Persian romanization table

by The Library of Congress

Persian

Letters of the Alphabet

Initial	Medial	Final	Alone	Romanization
ا	ـا	ـا	ا	omit (see Note 1)
بـ	ـبـ	ـب	ب	b
پـ	ـپـ	ـپ	پ	p
تـ	ـتـ	ـت	ت	t
ثـ	ـثـ	ـث	ث	s̱
جـ	ـجـ	ـج	ج	j
چـ	ـچـ	ـچ	چ	ch
حـ	ـحـ	ـح	ح	ḥ
خـ	ـخـ	ـخ	خ	kh
د	ـد	ـد	د	d
ذ	ـذ	ـذ	ذ	ẕ
ر	ـر	ـر	ر	r
ز	ـز	ـز	ز	z
ژ	ـژ	ـژ	ژ	zh
سـ	ـسـ	ـس	س	s
شـ	ـشـ	ـش	ش	sh
صـ	ـصـ	ـص	ص	ṣ
ضـ	ـضـ	ـض	ض	̤z
طـ	ـطـ	ـط	ط	ṭ
ظـ	ـظـ	ـظ	ظ	ẓ
عـ	ـعـ	ـع	ع	ʿ (ayn)
غـ	ـغـ	ـغ	غ	gh
فـ	ـفـ	ـف	ف	f
قـ	ـقـ	ـق	ق	q
کـ	ـکـ	ـک	ک	k (see Note 2)
گـ	ـگـ	ـگ	گ	g (see Note 3)
لـ	ـلـ	ـل	ل	l
مـ	ـمـ	ـم	م	m
نـ	ـنـ	ـن	ن	n
و	ـو	ـو	و	v (see Note 3)
هـ	ـهـ	ـة،ـه	ة،ه	h (see Note 4)
یـ	ـیـ	ـی	ی	y (see Note 3)

Vowels and Diphthongs (see Note 5)

◌َ	a	ا◌َ،آ	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 ک and گ (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.

dānā

دانا

‬2.

و is used to represent:

(a)

The consonant romanized v.

	varzish	ورزش
	davā	دوا
	sarv	سرو

Silent و following خ is retained in romanization.

	khvāstan	خواستن
	khvud	خود

(b)

The long ū-vowel (and short u-vowel in some monosyllables) is romanized ū.

	dūr	دور
	chūn	چون
	tū	تو

(c)

The diphthong romanized aw.

Firdawsī

فردوسی

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.

	yār	یار
	siyāh	سیاه
	pāy	پای

(b)

The long vowel romanized ī.

	Īrān	ایران
	qālī	قالی

(c)

The diphthong romanized ay.

	ayvān	ایوان
	ray	ری

(d)

The final long vowel romanized á.

Muṣṭafá

مصطفیَ

For the use of ی (y) as a mark of iz̤āfah, see rule 8(c).

ی in the medial forms یـ, ـیـ, 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.

	muʼassir	مؤثر
	khulafāʼ	خلفاء
	pāʼīn	پائین

(c)

When used as a mark of iz̤āfah, ء is romanized -ʼi.

āstānah-ʼi dar

آستانۀ در

(d)

When used to mark the indefinite article, ء is romanized ʼi.

khānahʼi

خانۀ

5.

ٓ (maddah)

(a)

Initial آ is romanized ā.

	āb	آب
	Kullīyat al-Ādāb	کلیة الآداب

(b)

Medial آ, when it represents the phonetic combination ʼā, is so romanized.

	maʼāsir	مآثر
	Daryāʼābādī	دریاآبادی

(c)

ٓ is otherwise not represented in romanization.

girdāvarandah

گردآورنده

6.

Tanvīn, written ٌ◌, ٍ◌, ً◌, ً◌), 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.

	khurram	خرّم
	avval	اوّل
	bachchah	بچّه
	Khayyām	خیّام

Note the exceptional case where ّ◌ is written over و and ی to represent the combination of long vowel plus consonant.

	nashrīyāt	نشریّات
	qūvah	قوّه

Grammatical Structure as It Affects Romanization

8.

Iz̤āfah. When two words are associated in the relation known as iz̤āfah, 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 muz̤āf bears no special mark of iz̤āfah, it is followed by -i.

	dar-i bāgh	در باغ
	qālī-i Īrān	قالی ایران
	khānah-i buzurg	خانه بزرگ

(b)

When the muz̤āf is marked by the addition of ء, it is followed by -ʼi.

	qālī-ʼi Īrān	قالئ ایران
	khānah-ʼi buzurg	خانۀ بزرگ

(c)

When the muz̤āf is marked by the addition of ی, it is followed by -yi.

	rū-yi zamīn	روی زمین
	Daryā-yi Khazar	دریای خزر
	khānah-yi buzurg	ی بزرگ​خانه

(d)

Iz̤āfah 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.

	khānahʹhā	خانه ها
	khānahʹam	خانه ام
	khānahʹī	خانه ای
	mīʹravam	ی روم
but	mīravam	میروم
	bihʹgū	به گو
	barʹrasīhā	بر رسیها
	Kāẓimʹzādah	کاظم زاده
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	دار المعلمین
	ʻAbd al-Ḥusayn	عبد الحسین

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.

	marīz̤ʹkhānah	مریض خانه
but	marīz̤khānah	مریضخانه
	Shāhʹnāmah	شاه نامه
but	Shāhnāmah	شاهنامه

Note the treatment of compound personal names:

	Ghulām ʻAlī	غلامعلی or غلام علی
	Shāh Jahān	شاهجهان or شاه جهان
	Ibn Abī Ṭālib	ابن ابیطالب or ابن ابي طالب

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.

	rāhʹhā	راه ها
	Qāyimʹmaqāmī	قا می مقا می
	Bihʹāzīn	به آذین

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.