Wikipedia:Naming conventions (Armenian)

This guideline documents an English Wikipedia naming convention.

Editors should generally follow it, though exceptions may apply. Substantive edits to this page should reflect consensus. When in doubt, discuss first on this guideline's talk page.

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Explanations and area of application

This table is a generally accepted romanization of the Armenian alphabet to be used throughout the English language Wikipedia. It aims to provide Wikipedia with a single system for all articles using proper names, words or sentences in Eastern Armenian language; while Western Armenian language uses the same letters, they can be pronounced differently, and another romanization system has to be used for them. However, for transcriptions of proper names, apart from other Armenian text, it is Wikipedia's general convention to follow English usage, where it exists; this may frequently mean using -ian instead of the systematic -yan as a name ending.

Different transliteration systems exist. They are detailed in Romanization of Armenian. For example, the name of the ex-President of the Republic of Armenia, Ռոբերտ Քոչարյան, can be transliterated either Ṙobert K’očaryan using ISO 9985, or R¯obert K῾oč῾aryan using Hübschmann-Meillet's system, or Rrobert K’och’aryan using BGN/PCGN romanization, and so on.

Those transliteration systems are not commonly used in publications, newspapers, encyclopedias; each source uses its own transcription method. There is no official system. The same example as above is transcribed Robert Kocharian in the website of the presidency, but often Robert Kocharyan in the website of the government.

The system presented here is close to the common English spelling. It's based on BGN/PCGN with one exception: ը is rendered by ë and not by y which renders the consonant յ only. This system can be used in every page involving a transcribed Armenian sentence or text. But a simplified version can be used for the transcription of common or proper names or article titles. For example, Մեր Հայրենիք will be transcribed Mer Hayrenik in the article's title and Mer Hayrenik’ in the text of the song itself.

Transliteration

For Modern Armenian, the preferred standard is ISO 9985:

	ա	բ	գ	դ	ե	զ	է	ը	թ	ժ	ի	լ	խ	ծ	կ	հ	ձ	ղ	ճ	մ	յ	ն	շ	ո	չ	պ	ջ	ռ	ս	վ	տ	ր	ց	ւ	փ	ք	օ	ֆ	ու	և
	a	b	g	d	e	z	ē	ë	t’	ž	i	l	x	ç	k	h	j	ġ	č̣	m	y	n	š	o	č	p	ǰ	ṙ	s	v	t	r	c’	w	p’	k’	ò	f	ow	ew

In linguistic literature on Classical Armenian, the commonly used transliteration is that of Hübschmann-Meillet (1913):

	ա	բ	գ	դ	ե	զ	է	ը	թ	ժ	ի	լ	խ	ծ	կ	հ	ձ	ղ	ճ	մ	յ	ն	շ	ո	չ	պ	ջ	ռ	ս	վ	տ	ր	ց	ւ	փ	ք	օ	ֆ	ու	և
	a	b	g	d	e	z	ē	ə	t῾	ž	i	l	x	c	k	h	j	ł	č	m	y	n	š	o	č῾	p	ǰ	ṙ	s	v	t	r	c῾	w	p῾	k῾	ō	f	u	ew

(note the differing conventions marked in boldface)

Loose transcription

Note: all the examples below are given personal names.

Armenian letter	Normal transcription	Example	Simplified transcription	Example (when differences exist)
Ա, ա	a	Արմեն = Armen Հրանտ = Hrant	a
Բ, բ	b	Բագրատ = Bagrat Աբրահամ = Abraham	b
Գ, գ	g	Գաբրիել = Gabriel Սարգիս = Sargis	g
Դ, դ	d	Դանիել = Daniel Վարդան = Vardan	d
Ե, ե	ye (at the beginning of a word)	Եղիազար = Yeghiazar	ye
Ե, ե	e (everywhere else)	Սերիկ = Serik	e
Զ, զ	z	Զավեն = Zaven Ղազար = Ghazar	z
Է, է	e (at the beginning of word only)	Էդվարդ = Edvard	e
Ը, ը	ë	Ընձակ = Ëndzak	e	Ընձակ = Endzak
Թ, թ	t’	Թովմաս = T’ovmas Վախթանգ = Vakht’ang	t	Թովմաս = Tovmas Վախթանգ = Vakhtang
Ժ, ժ	zh	Ժիրայր = Zhirayr Սերժ = Serzh	zh
Ի, ի	i	Իսրայել = Israyel Գագիկ = Gagik	i
Լ, լ	l	Լևոն = Levon Ալբերտ = Albert	l
Խ, խ	kh	Խորեն = Khoren Անախաս = Anakhas	kh
Ծ, ծ	ts	Ծովինար = Tsovinar Աստվածատուր = Astvatsatur	ts
Կ, կ	k	Կարապետ = Karapet Մակար = Makar	k
Հ, հ	h	Հակոբ = Hakob Վահան = Vahan	h
Ձ, ձ	dz	Ձոնիկ = Dzonik Ընձանուշ = Ëndzanush	dz
Ղ, ղ	gh	Ղուկաս = Ghukas Աղավնի = Aghavni	gh
Ճ, ճ	ch	Ճարպիկ = Charpik Պերճ = Perch	ch
Մ, մ	m	Մեսրոպ = Mesrop Սողոմոն = Soghomon	m
Յ, յ	y	Յովաբ = Yovab Հայկ = Hayk	y
Ն, ն	n	Ներսես = Nerses Գայանե = Gayane	n
Շ, շ	sh	Շահակ = Shahak Անուշավան = Anushavan	sh
Ո, ո	vo (at the beginning of a word)^[a]	Ոսկան = Voskan	vo
Ո, ո	o (everywhere else)	Պողոս = Poghos	o
Չ, չ	ch’	Չինար = Ch’inar Խաչատուր = Khach’atur	ch	Չինար = Chinar Խաչատուր = Khachatur
Պ, պ	p	Պետրոս = Petros Նահապետ = Nahapet	p
Ջ, ջ	j	Ջավահիր = Javahir Երջանիկ = Yerjanik	j
Ռ, ռ	r’^[b]	Ռուբեն = R’uben Առուշան = Ar’ushan	r	Ռուբեն = Ruben Առուշան = Arushan
Ս, ս	s	Սամվել = Samvel Աղասի = Aghasi	s
Վ, վ	v	Վազգեն = Vazgen Հովհաննես = Hovhannes	v
Տ, տ	t	Տիգրան = Tigran Սատիկ = Zatik	t
Ր, ր	r (rarely at the beginning of a word)^[b]	Արմինե = Armine	r
Ց, ց	ts’	Ցողիկ = Ts’oghik Գեղեցիկ = Geghets’ik	ts	Ցողիկ = Tsorik Գեղեցիկ = Geghetsik
ՈՒ, Ու, ու^[c]	u	Ուստիան = Ustian Գյուտ = Gyut	u
Փ, փ	p’	Փիլիպոս = P’ilipos Ստեփան = Step’an	p	Փիլիպոս = Pilipos Ստեփան = Stepan
Ք, ք	k’	Քաջիկ = K’ajik Զաքարիա = Zak’aria	k	Քաջիկ = Kajik Զաքարիա = Zakaria
ԵՎ, Եվ, և^[c]	yev (in initial position and after vowels)	Եվգինե = Yevgine	yev
ԵՎ, Եվ, և^[c]	ev (in medial and final position of words after consonants)	Գևորգ = Gevorg	ev
Օ, օ	o	Օլգա = Olga	o
Ֆ, ֆ	f	Ֆերդինանդ = Ferdinand Ռաֆայել = R’afayel	f

Notes

^ The letter Ո, ո is pronounced o at the beginning of two words: ով (ov) and ովքեր (ovk’er). Thus the transcription for those two words is o.
^ ^a ^b The letter Ր, ր rarely occurs at the beginning of a word (the letter Ռ, ռ appears more often), except in rare foreign words or "foreign looking" chosen names, for example the pen name of poet Րաֆֆի (Raffi). In many Western Armenian dialects, the distinction between ր and ռ is no more heard. Thus most usual transcription systems of Armenian transcribe ռ and ր by a single r with no distinction.
^ ^a ^b The letter Ւ, ւ, once the 34th letter of the Armenian alphabet, is no longer used in the modern Eastern Armenian alphabet; ու and և are considered independent letters . ՈՒ and ԵՎ are used in words written in block capitals, Ու and Եվ are used as the first letter of lower case words beginning with a capital, and ու and և are lower case.

Wikipedia:Naming conventions (Armenian)

Explanations and area of application

Transliteration

Loose transcription

Notes

Further reading

See also