ROMANIZATION SYSTEM FOR PASHTO BGN/PCGN 1968 System, 2006 Revision This system was developed in 1968 for the romanization of Pashto geographic names. Dari names in Afghanistan are romanized in accordance with the romanization System for Persian (BGN/ PCGN 1958 System). The Pashto alphabet uses a modified form of the Perso-Arabic script, and contains eight additional consonants not present in standard Arabic, as well as two additional vowel characters and an additional vowel point. Since both Pashto and Dari are official languages in Afghanistan, the same conversion values are used for all consonant characters which are common to the two languages. The eight additional Pashto consonant characters (shown below) are represented by Roman-script conversion values that suggest approximate pronunciations, and which, in six instances, bear sub-macrons. ټ څ ځ ډ ړ ښ ږ ڼ Consonants: The two additional vowels and the one vowel point found in Pashto but not in Arabic are shown below: ې ۍ Vowels: Vowel Point: ( ) The Pashto system of vowel pointing resembles that of both Arabic and Persian but contains additional features found in neither language. As in other Perso-Arabic-script writing systems, the vowel points and some of the diacritical marks are generally omitted from both manual and machine writing and where used are rarely fully applied. Consequently, a reference source may sometimes be required to ensure correct identification of the standard spellings and proper vowels. It is also necessary to ensure elimination of dialectal and idiosyncratic variations. In the interest of clarity, full vowel pointing has been applied to the examples below. (Note: it is recommended that a font such as Scheherezade, available from www.sil.org, which includes the entire Unicode extended Arabic subrange, be used to view this system.) Table 1: Consonant Characters Pashto Romanization Examples and Remarks Final Medial Initial Independent ا ا.1 not romanized in word-initial position See note 1 Baghlān با غ لا ن b ب ب ب ب.2 Powṯakay پ و ټا کا ی p پ پ پ پ.3 Shirīn Tagāb ش ر ین تا گا اب t ت ت ت ت.4 Tanǐ ټا ڼ ي t ټ ټ ټ ټ.5 S ābir ثا اب ر s ث ث ث ث.6 1
Pashto Final Medial Initial Independent Romanization Examples and Remarks ج ل ال اآب اد j ج ج ج ج.7 Jalālābād چ ار یک ار ch چ چ چ چ.8 Chārīkār څ وکی ts څ څ څ څ.9 Tsawkêy ځ د ر ان Dz ځ ځ ځ ځ.10 Dzadrān ج د را ن Dz ج ج ج ج.11 Dzadrān ح ض ر ت ا م ام ḩ ح ح ح ح.12 Ḩazarat Imām 1a خ و س ت kh خ خ خ خ.13 Khowst س پ ین ب و ل د ک d د د.14 Spīn Bowldak ډ ن د و پ تان d ډ.15 Dand wa Patān ذ و ب ی غ ر z ذ ذ.16 Z owbay Ghar ک ن د ه ار r ر ر.17 Kandahār ا ن د ړ r ړ.18 Andar 1a ک ن د ز z ز ز.19 Kunduz م یړ أاس ل م ژ ر ن د ه zh ژ ژ.20 Mīṟ Aslam Zhrandah 1a ږ ی ر ین zh ۄ ۄ.21 Zhīyarayn د س ل یم ک ل ی s س س س س.22 Dê Salīm Kêlay 6 م ز ار ش ر یف sh ش ش ش ش.23 Mazār-i Sharīf 10 ک ښ ت ه ک ل ا sh ۺ ۺ ۺ ۺ.24 Ks h atah Kalā ş ص ص ص ص.25 ق ی ص ار Qayşār ف ی ض اآب اد z ض ض ض ض.26 Fayzābād 5 ق ط س ی س ف لى ţ ط ط ط ط.27 Quţsī-yi Suflá 4,10 ظ اه رک ل ا ẓ ظ ظ ظ ظ.28 Z āhir Kalā پ ل ع ل م ع ع ع ع.29 Pul-i Alam 4,10 غ ز ن ی gh غ غ غ غ.30 Ghaznī م ز ار ش ر یف f ف ف ف ف.31 Mazār-i Sharīf 10 قق ط س ی س ف لى q ق ق ق ق.32 Quţsī-yi Suflá 4,10 ک ن د ه ار k ک ک ک ک.33 Kandahār Gardēz گ ر دېز g گ گ گ گ.34 ګ یزاب g ګ ګ ګ ګ.35 Gīzāb ک اب ل l ل ل ل ل.36 Kābêl 2
.37 م م م م m م ی م ن ه Maymanah.38 ن ن ن ن n خ ان اآب اد Khānābād 5.39 ڹ ڹ ڹ ڹ n ټا ڼ ي Tanī.40 و و w وا اخا ان Wākhān.41 ه ه ه ه h ه را ات Hirāt.42 ی ي ي ی y ی وس ف خېل Yūsuf Khēl.43 ي ي ي ي y پا ک ت یا ا Paktyā پا ک Table 2: Vowel Characters Pashto Romanization Examples and Remarks 1. a زا وا ر Zawar ا 2. ā ه را ات Hirāt 3. i ه را ات Hirāt ی 4. ī غا ز ن ی Ghaznī ي 5. ī ګ یزز اب Gīzāb ا ی.6 ay شا ک ور ک لا ی Shakūr Kêlay ێ 7. (ey) (deprecated).8 ې ē گا ر دېز Gardēz.9 ا و aw څا و کۍ Tsawkêy ا او.10 āw یا کا اولل ن گ Yakāwlang و.11 (ew) (deprecated) 12. ê شل گا ر Shêlgar.13 ۍ êy سس رکا انۍ Sarkānêy 14. ٸ êy کک وئ kawêy, you do 4,10 15. u م ر غا اب Murghāb و 16. ū با الا ب ل وک Bālā Bulūk و 17. ow ل و گا ر Lowgar وی 18. ūy شا اه ج وی Shāh Jūy Dāymīrdād دا ای م یردا اد āy ای 19. Jalālābād جج لا ل آبا اد ā آ.20 Khidīr-i Pā īn خ د یر پا ائین ء.21 22. doubling of consonant خا ان ش ین Khānnishīn letter á ی 23. Qutsī-yi Suflá ق ط س ی س ف لى 3
NUMERALS 0 1 2 3 ۴,4 ۵,5 ۶,6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Although Perso-Arabic script is written from right to left, numerical expressions, e.g. 19۶8 1968, are written from left to right. 1. Alīf (ا) should be romanized as follows: NOTES a. In word-initial position, alīf should not be romanized. b. In word-initial position, alīf with maddah آ) )should be romanized ā. (See the vowel table.) c. In word-medial and word-final position, alīf should be romanized ā. (See the vowel table.) d. In word-medial and word-final position in words of Arabic origin, alīf may serve as the bearer of hamzah, e.g. رٲس - ra s (See note 4.) 2. The characters tsē (څ) and dzē (ځ) may be romanized t s and d z when for special reasons it is desired that confusion be avoided between ت plus س and between د plus ز, respectively. 3. Occasionally the character sequences ه, ز ه, ک ه,س and گ ه occur. They may be romanized k h, z h, s h, and g h in order to differentiate these romanizations from the digraphs kh, zh, sh, and gh, which.غ and,خ, ژ, ش are used to represent the characters 4. Hamzah (ء) should be romanized as follows: a. In word-initial position, it should not be romanized. In other positions, however, it should be romanized by an apostrophe, e.g. ج زء juz. b. Yē with hamzah (ٸ) should be romanized êy, unless it represents the compound (iz afah) morpheme, in which case it is romanized according to rule 10 below. 5. The division of words utilized in Pashto writing is followed in romanization, except that the elements ābād, -khwā, -shahr, -zay and ullāh are always romanized as part of the preceding word, e.g. 4
Raḩmatullāh. Also, Persian derivational endings such ر ح م ت الل Raḩmatābād and ر ح م ت آب اد as vand and endings of Turkish origin such as lar, -lī, -lū, -i, -u, -si, and su, should be written together with the preceding word. 6. The Pashto preposition د should be romanized dê in agreement with its pronunciation, despite the fact that it is sometimes pointed with zīr. 7. The word,لل meaning God, should always be romanized Allāh, except as specified in note 5. 8. In names of Arabic origin, the l of the definite article al is assimilated before the sun letters t, s, d, z, r, z, s, sh, ş, ẕ, ţ, z, and n. In romanization, the article should be separated from the name it precedes and should not be capitalized, except at the beginning of a name, e.g. ب ل ا لس راج ج Jabal as Sarāj. 9. In names of Arabic origin, a consonant character which would ordinarily be written with a shaddah م ح م د e.g., ) in Arabic should be romanized by writing the equivalent consonant letter twice, ( Muḩammad. 10. In Pashto names which contain the Persian compound (iz afah) morpheme, the iz afah should be,(ه) or silent heh (ی) romanized as i if the preceding word ends with a consonant other than yeh and as yi otherwise. 11. The character sequence,خو when followed by ا or ی or when pointed by the vowel character ( ), should be romanized khw, although the w is either not pronounced, or only weakly pronounced. 5