Cyrillization of Arabic is the conversion of text written in Arabic script into Cyrillic script. Because the Arabic script is an abjad (a writing system without vowels), an accurate transliteration into Cyrillic, an alphabet, would still require prior knowledge of the subject language to read. Instead, systems of transcription have normally been used.
| Letter | name | Scientific Transcription | Practical Transcription | Other | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cyrillic | lat. | ru. | ||||||
| alif | /pronounced as /aː// | pronounced as /а̄/↓ | а,↓ я[1] | |||||
| hamza | /pronounced as /ʔ// | , | ||||||
| bā’ | /pronounced as /b// | pronounced as /б/ | b | b | б | — | ||
| tā’ | /pronounced as /t// | pronounced as /т/ | t | t | т | — | ||
| thā’ | /pronounced as /θ// | pronounced as /с̱/ | ṯ | th, s, (t)[2] [3] | с, (т) | |||
| jīm | /pronounced as /d͡ʒ/~pronounced as /ɡ// | pronounced as /дж/ | ǧ | j, dj, (g)[4] | дж, (г, ж) | ,,,, | ||
| ḥā’ (pharyngeal) | /pronounced as /ħ// | pronounced as /х̣/ | ḥ | h | х | ,, | ||
| khā’ | /pronounced as /x/~pronounced as /χ// | pronounced as /х̱, х̮/ | ḫ | kh, x | х | |||
| dāl | /pronounced as /d// | pronounced as /д/ | d | d | д | — | ||
| zāl | /pronounced as /ð// | pronounced as /з̱/ | ḏ | dh, (z, d) | з, (д) | |||
| rā’ | /pronounced as /r// | pronounced as /р/ | r | r | р | — | ||
| zayn | /pronounced as /z// | pronounced as /з/ | z | z | з | — | ||
| sīn | /pronounced as /s// | pronounced as /с/ | s | s | с | — | ||
| shīn | /pronounced as /ʃ// | pronounced as /ш/ | š | sh, ch | ш | — | ||
| ṣād | /pronounced as /sˁ// | pronounced as /с̣/ | ṣ | s | с | |||
| ḍād | /pronounced as /dˁ// | pronounced as /д̣/ | ḍ | d, dh | д | |||
| ṭā’ | /pronounced as /tˁ// | pronounced as /т̣/ | ṭ | t | т | , | ||
| ẓā’ | /pronounced as /ðˁ/~pronounced as /zˁ// | pronounced as /з̣/ | ẓ | z, (zh, dh) | з, (д) | |||
| ‘ayn | /pronounced as /ʕ// | pronounced as /‘/ | ʿ | ʻ | —, ъ, vowel doubling[5] | , | ||
| ghayn | /pronounced as /ɣ// | pronounced as /г, г̣/ | ġ | g, gh | г | ,,, | ||
| fā’ | /pronounced as /f// | pronounced as /ф/ | f | f | ф | — | ||
| qāf | /pronounced as /q// | pronounced as /к̣/ | q | q, k, (g, gh)[6] | к, (г) | ,,,,, | ||
| kāf | /pronounced as /k// | pronounced as /к/ | k | k, c | к | — | ||
| lām | /pronounced as /l// | pronounced as /л/ | l | l | л, ль[7] | — | ||
| mīm | /pronounced as /m// | pronounced as /м/ | m | m | м | — | ||
| nūn | /pronounced as /n// | pronounced as /н/ | n | n | н | — | ||
| hā’ | /pronounced as /h// | pronounced as /х, һ/ | h | h | х | ,,, | ||
| wāw | /pronounced as /w/, pronounced as /uː// | pronounced as /в, ў, ӯ/ | w, ū | w, u, oo, ou | в, у, ю | — | ||
| yā’ | /pronounced as /j/, pronounced as /iː// | pronounced as /й, ӣ/ | y, ī | y, i, ee | й, и, ы[8] | |||
Note: The following tables use the letter hamza (ء) as a carrier to illustrate the use of diacritics. It is not part of these signs.
To record short vowels after a consonant, optional signs (fatḥah, ḍammah, kasrah) are used above this consonant. To write long vowels, the same signs are used plus the corresponding consonant letter.
| Letter | Title | Scientific transcription | Practical transcription | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Phonetic Alphabet | IPA | Cyrillic | DIN | lat. | ru. | ||
| Short vowels | |||||||
| ءَ | fatḥah | /pronounced as /a// | а | a | a, e | а, е, э | |
| ءُ | ḍammah | /pronounced as /u// | у | u | u, o, ou | у, о | |
| ءِ | kasrah | /pronounced as /i// | и | i | i, e | и, е, э | |
| Long vowels | |||||||
| ءَا | fatḥah-alif | /pronounced as /aː// | а̄ | ā | a, aa | а | |
| ءٰ | alif-khanjariyah | /pronounced as /aː// | а̄ | ā | a, aa | а | |
| ءَى | fatḥah-alif-maqsurah | /pronounced as /aː// | а̄ | ā | a, aa | а | |
| ءَىٰ | — | /pronounced as /aː// | а̄ | ā | a, aa | а | |
| ءُو | ḍammah-waw | /pronounced as /uː// | ӯ | ū | u, oo, ou | у | |
| ءِي | kasrah-ya’ | /pronounced as /iː// | ӣ | ī | i, ee | и | |
| Diphthongs | |||||||
| ءَو | fatḥah-waw | /pronounced as /au// | аў | aw | aw, au, aou | ау | |
| ءَي | fatḥah-ya’ | /pronounced as /ai// | ай | ay | ay, ey, ei | ай, ей, эй | |
| Combinations | |||||||
| ءُوّ | — | /pronounced as /uːw, -uː// | ӯв | uww | uww | ув | |
| ءِيّ | — | /pronounced as /iːj, -iː// | ӣй | iyy | uyy | ий | |
The glottal stop (in Arabic hamza) has complex notation rules. It can be written as a single character on the line ⟨ﺀ⟩, thus not distinguishing itself from other consonants, but much more often it is written above or below three carrier letters: alif, vav, ya. At the same time, hamza, like any consonant, can be both before and after a vowel. At the beginning of words, the hamza is written exclusively above or below the alif.The combination "alif-hamza + fatha + alif" (that is, أَا) is written in a special way through alif-madda.The absence of a hamza is occasionally recorded with a wasla sign (usually used only before the initial alif).In unvoiced texts, even the complete absence of over- or signed hamza is possible (thus hamza is indistinguishable from vav and ya), which further complicates transcription. Hamza is almost never written over the alif of the definite article.
| Letter | Name | Phonetic Transcription | Practical Transcription | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Phonetic Alphabet | IPA | Cyrillic | DIN | lat. | ru. | |||
| Hamza before a vowel | ||||||||
| أَ | alifa-hamza-fatḥah | /ʔa/ | ’а | ʾa | ’a | а | ||
| أُ | alifa-hamza-ḍammah | /ʔu/ | ’у | ʾu | ’u | у | ||
| إِ | alif-hamza-kasrah | /ʔi/ | ’и | ʾi | ’i | и | ||
| آ | alif-maddah | /ʔaː/ | ’а̄ | ʾā | ’a | а | ||
| ؤَ | waw-hamza-fatḥah | /ʔa/ | ’а | ʾa | ’a | а | ||
| ؤُ | waw-hamza-ḍammah | /ʔu/ | ’у | ʾu | ’u | у | ||
| ؤِ | waw-hamza-kasra | /ʔi/ | ’и | ʾi | ’i | и | ||
| ئَ | yā’-hamza-fatḥah | /ʔa/ | ’а | ʾa | ’a | а | ||
| ئُ | yā’-hamza-ḍammah | /ʔu/ | ’у | ʾu | ’u | у | ||
| ئِ | yā’-hamza-kasrah | /ʔi/ | ’и | ʾi | ’i | и | ||
| Hamza after a vowel | ||||||||
| ءَأ | alifa-hamza-fatḥah | /aʔ/ | а’ | aʾ | a’ | а | ||
| ءُأ | alif-hamza-ḍammah | /uʔ/ | у’ | uʾ | u’ | у | ||
| ءِأ | alif-hamza-kasrah | /iʔ/ | и’ | iʾ | i’ | и | ||
| ءَؤ | waw-hamza-fatḥah | /aʔ/ | а’ | aʾ | a’ | а | ||
| ءُؤ | waw-hamza-ḍammah | /uʔ/ | у’ | uʾ | u’ | у | ||
| ءِؤ | waw-hamza-kasrah | /iʔ/ | и’ | iʾ | i’ | и | ||
| ءَئ | yā’-hamza-fatḥah | /aʔ/ | а’ | aʾ | a’ | а | ||
| ءُئ | yā’-hamza-ḍammah | /uʔ/ | у’ | uʾ | u’ | у | ||
| ءِئ | yā’-hamza-kasrah | /iʔ/ | и’ | iʾ | i’ | и | ||
| Absence of Hamza | ||||||||
| ٱ | hamzatu-l-waṣl | /∅/ | — | |||||
As with the hamza, there are some difficulties in rendering the Arabic definite article. In neutral position, it is read and transcribed as al- (el-). In certain positions, the sound - l - can be assimilated with the subsequent consonant (see more at Sun and moon letters). After vowels, the initial a - (e -) usually disappears (the so-called wallowing).
| Letter | Name | Phonetic Transcription | Practical Transcription | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Phonetic Alphabet | IPA | Cyrillic | DIN | lat. | ru. | ||
| ال | alif-lam | /ʔal-, ʔaCː-/ | аль- | al- | al-, el- | аль-, эль- | |
| assimilation al before sun consonants | + | + | + | − / + | − / + | ||
The term ‘’nunation’’ (or ‘’tanwīn’’) in Arabic grammar refers to the case endings of the “indefinite state” (corresponds to the indefinite article in other languages). Sometimes, for historical reasons, after the nunation, the silent letters alif-maksura or a simple alif are additionally written.
| Letter | Name | Phonetic Transcription | Practical Transcription | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Phonetic Alphabet | IPA | Cyrillic | DIN | lat. | ru. | ||
| ءً | tanwīn-fatḥah | /an/ | ан | an | ан | ||
| ءًى | — | /an/ | ан | an | ан | ||
| ءًا | — | /an/ | ан | an | ан | ||
| ءٌ | tanwīn-ḍammah | /un/ | ун | un | ун | ||
| ءٍ | tanwīn-kasra | /in/ | ин | in | ин | ||
| Letter | Name | Phonetic Transcription | Practical Transcription | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Phonetic Alphabet | IPA | Cyrillic | DIN | lat. | ru. | ||
| ءْ | sukūn | /∅/ | — | ||||
| ءّ | shaddah | consonant doubling | |||||
| Letter | Name | Phonetic Transcription | Practical Transcription | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Phonetic Alphabet | IPA | Cyrillic | DIN | lat. | ru. | ||
| ﺓ | tāʾ marbūṭah | /a, at/ | а, ат | h, t | a, ah / at | а, ат/ет | |
| ﻯ | alif maqsura | /aː/ | а̄ | ā | a | а | |
| ﻻ | lam-alif | /laː/ | ла̄ | lā | la | ля | |