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, January 2003
The United Nations recommended system was approved in 1972 (II/11) and amended in 1977 (III/12), based on a report prepared by D. N. Sharma. The tables and their corrections were published in volume II of the conference reports (Second United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names. London, 10-31 May 1972. Vol. II. Technical papers. United Nations. New York 1974, pp. 143-144; Third United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names. Athens, 17 August - 7 September 1977. Vol. II, Technical papers, pp. 393 etc.).
There is no evidence of the use of the system either in India or in international cartographic products.
Oriya uses an alphasyllabic script whereby each character represents a syllable rather than one sound. Vowels and diphthongs are marked in two ways: as independent characters (used syllable-initially) and in an abbreviated form, to denote vowels after consonants. The romanization table is unambiguous. The system is mostly reversible but there may exist some ambiguities in the romanization of vowels (independent vs. abbreviated characters) and consonants (combinations with subscript consonants vs. character sequences).
In the romanization system below the table of subscript and adscript consonants and the list of ligatures has been added.
I. Independent vowel characters
1 | ଅ | a |
2 | ଆ | ā |
3 | ଇ | i |
4 | ଈ | ī |
5 | ଉ | u |
6 | ଊ | ū |
7 | ଋ | ṛA |
8 | ଏ | e |
9 | ଐ | ai |
10 | ଓ | oB |
11 | ଔ | au |
II. Abbreviated vowel characters (କ stands for any consonant character)
1 | କ | a |
2 | କା | ā |
3 | କି | iA |
4 | କୀ | ī |
5 | କୁ | u |
6 | କୂ | ū |
7 | କୃ | ṛ |
8 | କେ | e |
9 | କୈ (କୖ) | ai |
10 | କୋ | o |
11 | କୌ (କୗ) | au |
III. Other symbols (କ stands for any consonant character)
1 | କଂ | ṁ |
2 | କଁ | m̐ |
3 | କଃ | ḥ |
4 | କ୍ | (A) |
IV. Consonant characters
1 | କ | ka |
2 | ଖ | kha |
3 | ଗ | ga |
4 | ଘ | gha |
5 | ଙ | ṅa |
6 | ଚ | cha |
7 | ଛ | chha |
8 | ଜ | ja |
9 | ଝ | jha |
10 | ଞ | ña |
11 | ଟ | ṭa |
12 | ଠ | ṭha |
13 | ଡ | ḍaA |
14 | ଢ | ḍhaA |
15 | ଣ | ṇa |
16 | ତ | ta |
17 | ଥ | tha |
18 | ଦ | da |
19 | ଧ | dha |
20 | ନ | na |
21 | ପ | pa |
22 | ଫ | pha |
23 | ବ | ba |
24 | ଭ | bha |
25 | ମ | ma |
26 | ଯ | ỵaB |
27 | ର | ra |
28 | ଲ | la |
29 | ଳ | ḷa |
30 | ଶ | sha |
31 | ଷ | ṣha |
32 | ସ | sa |
33 | ହ | ha |
34 | କ୍ଷ | kṣha |
V. Subscript and adscript consonant characters
Character numbers correspond to those in Table IV (କ
stands for any base character)
1 | କ୍କ | k |
2 | କ୍ଖ | kh |
3 | କ୍ଗ | g |
4 | କ୍ଘ | gh |
6 | କ୍ଚ | ch |
7 | କ୍ଛ | chh |
8 | କ୍ଜ | j |
9 | କ୍ଝ | jh |
11 | କ୍ଟ | ṭ |
12 | କ୍ଠ | ṭh |
13 | କ୍ଡ | ḍ |
14 | କ୍ଢ | ḍh |
15 | କ୍ଣ | ṇ |
16 | କ୍ତ | t |
17 | କ୍ଥ | th |
18 | କ୍ଦ | d |
19 | କ୍ଧ | dh |
20 | କ୍ନ | n |
21 | କ୍ପ | p |
22 | କ୍ଫ | ph |
23 | କ୍ବ | b |
24 | କ୍ଭ | bh |
25 | କ୍ମ | m |
26 | କ୍ୟ | y |
27 | କ୍ର | r |
28 | କ୍ଲ | l |
29 | କ୍ଳ | ḷ |
32 | କ୍ସ | s |
VI. Ligatures (the list is not complete)
କ୍କ | କ୍ତ | କ୍ଳ | କ୍ଷ | କ୍ଷ୍ଣ | କ୍ସ | ଙ୍କ | ଙ୍କ୍ଷ | ଙ୍ଖ | ଙ୍ଗ | ଙ୍ଘ | ଚ୍ଚ |
kka | kta | kḷa | kṣha | kṣhṇa | ksa | ṅka | ṅkṣha | ṅkha | ṅga | ṅgha | chcha |
ଚ୍ଛ | ଜ୍ଜ | ଜ୍ଝ | ଜ୍ଞ | ଞ୍ଚ | ଞ୍ଛ | ଞ୍ଜ | ଞ୍ଝ | ଟ୍ଟ | ଡ୍ଡ | ଣ୍ଟ | ଣ୍ଠ |
chchha* | jja | jjha | jña | ñcha | ñchha | ñja | ñjha | ṭṭa | ḍḍa | ṇṭa | ṇṭha |
ଣ୍ଡ | ଣ୍ଢ | ଣ୍ଣ | ତ୍କ | ତ୍ତ | ତ୍ପ | ତ୍ର | ତ୍ସ | ଦ୍ଗ | ଦ୍ଦ | ଦ୍ଧ | ଦ୍ଭ |
ṇḍa | ṇḍha | ṇṇa | tka | tta | tpa | tra | tsa | dga | dda | ddha | dbha |
ନ୍ତ | ନ୍ତ୍ର | ନ୍ଥ | ନ୍ଦ | ନ୍ଧ | ନ୍ନ | ପ୍ତ | ପ୍ସ | ବ୍ଦ | ବ୍ବ | ମ୍ପ | ମ୍ଫ |
nta | ntra | ntha | nda | ndha | nna | pta | psa | bda | bba | mpa | mpha |
ମ୍ବ | ମ୍ଭ | ମ୍ମ | ଳ୍କ | ଳ୍ପ | ଳ୍ଫ | ଳ୍ଭ | ଶ୍ଚ | ଶ୍ଛ | ଷ୍କ | ଷ୍ଟ | ଷ୍ଠ |
mba | mbha | mma | ḷka | ḷpa | ḷpha | ḷbha | shcha | shchha | ṣhka | ṣhṭa | ṣhṭha |
ଷ୍ଣ | ଷ୍ପ | ଷ୍ଫ | ସ୍କ | ସ୍ଖ | ସ୍ତ | ସ୍ତ୍ର | ସ୍ଥ | ସ୍ପ | ସ୍ଫ | ହ୍ନ | ହ୍ଲ |
ṣhṇa | ṣhpa | ṣhpha | ska | skha | sta | stra | stha | spa | spha | hna | hla |
Combinations with r as the first component are written with a special superscript symbol, e.g. ର୍କ rka.
For differences between the UN system and the ISO transliteration standard ISO 15919: 2001 see the section on the romanization of Hindi.