also rules 11(a) and 11(b)(1-2). (c) The diphthongs romanized aw and ay, respectively.
اوج awj
ﻧﻮم nawm
ﻟﻮ law
اﻳﺴﺮ aysar
ﺷﻴﺦ shaykh
ﻋﻴﻨﻰ aynay’
See also rules 11(a)(2) and 11(b)(3).
2. ا (alif), و and ى when used to support ء (hamzah) are not represented in romanization.
See rule 8(a).
3. ا (alif) when used to support waṣlah ( ٱ ) and maddah ( آ ) is not represented in
romanization. See rules 9 and 10.
4. ا (alif) and و when used as orthographic signs without phonetic significance are not
represented in romanization.
fa‘alū ﻓﻌﻠﻮا
ulā’ika اوﻻﺋﻚ
‘ilman wa-‘amalan وﻋﻤﻼ ﻋﻠﻤﺎ
See also rule 12 and examples cited in rules 23-26.
5. ا (alif) is used to represent the long vowel romanized ā, as indicated in the table.
fā‘il ﻓﺎﻋﻞ
رﺿﺎ riḍā
This alif, when medial, is sometimes omitted in Arabic; it is always indicated in
romanization. See rule 19.
6. Final ى appears in the following special cases:
(a) As ﻯ َ◌ (alif maqṣūrah) used in place of ا ◌َ to represent the long vowel romanized ā.
ّﺣﺘﻰ ḥattá
ﻣﻀَﻰ maḍá
ﻛﺒﺮَى kubrá
ﻳﺤﻴَﻰ Yaḥyá
ﻣﺴﻤّﻰ musammá
َ ﻣﺼﻄﻔ ﻰ Muṣṭafá
(b) As ◌ ّﻯ ِ in nouns and adjectives of the form fā‘īl which are derived from defective
roots. This ending is romanized ī, not īy, without regard to the presence of ◌ ّ
(shaddah). See rule 11(b)(2). Raḍī al-Dīn اﻟﺪﻳﻦ رﺿﻰ ّ
Compare the fa‘īl form of the same root اﻟﺮﺿﻰ [without shaddah] al-Raḍī.
(c) As ◌ ّﻯ ِ in the relative adjective (nisbah). The ending, like (b) above, is romanized ī,
not īy.
اﻟﻤﺼﺮ ّ ِى al-Miṣrī
Compare ﺔّﻳِاﻟﻤﺼﺮ al-Miṣrīyah and see rule 11(b)(1).
7. ة (tā’ marbūṭah)
(a) When the noun or adjective ending in ة is indefinite, or is preceded by the definite
article, ة is romanized h. The ة in such positions is often replaced by ه.
ﺻﻼة ṣalāh
al-Risālah al-bahīyah اﻟﺒﻬﻴﺔ اﻟﺮﺳﺎﻟﺔ
mir’āh ﻣﺮآة
Urjūzah fī al-ṭibb اﻟﻄﺐ ﻓﻰ ارﺟﻮزة
(b) When the word ending in ة is in the construct state, ة is romanized t.
Wizārat al-Tarbiyah اﻟﺘﺮﺑﻴﺔ وزارة
Mir’āt al-zamān اﻟﺰﻣﺎن ﻣﺮآة
(c) When the word ending in ة is used adverbially, ة (vocalized ةً ) is romanized tan.
See rule 12(b).
Romanization of Arabic Orthographic Symbols Other than Letters and Vowel Signs
The signs listed below are frequently omitted from unvocalized Arabic writing and printing; their
presence or absence must then be inferred. They are represented in romanization according to
the following rules:
8. ء (hamzah)
(a) In initial position, whether at the beginning of a word, following a prefixed preposition
or conjunction, or following the definite article, ء is not represented in romanization.
When medial or final, ء is romanized as ’ (alif).
أﺳﺪ asad
أﻧﺲ uns
إذا idha
mas’alah ﻣﺴﺄﻟﺔ
mu’tamar ﻣﺆﺗﻤﺮ
dā’im داﺋﻢ
mala’a ﻣﻸ
khaṭi’a ﺧﻄﺊ(b) ء, when replaced by the sign (waṣlah) and then known as hamzat al-waṣl, is not
represented in romanization. See rule 9 below.
9. (waṣlah), like initial ء, is not represented in romanization. See also rule 8(b) above.
When the alif which supports waṣlah belongs to the article ال, the initial vowel of the
article is romanized a. See rule 17(b). In other words, beginning with hamzat al-waṣl,
the initial vowel is romanized i.
رﺣﻠﺔ ٱ ﺑﻦ ﺟﺒﻴﺮ Riḥlat Ibn Jubayr
al-istidrāk اﻷﺳﺘﺪراك
ﻛﺘﺐ ٱ ﻗﺘﻨﺘﻬﺎ kutub iqtanatʹhā
ﭑﺑ ﻫﺘﻤﺎم ﻋﺒﺪ ٱ ﻟﻤﺠﻴﺪ bi-ihtimām ‘Abd al-Majīd
10. ˜ (maddah)
(a) Initial آ is romanized ā.
آﻟﺔ ālah
Kullīyat al-Ādāb اﻵداب ﻛﻠﻴﺔ
(b) Medial آ, when it represents the phonetic combination ’ā, is so romanized.
ta’ālīf ﺗﺂﻟﻴﻒ
ma’āthir ﻣﺂﺛﺮ
(c) ˜ is otherwise not represented in romanization.
ﺧﻠﻔﺂء ‘khulafā
11. ◌ ( ّ shaddah or tashdīd)
(a) Over و:
(1) وُ◌ّ , representing the combination of long vowel plus consonant, is romanized
ūw.
ﻋﺪ ّ ُو adūw’
ﻗُﻮّة qūwah
See also rule 1(b).
(2) وَ◌ّ , representing the combination of diphthong plus consonant, is romanized
aww.
ﺷَﻮّال Shawwāl
ﺻَﻮّر ṣawwara
ّ ﺟﻮ jaww
See also rule 1(c). (b) Over ى:
(1) Medial ّىِ◌, representing the combination of long vowel plus consonant, is
romanized īy.
اﻟﻤﺼﺮِﻳّﺔ al-Miṣrīyah
See also rule 1(b).
(2) Final ّىِ◌ is romanized ī. See rules 6(b) and 6(c).
(3) Medial and final ّىَ◌, representing the combination of diphthong plus
consonant, is romanized ayy.
ayyām
أّ ﻳﺎم َ
ﺳَﻴّﺪ sayyid
ﻗﺼ ّ َﻰ Quṣayy
See also rule 1(c).
(c) Over other letters, ◌ is represented in romanization ّ by doubling the letter or digraph
concerned.
اﻟﻐﺰّىّ al-Ghazzī
al-Kashshāf اﻟﻜﺸﺎف ّ
12. Tanwīn may take the written form ٌ◌, ً◌ (ا◌) ً , or ٍ◌, romanized un, an, and in, respectively.
Tanwīn is normally disregarded in romanization, however. It is indicated in the following
cases:
(a) When it occurs in indefinite nouns derived from defective roots.
ٍ ﻗﺎض qāḍin
ma‘nan ﻣﻌﻨﻰ ً
(b) When it indicates the adverbial use of a noun or adjective.
ﻃﺒﻌًﺎ ṭab‘an
faj’atan ﻓﺠﺄة ً
al-Mushtarik waḍ‘an وﺿﻌﴼ اﻟﻤﺸﺘﺮك
wa-al-muftariq ṣuq‘an ﺻﻘﻌﴼ واﻟﻤﻔﺘﺮق
Grammatical Structure as It Affects Romanization
13. Final inflections of verbs are retained in romanization, except in pause.
ﻣﻦ وﻟﻰ ﻣﺼﺮ man waliya Miṣr
ma‘rifat mā yajibu la-hum ﻟﻬﻢ ﻳﺠﺐ ﻣﺎ ﻣﻌﺮﻓﺔ
ṣallá Allāh ‘alayhi wa-sallam وﺳﻠﻢ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﷲ ﺻﻠﻰ
al-Lu’lu’ al-maknūn fī ḥukm ﺣﻜﻢ ﻓﻰ اﻟﻤﻜﻨﻮن اﻟﻠﺆﻟﺆ
al-akhbār ‘ammā sayakūn ﺳﻴﻜﻮن ﻋﻤﺎ اﻻﺧﺒﺎر 14. Final inflections of nouns and adjectives:
(a) Vocalic endings are not represented in romanization, except preceding pronominal
suffixes, and except when the text being romanized is in verse.
Ma‘had Mawlāya al-Ḥasan اﻟﺤﺴﻦ ﻣﻮﻻى ﻣﻌﻬﺪ
uṣūluhā al-nafsīyah wa-ṭuruq ﺗﺪرﻳﺴﻬﺎ وﻃﺮق اﻟﻨﻔﺴﻴﺔ اﺻﻮﻟﻬﺎ
tadrīsihā
اﻟﻰ ﻳﻮﻣﻨﺎ ﻫﺬا ilá yawminā hādhā
(b) Tanwīn is not represented in romanization, except as specified in rule 12.
(c) ة (tā’ marbūṭah) is romanized h or t as specified in rule 7.
(d) For the romanization of the relative adjective (nisbah) see rule 6(c).
15. Pronouns, pronominal suffixes, and demonstratives:
(a) Vocalic endings are retained in romanization.
anā wa-anta واﻧﺖ اﻧﺎ
hādhihi al-ḥāl اﻟﺤﺎل ﻫﺬه
mu’allafātuhu wa-shurūḥuhā وﺷﺮوﺣﻬﺎ ﻣﺆﻟﻔﺎﺗﻪ
(b) At the close of a phrase or sentence, the ending is romanized in its pausal form.
ḥayātuhu wa-‘aṣruh وﻋﺼﺮه ﺣﻴﺎﺗﻪ
ﺗﻮﻓﻴﻖ اﻟﺤﻜﻴﻢ، أﻓﻜﺎره، آﺛﺎره ,Tawfīq al-Ḥakīm, afkāruh
āthāruh
16. Prepositions and conjunctions:
(a) Final vowels of separable prepositions and conjunctions are retained in romanization.
ان anna
اﻧﻪ annahu
ﺑﻴﻦ ﻳﺪﻳﻪ bayna yadayhu
Note the special cases: ﻣﻤﺎ mimmā, ﻣﻤﻦ mimman.
(b) Inseparable prepositions, conjunctions, and other prefixes are connected with what
follows by a hyphen.
bi-hi ﺑﻪ
wa-ma‘ahu وﻣﻌﻪ
lā-silkī ﻻﺳﻠﻜﻰ
17. The definite article:
(a) The romanized form al is connected with the following word by a hyphen.
al-kitāb al-thānī اﻟﺜﺎﻧﻰ اﻟﻜﺘﺎب
al-ittiḥād اﻻﺗﺤﺎد
al-aṣl اﻻﺻﻞ
al-āthār اﻵﺛﺎر (b) When ال is initial in the word, and when it follows an inseparable preposition or
conjunction, it is always romanized al regardless of whether the preceding word, as
romanized, ends in a vowel or a consonant.
ilá al-ān اﻵن اﻟﻰ
Abū al-Wafā’ اﻟﻮﻓﺎء اﺑﻮ
Maktabat al-Nahḍah al-Miṣrīyah اﻟﻤﺼﺮﻳﺔ اﻟﻨﻬﻀﺔ ﻣﻜﺘﺒﺔ
bi-al-tamām wa-al-kamāl واﻟﻜﻤﺎل ﺑﺎﻟﺘﻤﺎم
Note the exceptional treatment of the preposition ل followed by the article:
lil-Shirbīnī ﻟﻠﺸﺮﺑﻴﻨﻰ
See also rule 23.
(c) The ل of the article is always romanized l, whether it is followed by a “sun letter” or
not, i.e., regardless of whether or not it is assimilated in pronunciation to the initial
consonant of the word to which it is attached.
al-ḥurūf al-abjadīyah اﻻﺑﺠﺪﻳﺔ اﻟﺤﺮوف
Abū al-Layth al-Samarqandī اﻟﺴﻤﺮﻗﻨﺪى اﻟﻠﻴﺚ اﺑﻮ
Orthography of Arabic in Romanization
18. Capitalization:
(a) Rules for the capitalization of English are followed, except that the definite article al is
given in lower case in all positions.
(b) Diacritics are used with both upper and lower case letters.
al-Ījī اﻻﻳﺠﻰ
al-Ālūsī اﻵﻟﻮﺳﻰ
19. The macron or the acute accent, as appropriate, is used to indicate all long vowels,
including those which in Arabic script are written defectively. The macron or the acute
accent, as the case may be, is retained over final long vowels which are shortened in
pronunciation before hamzat al-waṣl.
اﺑﺮاﻫﻴﻢ ، اﺑﺮﻫﻴﻢ Ibrāhīm
داؤود ، داؤد Dā’ūd
Abū al-Ḥasan اﻟﺤﺴﻦ اﺑﻮ
ru’ūs رؤس
ذﻟﻚ dhālika
‘alá al-‘ayn اﻟﻌﻴﻦ ﻋﻠﻰ
20. The hyphen is used:
(a) To connect the definite article al with the word to which it is attached. See rule 17(a).
(b) Between an inseparable prefix and what follows. See rules 16(b) and 17(b) above. (c) Between bin and the following element in personal names when they are written in
Arabic as a single word. See rule 25.
21. The prime ( ʹ ) is used:
(a) To separate two letters representing two distinct consonantal sounds, when the
combination might otherwise be read as a digraph.
Adʹham ادﻫﻢ
akramatʹhā اﻛﺮﻣﺘﻬﺎ
(b) To mark the use of a letter in its final form when it occurs in the middle of a word.
Qal‘ahʹjī ﻗﻠﻌﺔﺟﻰ
ﺷﻴﺦ زاده Shaykhʹzādah
22. As in the case of romanization from other languages, foreign words which occur in an
Arabic context and are written in Arabic letters are romanized according to the rules for
romanizing Arabic.
Jārmānūs (not Germanos nor Germanus) ﺟﺎرﻣﺎﻧﻮس
Lūrd Ghrānfīl (not Lord Granville) ﻏﺮاﻧﻔﻴﻞ ﻟﻮرد
Īsāghūjī (not Isagoge) اﻳﺴﺎﻏﻮﺟﻰ
For short vowels not indicated in the Arabic, the Arabic vowel nearest to the original
pronunciation is supplied.
Gharsiyā Khayin (not García Jaén) ﺧﻴﻦ ﻏﺮﺳﻴﺎ
Examples of Irregular Arabic Orthography
23. Note the romanization of ﷲ, alone and in combination.
ﷲ Allāh
billāh
lillāh
ﺑﺴﻢ ﷲ bismillāh
al-Mustanṣir billāh
24. Note the romanization of the following personal names:
ﻃﻪ Ṭāhā
ﻳﺲ ، ﻳﺴﻦ Yāsīn
ﻋﻤﺮو Amr’
ﺑﻬﺠﺖ ، ﺑﻬﺠﺔ Bahjat
25. اﺑﻦ and ﺑﻦ are both romanized ibn in all positions.
Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Abī al-Rabī‘ اﻟﺮﺑﻴﻊ اﺑﻰ ﺑﻦ ﻣﺤﻤﺪ ﺑﻦ اﺣﻤﺪ
ﺷﺮح اﺑﻦ ﻋﻘﻴﻞ ﻋﻠﻰ اﻟﻔﻴﺔ اﺑﻦ ﻣﺎﻟﻚ Sharḥ Ibn ‘Aqīl ‘alá Alfīyat Ibn Mālik Exception is made in the case of modern names, typically North African, in which the
element ﺑﻦ is pronounced bin.
ﺑﻦ ﺧﺪه Bin Khiddah
Bin-‘Abd Allāh ﷲ ﺑﻨﻌﺒﺪ
26. Note the anomalous spelling ﻣﺎﺋﺔ, romanized mi’ah.
Letters of the Alphabet Initial Medial Final Alone Romanization (omit (see Note 1 ا ﺎ ﺎ ا b ﺏ ﺐ ﺒ ﺑ p ﭖ ﭗ ﭙ ﭘ t ﺕ ﺖ ﺘ ﺗ s ﺙ ﺚ ﺜ ﺛ j ﺝ ﺞ ﺠ ﺟ ch ﭺ ﭻ ﭽ ﭼ ḥ ﺡ ﺢ ﺤ ﺣ kh ﺥ ﺦ ﺨ ﺧ d ﺩ ﺪ ﺪ ﺩ z ﺫ ﺬ ﺬ ﺫ r ﺭ ﺮ ﺮ ﺭ z ﺯ ﺰ ﺰ ﺯ zh ﮊ ﮋ ﮋ ﮊ s ﺱ ﺲ ﺴ ﺳ sh ﺵ ﺶ ﺸ ﺷ ṣ ﺹ ﺺ ﺼ ﺻ ̤z ﺽ ﺾ ﻀ ﺿ ṭ ﻁ ﻂ ﻄ ﻃ ẓ ﻅ ﻆ ﻈ ﻇ (ayn) ’ ﻉ ﻊ ﻌ ﻋ gh ﻍ ﻎ ﻐ ﻏ f ﻑ ﻒ ﻔ ﻓ q ﻕ ﻖ ﻘ ﻗ (k (see Note 2 ﻙ ﻚ ﻜ ﻛ (g (see Note 3 ﮒ ﮓ ﮕ ﮔ l ﻝ ﻞ ﻠ ﻟ m ﻡ ﻢ ﻤ ﻣ n ﻥ ﻦ ﻨ ﻧ (v (see Note 3 ﻭ ﻮ ﻮ ﻭ (h (see Note 4 ة ، ه ـﺔ ، ﻪ ﻬ ﻫ (y (see Note 3 ﻯ ﻰ ﻴ ﻳ Vowels and Diphthongs (see Note 5) ◌ َ A آ ، ◌اَ ā (see Note 6) ﻯ ◌ِ ī ◌ ُ U ﻯ ◌ َ á (see Note 7) ﻭ ◌ْ َ aw ◌ ِ I ﻭ ◌ُ ū ﻯ ْ ◌ َ ay Notes 1. For the use of ا (alif) to support ء (hamzah) and (maddah), see rule 1(a). For the romanization of ء and , see rules 4 and 5 respectively. For the use of ا (alif) to represent the long vowel romanized ā, see the table of vowels and diphthongs, and rule 1(b). 2. Final and (often written ک and گ) may have the form ﻚ, without the distinguishing upper stroke or strokes. The two letters are always distinguished in romanization. 3. For other values of و and ی, see the table of vowels and diphthongs, and rules 2, 3, and 7. 4. ة (dotted ه) when used as an alternative to ت is romanized t. 5. Vowel points are not printed on Library of Congress cards. 6. See rules 1(b) and 5. 7. See rule 3(d). RULES OF APPLICATION Letters Which May Be Romanized in Different Ways Depending on Their Context 1. ا (alif) is used: (a) As a support for ء (hamzah) and (maddah). In these cases it is not represented in romanization. See rules 4 and 5. (b) To indicate the long vowel romanized ā. For the use of ا in tanvīn, see rule 6. داﻧﺎ dānā 2. ﻭ is used to represent: (a) The consonant romanized v. ورزش varzish دوا davā ﺳﺮو sarv Silent و following is retained in romanization. ﺨ ﺧﻮاﺳﺘﻦ khvāstan ﺧﻮد khvud (b) The long ū-vowel (and short u-vowel in some monosyllables) is romanized ū. دور dūr ﭼﻮن chūn ﺗﻮ tū (c) The diphthong romanized aw. ﻓﺮدوﺳﯽ Firdawsī When the diphthong precedes a consonantal و, the combination is romanized avv. See rule 7. و may be used as a support for ء (hamzah); in this case it is not represented in romanization. See rule 4. 3. ی is used to represent: (a) The consonant romanized y. ﯾﺎر yār ﺳﯿﺎه siyāh ﭘﺎی pāy (b) The long vowel romanized ī. اﯾﺮان Īrān ﻗﺎﻟﯽ qālī (c) The diphthong romanized ay. اﯾﻮان ayvān ری ray (d) The final long vowel romanized á. َ ﻣﺼﻄﻔﯽ Muṣṭafá For the use of ی (y) as a mark of izāfah ̤ , see rule 8(c). ی in the medial forms ﯨ, ﯩ, without dots, may be used as a support for ء (hamzah); in this case ی is not represented in romanization. See rule 4 below. Orthographic Symbols Other than Letters and Vowel Signs The signs listed below are frequently omitted in Persian writing and printing; their presence must then be inferred. They are represented in romanization according to the following rules: 4. ء (hamzah) (a) When initial, ء is not represented in romanization. (b) When medial or final, ء is romanized ʼ (alif) except as noted in (c) and (d) below. ﻣﺆﺛﺮ muʼassir ﺧﻠﻔﺎء khulafāʼ ﭘﺎﺋﯿﻦ pāʼīn (c) When used as a mark of izāfah ̤ , ء is romanized -ʼi. astānah-ʼi dar در اﺳﺘﺎﻧﮥ (d) When used to mark the indefinite article, ء is romanized ʼi. ﺧﺎﻧﮥ khānahʼi 5. (maddah) (a) Initial آ is romanized ā. آب āb Kullīyat al-Ādāb اﻵداب ﮐﻠﯿﺔ (b) Medial آ, when it represents the phonetic combination ʼā, is so romanized. ﻣﺂﺛﺮ maʼāsir درﯾﺎآﺑﺎدی Daryāʼābādī (c) is otherwise not represented in romanization. ﮔﺮدآورﻧﺪه girdāvarandah 6. Tanvīn, (written ٌ◌, ◌ٍ , ً◌, ◌اً ), which occurs chiefly in Arabic words, is romanized un, in, an, and an, respectively. 7. ◌ّ (shaddah or tashdīd) is represented by doubling the letter or digraph concerned. ﺧﺮّم khurram اوّل avval ﺑﭽّﻪ bachchah ّ ﺧﯿﺎم Khayyām Note the exceptional case where ◌ّ is written over و and ی to represent the combination of long vowel plus consonant. ّ ﻧﺸﺮﯾﺎت nashrīyāt ﻗﻮّه qūvah Grammatical Structure as It Affects Romanization 8. Izāfah ̤ . When two words are associated in the relation known as izāfah ̤ , the first (the muz̤āf) is followed by an additional letter or syllable in romanization. This is added according to the following rules: (a) When the muzāf ̤ bears no special mark of izāfah ̤ , it is followed by -i. dar-i bāgh ﺑﺎغ در qālī-i Īrān اﯾﺮان ﻗﺎﻟﯽ khānah-i buzurg ﺑﺰرگ ﺧﺎﻧﻪ (b) When the muzāf ̤ is marked by the addition of ء, it is followed by -ʼi. qālī-ʼi Īrān اﯾﺮان ﻗﺎﻟﺊ khānah-ʼi buzurg ﺑﺰرگ ﺧﺎﻧﮥ (c) When the muzāf ̤ is marked by the addition of ی, it is followed by -yi. rū-yi zamīn زﻣﯿﻦ روی درﯾ ﺎی ﺧﺰر Daryā-yi Khazar ﺧﺎﻧﻪ ی ﺑﺰرگ khānah-yi buzurg (d) Izāfah ̤ is represented in romanization of personal names only when expressly identified in the Persian script. Affixes and Compounds 9. Affixes. (a) When the affix and the word with which it is connected grammatically are written separately in Persian, the two are separated in romanization by a single prime ( ʹ ). See also 12(b) below. ﺧﺎﻧﻪ ﻫﺎ khānahʹhā ﺧﺎﻧﻪ ام khānahʹam ﺧﺎﻧﻪ ای khānahʹī ﻣﯽ روم mīʹravam but mīravam ﻣﯿﺮوم ﺑﻪ ﮔﻮ bihʹgū ﺑﺮ رﺳﯿﻬﺎ barʹrasīhā ﮐﺎﻇﻢ زاده Kāẓimʹzādah but Kāẓimzādah ﮐﺎﻇﻤﺰاده (b) The Arabic article al is separated by a hyphen, in romanization, from the word to which it is prefixed. dār al-muʻallimīn اﻟﻤﻌﻠﻤﯿﻦ دار ʻAbd al-Ḥusayn اﻟﺤﺴﯿﻦ ﻋﺒﺪ 10. Compounds. When the elements of a compound (except a compound personal name) are written separately in Persian, they are separated in romanization by a single prime ( ʹ ). See also 12(b) below. ﻣﺮﯾﺾ ﺧﺎﻧﻪ ̤ marīzʹkhānah but marīzkhānah ̤ ﻣﺮﯾﻀﺨﺎﻧﻪ ﺷﺎه ﻧﺎﻣﻪ Shāhʹnāmah but Shāhnāmah ﺷﺎﻫﻨﺎﻣﻪ Note the treatment of compound personal names: ﻏﻼم ﻋﻠﯽ or ﻏﻼﻣﻌﻠﯽ Ghulām ʻAlī ﺷﺎه ﺟﻬﺎن or ﺷﺎﻫﺠﻬﺎن Shāh Jahān ﺑﻲ ﻃﺎﻟﺐ اﺑﻦ ا or اﺑﻦ اﺑﯿﻄﺎﻟﺐ Ibn Abī Ṭālib Orthography of Persian in Romanization 11. Capitalization. (a) Rules for the capitalization of English are followed, except that the Arabic article al is lowercased in all positions. (b) Diacritics are used with both capital and lowercase letters. 12. The single prime ( ʹ ) is used: (a) To separate two letters representing two distinct consonantal sounds, when the combination might otherwise be read as a digraph. marzʹhā ﻣﺮزﻫﺎ (b) To mark the use of a letter in its final form when it occurs in the middle of a word. See also rules 9(a) and 10 above. راه ﻫﺎ rāhʹhā ﻗﺎ ﻢﯾ ﻣﻘﺎ ﻣﯽ Qāyimʹmaqāmī ﺑﻪ آذﯾﻦ Bihʹāzīn 13. Foreign words in a Persian context, including Arabic words, are romanized according to the rules for Persian. For short vowels not indicated in the script, the Persian vowels nearest the original pronunciation of the word are supplied in romanization. 14. Dictionaries. In romanizing Persian, the Library of Congress has found it necessary to consult dictionaries as an appendage to the romanization tables, primarily for the purpose of supplying vowels. For Persian, the principal dictionary consulted is: M. Muʼīn. Farhang-i Fārsī-i mutavassit. Arabic Letters of the Alphabet Initial Medial Final Alone Romanization (omit (see Note 1 ا ﺎ ﺎ ا b ﺏ ﺐ ﺒ ﺑ t ﺕ ﺖ ﺘ ﺗ th ﺙ ﺚ ﺜ ﺛ j ﺝ ﺞ ﺠ ﺟ ḥ ﺡ ﺢ ﺤ ﺣ kh ﺥ ﺦ ﺨ ﺧ d ﺩ ﺪ ﺪ ﺩ dh ﺫ ﺬ ﺬ ﺫ r ﺭ ﺮ ﺮ ﺭ z ﺯ ﺰ ﺰ ﺯ s ﺱ ﺲ ﺴ ﺳ sh ﺵ ﺶ ﺸ ﺷ ṣ ﺹ ﺺ ﺼ ﺻ ḍ ﺽ ﺾ ﻀ ﺿ ṭ ﻁ ﻂ ﻄ ﻃ ẓ ﻅ ﻆ ﻈ ﻇ (ayn) ’ ﻉ ﻊ ﻌ ﻋ gh ﻍ ﻎ ﻐ ﻏ (f (see Note 2 ﻑ ﻒ ﻔ ﻓ (q (see Note 2 ﻕ ﻖ ﻘ ﻗ k ﻙ ﻚ ﻜ ﻛ l ﻝ ﻞ ﻠ ﻟ m ﻡ ﻢ ﻤ ﻣ n ﻥ ﻦ ﻨ ﻧ (h (see Note 3 ة ، ه ـﺔ ، ﻪ ﻬ ﻫ w ﻭ ﻮ ﻮ ﻭ y ﻯ ﻰ ﻴ ﻳ Vowels and Diphthongs ◌ َ a اَ◌ ā (see Rule 5) ﻯ ِ◌ ī ◌ ُ u ﻯ ◌ َ á (see Rule 6(a)) ﻭ َ◌ْ aw ◌ ِ i ﻭ ُ◌ ū ﻯ ْ ◌ َ ay Letters Representing Non-Arabic Consonants This list is not exhaustive. It should be noted that a letter in this group may have more than one phonetic value, depending on the country or area where it is used, and that the romanization will vary accordingly. v ڤ ch چ g گ v ۋ zh چ G ڴ v ڥ zh ژ P پ Notes 1. For the use of alif to support hamzah, see rule 2. For the romanization of hamzah by the consonantal sign ’ (alif), see rule 8(a). For other orthographic uses of alif see rules 3-5. 2. The Maghribī variations ڢ and ڧ are romanized f and q respectively. 3. ة in a word in the construct state is romanized t. See rule 7(b). RULES OF APPLICATION Arabic Letters Romanized in Different Ways Depending on Their Context 1. As indicated in the table, ﻭ and may represent: ي (a) The consonants romanized w and y, respectively. وﺿﻊ ’waḍ ﻋﻮض iwaḍ’ دﻟﻮ dalw ﻳﺪ yad ﺣﻴﻞ ḥiyal ﻃﻬﻲ ṭahy (b) The long vowels romanized ū, ī, and ā respectively. اوﻟﻰ ūlá ﺻﻮرة ṣūrah ذو dhū اﻳﻤﺎن īmān ﺟﻴﻞ jīl ﻓﻲ fī ﻛﺘﺎب kitāb ﺳﺤﺎب saḥāb ﺟﻤﺎن jumān See also rules 11(a) and 11(b)(1-2). (c) The diphthongs romanized aw and ay, respectively. اوج awj ﻧﻮم nawm ﻟﻮ law اﻳﺴﺮ aysar ﺷﻴﺦ shaykh ﻋﻴﻨﻰ aynay’ See also rules 11(a)(2) and 11(b)(3). 2. ا (alif), و and ى when used to support ء (hamzah) are not represented in romanization. See rule 8(a). 3. ا (alif) when used to support waṣlah ( ٱ ) and maddah ( آ ) is not represented in romanization. See rules 9 and 10. 4. ا (alif) and و when used as orthographic signs without phonetic significance are not represented in romanization. fa‘alū ﻓﻌﻠﻮا ulā’ika اوﻻﺋﻚ ‘ilman wa-‘amalan وﻋﻤﻼ ﻋﻠﻤﺎ See also rule 12 and examples cited in rules 23-26. 5. ا (alif) is used to represent the long vowel romanized ā, as indicated in the table. fā‘il ﻓﺎﻋﻞ رﺿﺎ riḍā This alif, when medial, is sometimes omitted in Arabic; it is always indicated in romanization. See rule 19. 6. Final ى appears in the following special cases: (a) As ﻯ َ◌ (alif maqṣūrah) used in place of ا ◌َ to represent the long vowel romanized ā. ّﺣﺘﻰ ḥattá ﻣﻀَﻰ maḍá ﻛﺒﺮَى kubrá ﻳﺤﻴَﻰ Yaḥyá ﻣﺴﻤّﻰ musammá َ ﻣﺼﻄﻔ ﻰ Muṣṭafá (b) As ◌ ّﻯ ِ in nouns and adjectives of the form fā‘īl which are derived from defective roots. This ending is romanized ī, not īy, without regard to the presence of ◌ ّ (shaddah). See rule 11(b)(2). Raḍī al-Dīn اﻟﺪﻳﻦ رﺿﻰ ّ Compare the fa‘īl form of the same root اﻟﺮﺿﻰ [without shaddah] al-Raḍī. (c) As ◌ ّﻯ ِ in the relative adjective (nisbah). The ending, like (b) above, is romanized ī, not īy. اﻟﻤﺼﺮ ّ ِى al-Miṣrī Compare ﺔّﻳِاﻟﻤﺼﺮ al-Miṣrīyah and see rule 11(b)(1). 7. ة (tā’ marbūṭah) (a) When the noun or adjective ending in ة is indefinite, or is preceded by the definite article, ة is romanized h. The ة in such positions is often replaced by ه. ﺻﻼة ṣalāh al-Risālah al-bahīyah اﻟﺒﻬﻴﺔ اﻟﺮﺳﺎﻟﺔ mir’āh ﻣﺮآة Urjūzah fī al-ṭibb اﻟﻄﺐ ﻓﻰ ارﺟﻮزة (b) When the word ending in ة is in the construct state, ة is romanized t. Wizārat al-Tarbiyah اﻟﺘﺮﺑﻴﺔ وزارة Mir’āt al-zamān اﻟﺰﻣﺎن ﻣﺮآة (c) When the word ending in ة is used adverbially, ة (vocalized ةً ) is romanized tan. See rule 12(b). Romanization of Arabic Orthographic Symbols Other than Letters and Vowel Signs The signs listed below are frequently omitted from unvocalized Arabic writing and printing; their presence or absence must then be inferred. They are represented in romanization according to the following rules: 8. ء (hamzah) (a) In initial position, whether at the beginning of a word, following a prefixed preposition or conjunction, or following the definite article, ء is not represented in romanization. When medial or final, ء is romanized as ’ (alif). أﺳﺪ asad أﻧﺲ uns إذا idha mas’alah ﻣﺴﺄﻟﺔ mu’tamar ﻣﺆﺗﻤﺮ dā’im داﺋﻢ mala’a ﻣﻸ khaṭi’a ﺧﻄﺊ(b) ء, when replaced by the sign (waṣlah) and then known as hamzat al-waṣl, is not represented in romanization. See rule 9 below. 9. (waṣlah), like initial ء, is not represented in romanization. See also rule 8(b) above. When the alif which supports waṣlah belongs to the article ال, the initial vowel of the article is romanized a. See rule 17(b). In other words, beginning with hamzat al-waṣl, the initial vowel is romanized i. رﺣﻠﺔ ٱ ﺑﻦ ﺟﺒﻴﺮ Riḥlat Ibn Jubayr al-istidrāk اﻷﺳﺘﺪراك ﻛﺘﺐ ٱ ﻗﺘﻨﺘﻬﺎ kutub iqtanatʹhā ﭑﺑ ﻫﺘﻤﺎم ﻋﺒﺪ ٱ ﻟﻤﺠﻴﺪ bi-ihtimām ‘Abd al-Majīd 10. ˜ (maddah) (a) Initial آ is romanized ā. آﻟﺔ ālah Kullīyat al-Ādāb اﻵداب ﻛﻠﻴﺔ (b) Medial آ, when it represents the phonetic combination ’ā, is so romanized. ta’ālīf ﺗﺂﻟﻴﻒ ma’āthir ﻣﺂﺛﺮ (c) ˜ is otherwise not represented in romanization. ﺧﻠﻔﺂء ‘khulafā 11. ◌ ( ّ shaddah or tashdīd) (a) Over و: (1) وُ◌ّ , representing the combination of long vowel plus consonant, is romanized ūw. ﻋﺪ ّ ُو adūw’ ﻗُﻮّة qūwah See also rule 1(b). (2) وَ◌ّ , representing the combination of diphthong plus consonant, is romanized aww. ﺷَﻮّال Shawwāl ﺻَﻮّر ṣawwara ّ ﺟﻮ jaww See also rule 1(c). (b) Over ى: (1) Medial ّىِ◌, representing the combination of long vowel plus consonant, is romanized īy. اﻟﻤﺼﺮِﻳّﺔ al-Miṣrīyah See also rule 1(b). (2) Final ّىِ◌ is romanized ī. See rules 6(b) and 6(c). (3) Medial and final ّىَ◌, representing the combination of diphthong plus consonant, is romanized ayy. ayyām أّ ﻳﺎم َ ﺳَﻴّﺪ sayyid ﻗﺼ ّ َﻰ Quṣayy See also rule 1(c). (c) Over other letters, ◌ is represented in romanization ّ by doubling the letter or digraph concerned. اﻟﻐﺰّىّ al-Ghazzī al-Kashshāf اﻟﻜﺸﺎف ّ 12. Tanwīn may take the written form ٌ◌, ً◌ (ا◌) ً , or ٍ◌, romanized un, an, and in, respectively. Tanwīn is normally disregarded in romanization, however. It is indicated in the following cases: (a) When it occurs in indefinite nouns derived from defective roots. ٍ ﻗﺎض qāḍin ma‘nan ﻣﻌﻨﻰ ً (b) When it indicates the adverbial use of a noun or adjective. ﻃﺒﻌًﺎ ṭab‘an faj’atan ﻓﺠﺄة ً al-Mushtarik waḍ‘an وﺿﻌﴼ اﻟﻤﺸﺘﺮك wa-al-muftariq ṣuq‘an ﺻﻘﻌﴼ واﻟﻤﻔﺘﺮق Grammatical Structure as It Affects Romanization 13. Final inflections of verbs are retained in romanization, except in pause. ﻣﻦ وﻟﻰ ﻣﺼﺮ man waliya Miṣr ma‘rifat mā yajibu la-hum ﻟﻬﻢ ﻳﺠﺐ ﻣﺎ ﻣﻌﺮﻓﺔ ṣallá Allāh ‘alayhi wa-sallam وﺳﻠﻢ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﷲ ﺻﻠﻰ al-Lu’lu’ al-maknūn fī ḥukm ﺣﻜﻢ ﻓﻰ اﻟﻤﻜﻨﻮن اﻟﻠﺆﻟﺆ al-akhbār ‘ammā sayakūn ﺳﻴﻜﻮن ﻋﻤﺎ اﻻﺧﺒﺎر 14. Final inflections of nouns and adjectives: (a) Vocalic endings are not represented in romanization, except preceding pronominal suffixes, and except when the text being romanized is in verse. Ma‘had Mawlāya al-Ḥasan اﻟﺤﺴﻦ ﻣﻮﻻى ﻣﻌﻬﺪ uṣūluhā al-nafsīyah wa-ṭuruq ﺗﺪرﻳﺴﻬﺎ وﻃﺮق اﻟﻨﻔﺴﻴﺔ اﺻﻮﻟﻬﺎ tadrīsihā اﻟﻰ ﻳﻮﻣﻨﺎ ﻫﺬا ilá yawminā hādhā (b) Tanwīn is not represented in romanization, except as specified in rule 12. (c) ة (tā’ marbūṭah) is romanized h or t as specified in rule 7. (d) For the romanization of the relative adjective (nisbah) see rule 6(c). 15. Pronouns, pronominal suffixes, and demonstratives: (a) Vocalic endings are retained in romanization. anā wa-anta واﻧﺖ اﻧﺎ hādhihi al-ḥāl اﻟﺤﺎل ﻫﺬه mu’allafātuhu wa-shurūḥuhā وﺷﺮوﺣﻬﺎ ﻣﺆﻟﻔﺎﺗﻪ (b) At the close of a phrase or sentence, the ending is romanized in its pausal form. ḥayātuhu wa-‘aṣruh وﻋﺼﺮه ﺣﻴﺎﺗﻪ ﺗﻮﻓﻴﻖ اﻟﺤﻜﻴﻢ، أﻓﻜﺎره، آﺛﺎره ,Tawfīq al-Ḥakīm, afkāruh āthāruh 16. Prepositions and conjunctions: (a) Final vowels of separable prepositions and conjunctions are retained in romanization. ان anna اﻧﻪ annahu ﺑﻴﻦ ﻳﺪﻳﻪ bayna yadayhu Note the special cases: ﻣﻤﺎ mimmā, ﻣﻤﻦ mimman. (b) Inseparable prepositions, conjunctions, and other prefixes are connected with what follows by a hyphen. bi-hi ﺑﻪ wa-ma‘ahu وﻣﻌﻪ lā-silkī ﻻﺳﻠﻜﻰ 17. The definite article: (a) The romanized form al is connected with the following word by a hyphen. al-kitāb al-thānī اﻟﺜﺎﻧﻰ اﻟﻜﺘﺎب al-ittiḥād اﻻﺗﺤﺎد al-aṣl اﻻﺻﻞ al-āthār اﻵﺛﺎر (b) When ال is initial in the word, and when it follows an inseparable preposition or conjunction, it is always romanized al regardless of whether the preceding word, as romanized, ends in a vowel or a consonant. ilá al-ān اﻵن اﻟﻰ Abū al-Wafā’ اﻟﻮﻓﺎء اﺑﻮ Maktabat al-Nahḍah al-Miṣrīyah اﻟﻤﺼﺮﻳﺔ اﻟﻨﻬﻀﺔ ﻣﻜﺘﺒﺔ bi-al-tamām wa-al-kamāl واﻟﻜﻤﺎل ﺑﺎﻟﺘﻤﺎم Note the exceptional treatment of the preposition ل followed by the article: lil-Shirbīnī ﻟﻠﺸﺮﺑﻴﻨﻰ See also rule 23. (c) The ل of the article is always romanized l, whether it is followed by a “sun letter” or not, i.e., regardless of whether or not it is assimilated in pronunciation to the initial consonant of the word to which it is attached. al-ḥurūf al-abjadīyah اﻻﺑﺠﺪﻳﺔ اﻟﺤﺮوف Abū al-Layth al-Samarqandī اﻟﺴﻤﺮﻗﻨﺪى اﻟﻠﻴﺚ اﺑﻮ Orthography of Arabic in Romanization 18. Capitalization: (a) Rules for the capitalization of English are followed, except that the definite article al is given in lower case in all positions. (b) Diacritics are used with both upper and lower case letters. al-Ījī اﻻﻳﺠﻰ al-Ālūsī اﻵﻟﻮﺳﻰ 19. The macron or the acute accent, as appropriate, is used to indicate all long vowels, including those which in Arabic script are written defectively. The macron or the acute accent, as the case may be, is retained over final long vowels which are shortened in pronunciation before hamzat al-waṣl. اﺑﺮاﻫﻴﻢ ، اﺑﺮﻫﻴﻢ Ibrāhīm داؤود ، داؤد Dā’ūd Abū al-Ḥasan اﻟﺤﺴﻦ اﺑﻮ ru’ūs رؤس ذﻟﻚ dhālika ‘alá al-‘ayn اﻟﻌﻴﻦ ﻋﻠﻰ 20. The hyphen is used: (a) To connect the definite article al with the word to which it is attached. See rule 17(a). (b) Between an inseparable prefix and what follows. See rules 16(b) and 17(b) above. (c) Between bin and the following element in personal names when they are written in Arabic as a single word. See rule 25. 21. The prime ( ʹ ) is used: (a) To separate two letters representing two distinct consonantal sounds, when the combination might otherwise be read as a digraph. Adʹham ادﻫﻢ akramatʹhā اﻛﺮﻣﺘﻬﺎ (b) To mark the use of a letter in its final form when it occurs in the middle of a word. Qal‘ahʹjī ﻗﻠﻌﺔﺟﻰ ﺷﻴﺦ زاده Shaykhʹzādah 22. As in the case of romanization from other languages, foreign words which occur in an Arabic context and are written in Arabic letters are romanized according to the rules for romanizing Arabic. Jārmānūs (not Germanos nor Germanus) ﺟﺎرﻣﺎﻧﻮس Lūrd Ghrānfīl (not Lord Granville) ﻏﺮاﻧﻔﻴﻞ ﻟﻮرد Īsāghūjī (not Isagoge) اﻳﺴﺎﻏﻮﺟﻰ For short vowels not indicated in the Arabic, the Arabic vowel nearest to the original pronunciation is supplied. Gharsiyā Khayin (not García Jaén) ﺧﻴﻦ ﻏﺮﺳﻴﺎ Examples of Irregular Arabic Orthography 23. Note the romanization of ﷲ, alone and in combination. ﷲ Allāh billāh lillāh ﺑﺴﻢ ﷲ bismillāh al-Mustanṣir billāh 24. Note the romanization of the following personal names: ﻃﻪ Ṭāhā ﻳﺲ ، ﻳﺴﻦ Yāsīn ﻋﻤﺮو Amr’ ﺑﻬﺠﺖ ، ﺑﻬﺠﺔ Bahjat 25. اﺑﻦ and ﺑﻦ are both romanized ibn in all positions. Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Abī al-Rabī‘ اﻟﺮﺑﻴﻊ اﺑﻰ ﺑﻦ ﻣﺤﻤﺪ ﺑﻦ اﺣﻤﺪ ﺷﺮح اﺑﻦ ﻋﻘﻴﻞ ﻋﻠﻰ اﻟﻔﻴﺔ اﺑﻦ ﻣﺎﻟﻚ Sharḥ Ibn ‘Aqīl ‘alá Alfīyat Ibn Mālik Exception is made in the case of modern names, typically North African, in which the element ﺑﻦ is pronounced bin. ﺑﻦ ﺧﺪه Bin Khiddah Bin-‘Abd Allāh ﷲ ﺑﻨﻌﺒﺪ 26. Note the anomalous spelling ﻣﺎﺋﺔ, romanized mi’ah.
