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

Byelorussian

No romanization systems for Byelorussian (Belarusian) have been put forward at the United Nations conferences on the standardization of geographical names or at sessions of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names. In Belarus there have been several projects of romanization, the most notable until recently being a scheme of 1992-1993, based on GOST 1983 (for Russian) and used by the national cartographic authority on maps of Belarus.

A new national system of romanization for Byelorussian was approved by the Government Committee on Land Resources, Geodesy and Cartography, Republic of Belarus, on 23 November, 2000 (Published in Nacional’nyj Reestr Pravovyh Aktov Respubliki Belarus’ (National Registry of Legal Acts, Republic of Belarus) No. 3, 11 January 2001) modifying an earlier system of 20 March, 1998. While the system is still based on GOST 1983, it takes more precisely into account the peculiarities of the Byelorussian orthography. The system is reversible though there may exist some ambiguous consonant combinations.

Systems of romanization

The national system of romanization (2000) is as follows.

1 А а a

2 Б б b

3 В в v

4 Г г h

5 Д д d

6 Е е je^A, ie^B

7 Ё ё jo^A, io^B

8 Ж ж ž

9 З з z

10 І і i

11 Й й j

12 К к k

13 Л л l

14 М м m

15 Н н n

16 О о o

17 П п p

18 Р р r

19 С с s

20 Т т t

21 У у u

22 Ў ў ú

23 Ф ф f

24 Х х ch

25 Ц ц c

26 Ч ч č

27 Ш ш š

28 ’ (not romanized)

29 Ы ы y

30 Ь ь ’

31 Э э e

32 Ю ю ju^A, iu^B

33 Я я ja^A, ia^B

^A Initially, after vowels, apostrophe, ь and ў.
^B After consonants.

Note. Cursive forms of some characters might be formed differently: Аа Бб Вв Гг Дд Ее Ёё Жж Зз Іі Йй Кк Лл Мм Нн Оо Пп Рр Сс Тт Уу Ўў Фф Хх Цц Чч Шш ’ Ыы Ьь Ээ Юю Яя.

The BGN/PCGN 1979 System gives, as a single block, different Roman equivalents to the following Byelorussian characters (the national equivalents are in parentheses):

е (je/ie) ye

ё (jo/io) yo

ж (ž) zh

й (j) y

ў (ú) w

х (ch) kh

ц (c) ts

ч (č) ch

ш (š) sh

’ "

ю (ju/iu) yu

я (ja/ia) ya

1	А а	a
2	Б б	b
3	В в	v
4	Г г	h
5	Д д	d
6	Е е	je^A, ie^B
7	Ё ё	jo^A, io^B
8	Ж ж	ž
9	З з	z
10	І і	i
11	Й й	j
12	К к	k
13	Л л	l
14	М м	m
15	Н н	n
16	О о	o
17	П п	p
18	Р р	r
19	С с	s
20	Т т	t
21	У у	u
22	Ў ў	ú
23	Ф ф	f
24	Х х	ch
25	Ц ц	c
26	Ч ч	č
27	Ш ш	š
28	’	(not romanized)
29	Ы ы	y
30	Ь ь	’
31	Э э	e
32	Ю ю	ju^A, iu^B
33	Я я	ja^A, ia^B

е (je/ie)	ye
ё (jo/io)	yo
ж (ž)	zh
й (j)	y
ў (ú)	w
х (ch)	kh
ц (c)	ts
ч (č)	ch
ш (š)	sh
’	"
ю (ju/iu)	yu
я (ja/ia)	ya