View source for Romanization of Greek

{{Short description|Rendering Greek in Latin characters}}
{{use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Hatnote|For the Wikipedia policies on the romanization of Greek names, see [[Wikipedia:Naming conventions (Greek)]].}}
{{SpecialChars
| image = Qoppa Q-and-Z-shaped.svg
| special = non-classical letters of the [[Greek alphabet]] that may not render correctly in your browser
| fix = Help:Special characters#Ancient scripts
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'''Romanization of Greek''' is the [[transliteration]] ([[alphabet|letter]]-mapping) or [[Transcription (linguistics)|transcription]] ([[pronunciation|sound]]-mapping) of text from the [[Greek alphabet]] into the [[Latin alphabet]].

==History==
The conventions for [[Greek orthography|writing]] and [[romanization|romanizing]] [[Ancient Greek]] and [[Modern Greek]] differ markedly. The sound of the [[English alphabet|English letter]] [[B]] ({{IPA|[[Voiced bilabial stop|/b/]]}}) was written as {{lang|grc|β}} in ancient Greek but is now written as the [[digraph (orthography)|digraph]] {{lang|el|[[Greek orthography#Digraphs and diphthongs|μπ]]}}, while the modern {{lang|el|β}} sounds like the English letter [[V]] ({{IPA|[[Voiced labiodental fricative|/v/]]}}) instead. The [[Greek names|Greek name]] {{lang|grc|Ἰωάννης}} became [[Johannes]] in [[Latin]] and then [[John (name)|John]] in English, but in modern Greek has become {{lang|el|Γιάννης}}; this might be written as [[Yannis]], Jani, Ioannis, Yiannis, or Giannis, but not Giannes or Giannēs as it would be for ancient Greek. The word {{lang|el|Άγιος}} might variously appear as Hagiοs, Agios, Aghios, or Ayios, or simply be [[translation|translated]] as "[[Holy]]" or "[[Saint]]" in English forms of [[Greek placenames]].<ref>Dubin, Marc. [https://books.google.com/books?id=fJ3gVGqB1uQC&pg=PP8 ''Rough Guide to the Dodecanese & East Aegean Islands'', {{nowrap|p. vi}}]. Rough Guides (London), 2002.</ref>

Traditional English renderings of Greek names originated from [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] systems established in antiquity. The [[Roman alphabet]] itself was a form of the [[Cumaean alphabet]] derived from the [[Euboean alphabet|Euboean script]] that valued {{lang|grc|[[chi (letter)|Χ]]}} as {{IPA|/[[Voiceless velar stop|k]][[Voiceless alveolar fricative|s]]/}} and {{lang|grc|[[heta|Η]]}} as {{IPA|/[[Voiceless glottal fricative|h]]/}} and used variant forms of {{lang|grc|Λ}} and {{lang|grc|Σ}} that became [[L]] and [[S]].<ref>Jeffery, Lilian H. ''The Local Scripts of Archaic Greece'', {{nowrap|p. 79}}. Clarendon Press (Oxford), 1961.</ref> When this script was used to write the classical Greek alphabet, ⟨κ⟩ was replaced with ⟨c⟩, ⟨αι⟩ and ⟨οι⟩ became ⟨æ⟩ and ⟨œ⟩, and ⟨ει⟩ and ⟨ου⟩ were simplified to ⟨i⟩ (more rarely—corresponding to an earlier pronunciation—⟨e⟩) and ⟨u⟩. [[Aspirated consonant]]s like ⟨θ⟩, ⟨φ⟩, initial-⟨ρ⟩, and ⟨χ⟩ simply wrote out the sound: ⟨th⟩, ⟨ph⟩, ⟨rh⟩, and ⟨ch⟩. Because [[English orthography]] has changed so much from the original [[Greek orthography|Greek]], modern scholarly transliteration now usually renders ⟨κ⟩ as ⟨k⟩ and the diphthongs ⟨αι, οι, ει, ου⟩ as ⟨ai, oi, ei, ou⟩.<ref name=ala-lc/>

"[[Greeklish]]" has also spread within [[Greece]] itself, owing to the rapid spread of digital [[telephony]] from cultures using the [[Latin alphabet]]. Since Greek [[typeface]]s and [[font]]s are not always supported or robust, [[Greek language|Greek]] email and chatting has adopted a variety of formats for rendering Greek and Greek shorthand using Latin letters. Examples include "8elo" and "thelw" for {{lang|el|θέλω}}, "3ava" for {{lang|el|ξανά}}, and "yuxi" for {{lang|el|ψυχή}}.

Owing to the difficulties encountered in transliterating and transcribing both ancient and modern Greek into the Latin alphabet, a number of regulatory bodies have been established. The [[Hellenic Organization for Standardization]] (ELOT), in cooperation with the [[International Organization for Standardization]] (ISO), released a system in 1983 which has since been formally adopted by the [[United Nations]], the United Kingdom and United States.

==Tables==
The following tables list several romanization schemes from the Greek alphabet to modern English. Note, however, that the ELOT, UN, and ISO formats for Modern Greek intend themselves as translingual and may be applied in any language using the [[Latin alphabet]].{{anchor|Classical Greek|Classical|Ancient}}

===Ancient Greek===
The [[American Library Association]] and [[Library of Congress]] romanization scheme employs its "Ancient or Medieval Greek" system for all works and authors up to the [[Fall of Constantinople]] in 1453,<ref name=ala-lc/> although [[Byzantine Greek]] was pronounced distinctly and some have considered "Modern" Greek to have begun as early as the 12th century.<ref>"[[:s:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Greece/II/Section II.—Post-Classical Greek History.#The modern language and literature|Greece]]" in the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', {{nowrap|9th ed.}}, {{nowrap|Vol. XI}}. 1880.</ref>

For treatment of [[polytonic orthography|polytonic Greek letters]]—for example, {{lang|grc|ᾤ}}—see also the [[#Diacritical marks|section on romanizing Greek diacritical marks]] below.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! [[Ancient Greek|Greek]] 
! title="Classical Latinate"| Classical{{citation needed|date=May 2019}}
! title="Modern Scholarship"| {{nowrap|[[ALA-LC romanization|ALA-LC]]<ref name=ala-lc>The Library of Congress. [https://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/roman.html ALA-LC Romanization Tables]: "[https://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/romanization/greek.pdf Greek]". 2010.</ref>}}<br><small>(2010)</small>
! {{nowrap|[[Beta Code]]<ref name=TLGr>Thesaurus Linguae Graecae. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20140221210442/http://www.tlg.uci.edu/encoding/BCM2013.pdf The TLG Beta Code Manual 2013]". University of California (Irvine), 2013.</ref>}}
|- 
| <big>{{lang|grc|[[alpha|α]]}}</big> || a || a || A
|- 
| <big>{{lang|grc|[[Greek orthography#Digraphs and diphthongs|αι]]}}</big> || ae || ai || AI
|-
| <big>{{lang|grc|[[beta|β]]}}</big> || b || b || B 
|-
| rowspan="2" | <big>{{lang|grc|[[gamma|γ]]}}</big> || g || g || rowspan="2" | G
|-
| {{nowrap|n<ref group="n." name="gamma">Before another velar stop, i.e. in the combinations {{lang|grc|γγ, γκ, γξ, γχ}}</ref>}} || {{nowrap|n<ref group="n." name="gamma"/>}}
|- 
| <big>{{lang|grc|[[delta (letter)|δ]]}}</big> || d || d || D
|- 
| <big>{{lang|grc|[[epsilon|ε]]}}</big> || e || e || E
|-
| <big>{{lang|grc|[[Greek orthography#Digraphs and diphthongs|ει]]}}</big> || e or i || ei || EI 
|- 
| <big>{{lang|grc|[[zeta|ζ]]}}</big> || z || z || Z
|- 
| <big>{{lang|grc|[[eta|η]]}}</big> || e || ē || H
|- 
| <big>{{lang|grc|[[theta|θ]]}}</big> || th || th || Q
|-
| <big>{{lang|grc|[[iota|ι]]}}</big> || i || i || I
|- 
| <big>{{lang|grc|[[kappa|κ]]}}</big> || c || k || K
|- 
| <big>{{lang|grc|[[lambda|λ]]}}</big> || l || l || L
|- 
| <big>{{lang|grc|[[mu (letter)|μ]]}}</big> || m || m || M
|-
| <big>{{lang|grc|[[nu (letter)|ν]]}}</big> || n || n || N
|- 
| <big>{{lang|grc|[[xi (letter)|ξ]]}}</big> || x || x || C
|- 
| <big>{{lang|grc|[[omicron|ο]]}}</big> || o || o || O
|-
| <big>{{lang|grc|[[Greek orthography#Digraphs and diphthongs|οι]]}}</big> || oe || oi || OI
|-
| rowspan="2"| <big>{{lang|grc|[[Greek orthography#Digraphs and diphthongs|ου]]}}</big> || u || rowspan="2" | ou || rowspan="2" | OU
|-
| o
|- 
| <big>{{lang|grc|[[pi (letter)|π]]}}</big> || p || p || P
|- 
| rowspan="2"| <big>{{lang|grc|[[rho|ρ]]}}</big> || {{nowrap|rh<ref group="n." name="rh">In ancient Greek, word-initial [[rho]]—a rho at the beginning of a word or name—and the second in a pair of medial rhos were always considered to involve [[rough breathing]] whether [[#Diacritical marks|marked]] or not.</ref>}} || {{nowrap|rh<ref group="n." name="rh"/>}} || rowspan="2" | R
|-
| r || r
|- 
| <big>{{lang|grc|[[medial sigma|σ]]}}</big> ||rowspan=2| s ||rowspan=2| s || S / S1
|-
| <big>{{lang|grc|[[final sigma|ς]]}}</big> || S / S2 / J
|- 
| <big>{{lang|grc|[[tau|τ]]}}</big> || t || t || T
|- 
| rowspan="2"| <big>{{lang|grc|[[upsilon|υ]]}}</big> || y || y || rowspan="2" | U
|-
| {{nowrap|u<ref group="n." name="diphth_u">In the diphthongs {{lang|grc|αυ, ευ, ηυ, ου, υι, ωυ}}.</ref>}} || {{nowrap|u<ref group="n." name="diphth_u" />}}
|- 
| <big>{{lang|grc|[[Greek orthography#Digraphs and diphthongs|υι]]}}</big> || ui or yi || ui || UI
|-
| <big>{{lang|grc|[[phi|φ]]}}</big> || ph || ph || F
|- 
| <big>{{lang|grc|[[khi|χ]]}}</big> || ch || ch || X
|- 
| <big>{{lang|grc|[[psi (Greek)|ψ]]}}</big> || ps || ps || Y
|- 
| <big>{{lang|grc|[[omega|ω]]}}</big> || o || ō || W
|}

{{Reflist|group=n.}}

{{anchor|Modern}}

===Modern Greek===
[[ELOT]] approved in 1982 the '''ELOT 743''' standard, revised in 2001,<ref name=elot-full-document>{{Cite web|url=https://sete.gr/files/Media/Egkyklioi/040707Latin-Greek.pdf|title=ELOT 743, 2ī Ekdosī|script-title=el:ΕΛΟΤ 743 2η Έκδοση|trans-title=ELOT 743, 2nd ed.|language=el|author=[[Hellenic Organization for Standardization]]|access-date=11 November 2021}}</ref> whose ''Type 2'' ({{langx|el|Τύπος 2|Typos 2|link=no}}) ''[[Transcription (linguistics)|transcription]]'' scheme has been adopted by the Greek and Cypriot governments as standard for romanization of names on [[Greek passport|Greek]] and [[Cypriot passport]]s. It also comprised a ''Type 1'' ({{langx|el|Τύπος 1|Typos 1|link=no}}) ''[[transliteration]]'' table, which was extensively modified in the second edition of the standard.

International versions of ELOT 743, with an English language standard document, were approved by the UN (V/19, 1987) and the British and American governments.
The ISO approved in 1997 its version, [[ISO 843]], with a different ''Type 1'' transliteration system, which was adopted four years later by ELOT itself, while the U.N. did not update its version. So the ''transcriptions'' of Modern Greek into Latin letters used by ELOT, UN and ISO are essentially equivalent, while there remain minor differences in how they approach reversible ''transliteration''.

The [[American Library Association]] and [[Library of Congress]] romanization scheme employs its "Modern Greek" system for all works and authors following the [[Fall of Constantinople]] in 1453.<ref name=ala-lc/>

In the table below, the special rules for vowel combinations ({{lang|el|αι, αυ, ει, ευ, ηυ, οι, ου, ωυ}}) only apply when these letters function as [[digraph (orthography)|digraphs]]. There are also words where the same letters stand side by side incidentally but represent separate vowels. In these cases each of the two letters is transcribed separately according to the normal rules for single letters. Such cases are marked in Greek orthography by either having an [[#Diacritical marks|accent]] on the first rather than the second vowel letter, or by having a [[#Diacritical marks|diaeresis]] {{nowrap|( <big>¨</big> )}} over the second letter. For treatment of [[accent mark|accents]] and [[Diaeresis (diacritic)|diaereses]]—for example, {{lang|grc|ϊ}}—also see the [[#Diacritical marks|section on romanizing Greek diacritical marks]] below.
 
{| class="wikitable" 
|-
! rowspan="2" style="background:#D0E8FF" | [[Modern Greek|Greek]] 
! rowspan="2" |[[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]
! colspan="2" style="background:#FFE0E0" | Transcription
! colspan="4" style="background:#D0FFD0" | Transliteration
! rowspan="2" | Notes
|-
! {{nowrap|BGN/PCGN<ref name=sixty2>Pedersen, Thomas T. ''[http://transliteration.eki.ee Transliteration of Non-Roman Scripts]'': "[http://transliteration.eki.ee/pdf/Greek.pdf Greek]". 31 July 2005. Accessed 22 April 2022.</ref>}}<br><small>(1962)</small>
! {{nowrap|[[ELOT]] 743 <br />(Type 2 - <br/> transcription)}}<br/><small>(1982; 2001)</small>
! {{nowrap|[[United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names|UN]]<ref name=UNCSGN5/>{{refn|This system is identical to the ''first'' edition of [[ELOT]] 743 promulgated in 1982,<ref name=babis>{{lang|el|Μπάμπης Κουτρούλης}} [''Bámpīs Koutroúlīs'', Babis G. Kutrulis]. [http://www.teicrete.gr/users/kutrulis/Ergalia/ELOT743.htm {{lang|el|Μετατροπή του ελληνικού αλφαβήτου με λατινικούς χαρακτήρες (ΕΛΟΤ 743)}}] [''Metatropī́ tou ellīnikoú alfavī́tou me latinikoús charaktī́res'' (ELOT 743), "Conversion of the Greek alphabet to Latin characters (ELOT 743)"]. Accessed 3 October 2014. 2008. {{in lang|el}}</ref> but since superseded within Greece by the 2001 second edition.<ref name=elot/>}}}}<br><small>(1987)</small>
! {{nowrap|[[ISO 843|ISO]]<ref name=un/><ref name=sixty2/>}}<br><small>(1997)</small>
! {{nowrap|[[ELOT]] 743, 2nd ed. <br />(Type 1 - <br/> transliteration)<ref name=elot>{{lang|el|Ελληνικός Οργανισμός Τυποποίησης}} [''Ellīnikós Organismós Typopoíīsīs'', "[[Hellenic Organization for Standardization]]"]. {{lang|el|ΕΛΟΤ 743, 2η Έκδοση}} [''ELOT 743, 2ī Ekdosī'', "ELOT 743, {{nowrap|2nd ed.}}"]. ELOT (Athens), 2001. {{in lang|el}}.</ref>}}<br><small>(2001)</small>
! {{nowrap|[[ALA-LC romanization|ALA-LC]]<ref name=ala-lc/>}}<br><small>(2010)</small>
|- 
! scope="row" | <big>{{lang|el|[[alpha|α]]}}</big>
![<nowiki/>[[Open front unrounded vowel|a]]]
| a
| a
| a
| a
| a
| a
| 
|- 
! scope="row" | <big>{{lang|el|[[Greek orthography#Digraphs and diphthongs|αι]]}}</big>
![<nowiki/>[[Mid front unrounded vowel|e̞]]]
| e
| ai
| ai
| ai
| ai
| ai
| 
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" | <big>{{lang|el|[[Greek orthography#Digraphs and diphthongs|αυ]]}}</big>
![av]
| rowspan="2" | av
| av
| av̱
| rowspan="2" | au
| rowspan="2" | au
| rowspan="2" | au
| before vowels or voiced consonants
|-
![af]
| af
| af
| before voiceless consonants and word-finally
|-
! scope="row" | <big>{{lang|el|[[beta|β]]}}</big>
![v]
| v
| v
| v
| v
| v
| v
| 
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" | <big>{{lang|el|[[gamma|γ]]}}</big>
![ɣ] 
| g
| rowspan="2" | g
| rowspan="2" | g
| rowspan="2" | g
| rowspan="2" | g
| rowspan="2" | g
| 
|-
![ʝ]
| y
| before front vowels
|-
! scope="row" | <big>{{lang|el|[[Greek orthography#Digraphs and diphthongs|γγ]]}}</big>
![ŋɡ],[ɲɟ]
| ng
| ng
| ṉg
| gg
| gg
| ng
| 
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" | <big>{{lang|el|[[Greek orthography#Digraphs and diphthongs|γκ]]}}</big>
![g], [ɟ] 
| g
| rowspan="2" | gk
| rowspan="2" | gk
| rowspan="2" | gk
| rowspan="2" | gk
| gk
| word-initially
|-
![ŋɡ],[ɲɟ]
| ng
| ng
| word-medially
|-
! scope="row" | <big>{{lang|el|[[Greek orthography#Digraphs and diphthongs|γξ]]}}</big>
![ŋks]
| nx
| nx
| ṉx
| gx
| gx
| nx
| 
|-
! scope="row" | <big>{{lang|el|[[Greek orthography#Digraphs and diphthongs|γχ]]}}</big>
![ŋx],[ɲç]
| nkh
| nch
| ṉch
| gch
| gch
| nch
| 
|- 
! scope="row" rowspan="2" | <big>{{lang|el|[[delta (letter)|δ]]}}</big>
![<nowiki/>[[Voiced dental fricative|ð]]]
| dh
| rowspan="2" | d
| rowspan="2" | d
| rowspan="2" | d
| rowspan="2" | d
| rowspan="2" | d
| 
|-
![d]
| d
| in the combination {{lang|el|νδρ}}
|- 
! scope="row" | <big>{{lang|el|[[epsilon|ε]]}}</big>
![<nowiki/>[[Mid front unrounded vowel|e̞]]]
| e
| e
| e
| e
| e
| e
| 
|-
! scope="row" | <big>{{lang|el|[[Greek orthography#Digraphs and diphthongs|ει]]}}</big>
![i]
| i
| ei
| ei
| ei
| ei
| ei
| 
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" | <big>{{lang|el|[[Greek orthography#Digraphs and diphthongs|ευ]]}}</big>
![<nowiki/>[[Mid front unrounded vowel|e̞]]<nowiki/>v]
| rowspan="2" | ev
| ev
| ev̱
| rowspan="2" | eu
| rowspan="2" | eu
| rowspan="2" | eu
| before vowels or voiced consonants
|-
![<nowiki/>[[Mid front unrounded vowel|e̞]]<nowiki/>f]
| ef
| ef
| before voiceless consonants and word-finally
|-
! scope="row" | <big>{{lang|el|[[zeta|ζ]]}}</big>
![z]
| z
| z
| z
| z
| z
| z
| 
|- 
! scope="row" | <big>{{lang|el|[[eta|η]]}}</big>
![<nowiki/>[[Close front unrounded vowel|i]]]
| i
| i
| i̱
| ī
| ī{{Thin space|/}}i¯
| ē
| 
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" | <big>{{lang|el|[[Greek orthography#Digraphs and diphthongs|ηυ]]}}</big>
![iv]
| rowspan="2" | iv
| iv
| i̱v̱
| rowspan="2" | īu
| rowspan="2" | īu{{Thin space|/}}i¯u
| rowspan="2" | ēu
| before vowels or voiced consonants
|-
![if]
| if
| i̱f̱
| before voiceless consonants and word-finally
|- 
! scope="row" | <big>{{lang|el|[[theta|θ]]}}</big>
![<nowiki/>[[Voiceless dental fricative|θ]]]
| th
| th
| th
| th
| th
| th
| 
|-
! scope="row" | <big>{{lang|el|[[iota|ι]]}}</big>
![<nowiki/>[[Close front unrounded vowel|i]]]
| i
| i
| i
| i
| i
| i
| 
|- 
! scope="row" | <big>{{lang|el|[[kappa|κ]]}}</big>
![k], [c]
| k
| k
| k
| k
| k
| k
| 
|- 
! scope="row" | <big>{{lang|el|[[lambda|λ]]}}</big>
![l]
| l
| l
| l
| l
| l
| l
| 
|- 
! scope="row" | <big>{{lang|el|[[mu (letter)|μ]]}}</big>
![m]
| m
| m
| m
| m
| m
| m
| 
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" | <big>{{lang|el|[[Greek orthography#Digraphs and diphthongs|μπ]]}}</big>
![b]
| b
| b
| b
| rowspan="2" | mp
| rowspan="2" | mp
| b
| word-initially
|-
![mb]
| mp
| mb
| mp
| mp
| word-medially
|-
! scope="row" | <big>{{lang|el|[[nu (letter)|ν]]}}</big>
![n]
| n
| n
| n
| n
| n
| n
| 
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="3" | <big>{{lang|el|[[Greek orthography#Digraphs and diphthongs|ντ]]}}</big>
![d]
| d
| rowspan="3" | nt
| rowspan="3" | nt
| rowspan="3" | nt
| rowspan="3" | nt
| ḏ{{Thin space|/}}d_
| word-initially
|-
![nd]
| nd
| rowspan="2" | nt
| word-medially and word-finally
|-
![nd(z)]
| nt
| in the combination {{lang|el|ντζ}}
|-
! scope="row" | <big>{{lang|el|[[xi (letter)|ξ]]}}</big>
![ks]
| x
| x
| x
| x
| x
| x
| 
|-
! scope="row" | <big>{{lang|el|[[omicron|ο]]}}</big>
![<nowiki/>[[Mid back rounded vowel|o̞]]]
| o
| o
| o
| o
| o
| o
| 
|-
! scope="row" | <big>{{lang|el|[[Greek orthography#Digraphs and diphthongs|οι]]}}</big>
![<nowiki/>[[Close front unrounded vowel|i]]]
| i
| oi
| oi
| oi
| oi
| oi
| 
|-
! scope="row" | <big>{{lang|el|[[Greek orthography#Digraphs and diphthongs|ου]]}}</big>
![<nowiki/>[[Close back rounded vowel|u]]]
| ou
| ou
| ou
| ou
| ou
| ou
| 
|- 
! scope="row" | <big>{{lang|el|[[pi (letter)|π]]}}</big>
![p]
| p
| p
| p
| p
| p
| p
| 
|- 
! scope="row" | <big>{{lang|el|[[rho|ρ]]}}</big>
![r]
| r
| r
| r
| r
| r
| r
| 
|- 
! scope="row" | <big>{{lang|el|[[medial sigma|σ]]}}{{Thin space|/}}{{lang|el|[[final sigma|ς]]}}</big>
![s]
| s
| s
| s
| s
| s
| s
| '''ς''' (σίγμα τελικό - final sigma) is used as the final letter in a word.
|-
! scope="row" | <big>{{lang|el|[[tau|τ]]}}</big>
![t]
| t
| t
| t
| t
| t
| t
| 
|- 
! scope="row" | <big>{{lang|el|[[upsilon|υ]]}}</big>
![<nowiki/>[[Close front unrounded vowel|i]]]
| i
| y
| y
| y
| y
| y
| 
|- 
! scope="row" | <big>{{lang|el|[[Greek orthography#Digraphs and diphthongs|υι]]}}</big>
![<nowiki/>[[Close front unrounded vowel|i]]]
| i
| yi
| yi
| yi
| yi
| ui
| 
|-
! scope="row" | <big>{{lang|el|[[phi|φ]]}}</big>
![f]
| f
| f
| f
| f
| f
| ph
| 
|- 
! scope="row" | <big>{{lang|el|[[khi|χ]]}}</big>
![x], [ç]
| kh
| ch
| ch
| ch
| ch
| ch
| 
|- 
! scope="row" | <big>{{lang|el|[[psi (Greek)|ψ]]}}</big>
![ps]
| ps
| ps
| ps
| ps
| ps
| ps
| 
|- 
! scope="row" | <big>{{lang|el|[[omega|ω]]}}</big>
![<nowiki/>[[Mid back rounded vowel|o̞]]]
| o
| o
| o̱
| ō
| ō{{Thin space|/}}o¯
| ō
| 
|-
! scope="row" | <big>{{lang|el|[[Greek orthography#Digraphs and diphthongs|ωυ]]}}</big>
![oi]
| oy
| ou
| o̱y
| ōy
| ōy{{Thin space|/}}o¯y
| ōu
| 
|}

{{Reflist|group=n.}}

{{anchor|Diacritics|Diacritical mark}}

===Diacritical marks===
{{main|Greek diacritics}}
The traditional [[polytonic orthography]] of Greek uses [[Greek diacritics|several distinct diacritical marks]] to render what was originally the [[pitch accent]] of Ancient Greek and the presence or absence of word-initial {{IPA|/h/}}. In 1982, [[monotonic orthography]] was officially introduced for modern Greek. The only diacritics that remain are the [[acute accent]] (indicating stress) and the [[diaeresis (diacritic)|diaeresis]] (indicating that two consecutive vowels should not be combined).

When a Greek [[diphthong]] is accented, the accent mark is placed over the ''second'' letter of the pair. This means that an accent over the ''first'' letter of the pair indicates vowels which should be taken (and romanized) separately. Although the second vowel is not marked with a superfluous diaeresis in Greek, the first-edition ELOT 743 and the UN systems place a diaeresis on the Latin vowel for the sake of clarity.<ref name=babi>{{lang|el|Μπάμπης Κουτρούλης}} [''Bámpīs Koutroúlīs'', Babis G. Kutrulis]. [http://www.teicrete.gr/users/kutrulis/Ergalia/ELOT743.htm {{lang|el|Μετατροπή του ελληνικού αλφαβήτου με λατινικούς χαρακτήρες (ΕΛΟΤ 743)}}] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721083959/http://www.teicrete.gr/users/kutrulis/Ergalia/ELOT743.htm |date=2011-07-21 }} [''Metatropī́ tou ellīnikoú alfavī́tou me latinikoús charaktī́res'' (ELOT 743), "Conversion of the Greek alphabet to Latin characters (ELOT 743)"]. Accessed 3 October 2014. 2008. {{in lang|el}}</ref><ref name="UNCSGN5">Department of Technical Co-operation for Development. [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/ungegn/docs/5th-uncsgn-doc/5-uncsgn-rpt-en.pdf "Fifth United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names: Montreal, 18—31 August 1987", {{nowrap|Vol. I.}} "Report of the Conference", {{nowrap|pp. 42&ndash;43}}]. United Nations (New York), 1987.</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
|+[[Greek diacritics|Diacritical marks]]
|-style="vertical-align:top;" 
! rowspan="2" | Greek 
! colspan="3" | Ancient 
! colspan="5" | Modern
! rowspan="2" | Name
|-style="vertical-align:top;" 
!title="Classical Latinate" | Classical
!title="Modern Scholarship" | {{nowrap|ALA-LC<ref name=ala-lc/>}}<br><small>(2010)</small>
! {{nowrap|[[Beta Code]]<ref name=TLGr/>}}<br><ref group="n.">These marks are placed ''after'' the letter so that, e.g., {{lang|grc|Ἐν}} is written E)N and {{lang|grc|τῷ}} is written TW=|.</ref>
! {{nowrap|[[ELOT]]<ref name=elot>{{lang|el|Ελληνικός Οργανισμός Τυποποίησης}} [''Ellīnikós Organismós Typopoíīsīs'', "[[Hellenic Organization for Standardization]]"]. {{lang|el|ΕΛΟΤ 743, 2η Έκδοση}} [''ELOT 743, 2ī Ekdosī'', "ELOT 743, {{nowrap|2nd ed.}}"]. ELOT (Athens), 2001. {{in lang|el}}.</ref>}}<br><small>(2001)</small>
! {{nowrap|[[United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names|UN]]<ref name=UNCSGN5/>}}<br><small>(1987)</small>
! [[BGN/PCGN romanization|BGN/<br>PCGN]]&nbsp;<ref name="bgn96">United States [[National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency]]. ''[http://earth-info.nga.mil/gns/html/romanization.html Romanization Systems and Policies] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130213212545/http://earth-info.nga.mil/gns/html/romanization.html|date=2013-02-13}}'': "[http://earth-info.nga.mil/gns/html/Romanization/Romanization_Greek.pdf Romanization System for Greek]". 1996. Accessed 2 October 2014.</ref><br><small>(1996)</small>
! {{nowrap|ISO<ref name=sixty2/>}}<br><small>(1997)</small>
! {{nowrap|ALA-LC<ref name=ala-lc/>}}<br><small>(2010)</small>
|-
| <big><big>{{lang|grc|&nbsp; ́&nbsp;}}</big></big> || colspan="2" | <!--omitted--> || / || colspan="4" | <big><big>[[acute accent|´]]</big></big><ref group="n.">In systems where the {{lang|el|υ}} in {{lang|el|αυ, ευ}}, and {{lang|el|ηυ}} is romanized as a consonant v or f, the stressed diphthongs {{lang|el|αύ, εύ}}, and {{lang|el|ηύ}} are romanized with the accent mark over the ''initial'' vowel. This should be distinguished from Greek {{lang|el|άυ, έυ}}, and {{lang|el|ήυ}}, which would be romanized as separate letters and not as diphthongs: áÿ, éÿ, and íÿ or ī́ÿ or í̱ÿ.</ref> || <!--omitted--> || style="text-align:left;" | [[Greek diacritics#Accents|accent]]<br>[[Greek diacritics#Accents|acute accent]]
|-
| <big><big>{{lang|grc|&nbsp; ̀&nbsp;}}</big></big> || colspan="2" | <!--omitted--> || \ || <big><big>[[grave accent|`]]</big></big> || {{n/a}} || <big><big>´</big></big> || <big><big>[[grave accent|`]]</big></big> || <!--omitted--> || style="text-align:left;" | [[Greek diacritics#Accents|grave accent]]
|-
| <big><big>{{lang|grc|&nbsp;῾&nbsp;}}</big></big> ||colspan="2"| {{nowrap|h<ref group="n." name="spir">In the ALA-LC system, the h is supplied even where the rough breathing is not marked in ancient and medieval Greek (for example, initial ρ was always considered to possess rough breathing) but not in Greek after 1453.

* On a vowel: h before the vowel.
* On a diphthong: h before the first vowel.
* On ρ: h after the r.</ref>}} || ( || h<ref group="n." name="spir"/> || {{n/a}} || <!--omitted--> || {{nowrap|h<ref group="n." name="spir"/>}} ||{{nowrap|h<ref group="n." name="spir"/>}} || style="text-align:left;" | [[Greek diacritics#Breathings|rough breathing]]
|-
| <big><big>{{lang|grc|&nbsp;᾿&nbsp;}}</big></big> || colspan="2" | <!--omitted--> || ) || <big><big>[[apostrophe|']]</big></big><!--sic--> || {{n/a}} ||<!--omitted--> || <big><big>[[apostrophe|']]</big></big> || <!--omitted--> || style="text-align:left;" | [[Greek diacritics#Coronis|coronis]]<br>[[Greek diacritics#Breathings|smooth breathing]]
|-
| <big><big>{{lang|grc|&nbsp;˜&nbsp;}}</big></big><br><big>{{lang|grc|&nbsp; ̑&nbsp;}}</big> || colspan="2" | <!--omitted--> || = || [[circumflex|ˆ]] || {{n/a}} || <big><big>´</big></big> || <big><big>[[circumflex|ˆ]]</big></big> || <!--omitted--> || style="text-align:left;" | [[Greek diacritics#Accents|circumflex]] 
|-
| <big><big>{{lang|grc|&nbsp;¨&nbsp;}}</big></big> ||colspan="2"| <!--omitted--><ref group="n." name="bob">The diaeresis mark indicates that adjacent vowels should be taken separately and not as a single diphthong.</ref> || + || colspan="4" | {{nowrap|<big><big>[[Diaeresis (diacritic)|¨]]</big></big><ref group="n." name="bob"/>}} || <!--omitted--><ref group="n." name="bob"/> || style="text-align:left;" | [[Greek diacritics#Diaeresis|diaeresis]]
|-
| <big><big>{{lang|grc|&nbsp;ͺ&nbsp;}}</big></big> ||colspan="2"| <!--omitted--> || {{pipe}} || <big><big>[[cedilla|¸]]</big></big> || {{n/a}} || <!--omitted--> || <big><big>[[cedilla|¸]]</big></big> || <!--omitted--> || style="text-align:left;" | [[Greek diacritics#Subscript|iota subscript]]
|}

{{Reflist|group=n.}}

Apart from the diacritical marks native to Greek itself or used to romanize its characters, [[linguistics|linguists]] also regularly mark [[vowel length]] with [[Macron (diacritic)|macron]]s ({{lang|grc|&nbsp;¯&nbsp;}}) marking [[long vowel]]s and rounded [[breve]]s ({{lang|grc|&nbsp;˘&nbsp;}}) marking [[short vowel]]s. Where these are romanized, it is common to mark the long vowels with macrons over the Latin letters and to leave the short vowels unmarked; such macrons should not be confused or conflated with those used by some systems to mark [[eta]] and [[omega]] as distinct from [[epsilon]], [[iota]], and [[omicron]].

===Numerals===
{{main|Greek numerals|Attic numerals}}
Greece's early [[Attic numerals]] were based on a small sample of letters (including [[heta]]) arranged in multiples of 5 and 10, likely forming the inspiration for the later [[Etruscan numerals|Etruscan]] and [[Roman numerals]].

This early system was replaced by [[Greek numerals]] which employed the entire alphabet, including the [[#Uncommon letters|nonstandard letters digamma]], [[#Uncommon letters|stigma]], or sigma-tau (placed between epsilon and zeta), [[#Uncommon letters|koppa]] (placed between pi and rho), and [[#Uncommon letters|sampi]] (placed after omega). As revised in 2001, ELOT 743 provides for the uncommon characters to be given (in Greek) as [[dollar sign|$]] for stigma, [[plus sign|+]] for koppa, and [[slash (punctuation)|/]] for sampi. These symbols are not given lower-case equivalents.<ref name=elot/> When used as numbers, the letters are used in combination with the upper ''keraia'' numeral sign ⟨[[ʹ]]⟩ to denote numbers from 1 to 900 and in combination with the lower ''keraia'' ⟨[[͵]]⟩ to denote multiples of 1000. (''For a full table of the signs and their values, see'' [[Greek numerals]].)

These values are traditionally romanized as [[Roman numeral]]s, so that {{lang|el|Αλέξανδρος Γ' ο Μακεδών}} would be translated as [[Alexander III of Macedon]] and transliterated as ''Aléxandros III o Makedṓn'' rather than ''Aléxandros G''' or ''Aléxandros 3''. [[Greece|Greek]] laws and other official documents of [[Greece]] which employ these numerals, however, are to be formally romanized using "decimal" [[Arabic numerals]].<ref name=elot/>

{{anchor|Greek punctuation|Punctuation}}

===Punctuation marks===
{{main|Greek punctuation|obelism}}

Ancient Greek text did not mark word division with [[space (typography)|spaces]] or [[interpunct]]s, instead running the words together (''[[scripta continua]]''). In the Hellenistic period, a variety of symbols arose for [[Greek punctuation|punctuation]] or [[obelism|editorial marking]]; such punctuation (or the lack thereof) are variously romanized, inserted, or ignored in different modern editions.

Modern [[Greek punctuation]] generally follows [[French punctuation|French]] with the notable exception of Greek's use of a separate [[question mark]], the ''[[erotimatiko]]'', which is shaped like the [[Latin script|Latinate]] [[semicolon]]. Greek punctuation which has been given formal romanizations include:

{| class="wikitable" 
|-
|+[[Greek punctuation|Punctuation marks]]
|-
! | Greek 
! | {{nowrap|[[ELOT]]<ref name=elot/>}}<br/><small>(2001)</small>
! | {{nowrap|ISO<ref name=sixty2/>}}<br/><small>(1997)</small>
! | Name
|-
| | <big><big>{{lang|grc|&nbsp;;&nbsp;}}</big></big> || <big><big>[[question mark|?]]</big></big> || | <big><big>[[question mark|?]]</big></big> || | {{nowrap|[[Greek question mark]]}}<br/>(''[[erotimatiko]]'')<!--sic. unaccented English form.-->
|-
| | <big><big>{{lang|grc|&nbsp;.&nbsp;}}</big></big> || <big><big>[[period mark|.]]</big></big> || | <big><big>[[period mark|.]]</big></big> || | [[full stop]]<!--sic--><br/>(''[[teleia]]'')<!--sic-->
|-
| | <big><big>{{lang|grc|&nbsp;·&nbsp;}}</big></big> || <big><big>[[semicolon|;]]</big></big> || | <big><big>[[semicolon|;]]</big></big> || | {{nowrap|[[Greek semicolon]]}}<br/>(''[[ano teleia]]'')<!--sic-->
|-
| | <big><big>{{lang|grc|&nbsp;:&nbsp;}}</big></big> || <big><big>[[colon (punctuation)|:]]</big></big> || | <big><big>[[Colon (punctuation)|:]]</big></big> || | [[Colon (punctuation)|colon]]<br/>(''[[ano kato teleia]]'')<!--sic-->
|-
| | <big><big>{{lang|grc|&nbsp;,&nbsp;}}</big></big> || <big><big>[[comma|,]]</big></big> || | <big><big>[[comma|,]]</big></big> || | [[comma]]<br/>(''[[Comma|komma]]'')<!--sic-->
|-
| | <big><big>{{lang|grc|&nbsp;!&nbsp;}}</big></big> || <big><big>[[exclamation point|!]]</big></big> || | <!--?--> || | [[exclamation point]]<br/>(''[[thavmastiko]]'')<!--sic-->
|-
| | <big><big>{{lang|grc|&nbsp;’&nbsp;}}</big></big> || <big><big>[[apostrophe|']]</big></big> || | <big><big>'</big></big> || | apostrophe<br/>(''[[apostrofos]]'')<!--sic-->
|-
| | <big><big>{{lang|grc|&nbsp;‿&nbsp;}}</big></big><br/><big><big> ͜</big></big> || <big><big>[[hyphen|-]]</big></big> || | <big><big>[[-]]</big></big> || | [[papyrological hyphen]]<br/>(''[[enotikon]]'')<!--sic-->
|}

{{anchor|Archaic letters}}

===Uncommon letters===
{{main|Archaic Greek alphabets|Greek ligatures}}
There are many [[archaic Greek alphabets|archaic forms and local variants]] of the [[Greek alphabet]]. [[Beta]], for example, might appear as round Β or pointed {{GrGl|Beta 16}} throughout Greece but is also found in the forms {{GrGl|Beta 12}} (at [[Gortyn]]), {{GrGl|Beta 01}} and {{GrGl|Beta 10}} ([[Thera]]), {{GrGl|Beta 03}} ([[Ancient Argos|Argos]]), {{GrGl|Beta 05}} ([[Melos]]), {{GrGl|Beta Corinth 1}} ([[Corinth]]), {{GrGl|Beta Byzantium 1}} ([[Megara]] and [[Byzantium]]), and even {{GrGl|Gamma C-shaped}} ([[Cyclades]]).<ref>Jeffery, Lilian H. ''The local scripts of archaic Greece'', {{nowrap|p. 23}}. Clarendon Press (Oxford), 1961.</ref> Well into the modern period, classical and medieval Greek was also set using a wide array of [[Typographic ligature|ligature]]s, symbols combining or abbreviating various sets of letters, such as those included in [[Claude Garamond]]'s 16th-century ''[[grecs du roi]]''. For the most part, such variants&mdash;as {{lang|grc|[[Pi (letter)#Variant pi|ϖ]]}} and {{GrGl|Pi archaic}} for [[pi (letter)|π]], {{lang|grc|[[Greek ligatures|ϛ]]}} for [[sigma (letter)|σ]][[tau (letter)|τ]], and {{lang|grc|[[Greek ligatures|ϗ]]}} for {{lang|grc|[[Greek ligatures|και]]}}&mdash;are just silently emended to their standard forms and transliterated accordingly. Letters with no equivalent in the classical Greek alphabet such as [[heta]] ({{lang|grc|Ͱ}} & {{lang|grc|ͱ}}), meanwhile, usually take their nearest English equivalent (in this case, [[h]]) but are too uncommon to be listed in formal transliteration schemes.

Uncommon Greek letters which have been given formal romanizations include:

{| class="wikitable" 
|-
|+[[Archaic Greek alphabets|Uncommon letters]]
|-
! | [[Archaic Greek alphabets|Greek]] 
! | {{nowrap|ISO<ref name=sixty2/>}}
! | {{nowrap|[[ALA-LC romanization|ALA-LC]]<ref name=ala-lc/>}}
! | {{nowrap|[[Beta Code]]<ref name=TLGr/>}}
! | Name
|-
| | {{lang|grc|Ϝ}} {{lang|grc|ϝ}}<br/>{{lang|grc|Ͷ}} {{lang|grc|ͷ}} || w || w || V || | [[digamma]]
|-
| | {{lang|grc|Ϙ}} {{lang|grc|ϙ}}<br/>{{lang|grc|Ϟ}} {{lang|grc|ϟ}} || {{n/a}} || ḳ ||#3 || | [[Koppa (letter)|koppa]]
|-
| | {{lang|grc|Ϡ}} {{lang|grc|ϡ}}<br/>{{lang|grc|Ͳ}}	 {{lang|grc|ͳ}} || colspan="2" {{n/a}} ||#5 || | [[sampi]]
|-
| | {{lang|grc|Ϻ}} {{lang|grc|ϻ}} || colspan="2" {{n/a}} ||#711|| | [[San (letter)|san]]
|-
| | {{lang|grc|Ϲ}} {{lang|grc|ϲ}} || s || s || S / S3 || | {{nowrap|lunate [[sigma]]}}
|-
| | {{lang|grc|Ϳ}} {{lang|grc|ϳ}} || j || {{n/a}} || #401 || | [[Yot (letter)|yot]]
|}

{{Reflist|group=n.}}

==Standardization==
The sounds of [[Modern Greek]] have diverged from both those of Ancient Greek and their descendant letters in English and other languages. This led to a variety of romanizations for names and placenames in the 19th and 20th century. The [[Hellenic Organization for Standardization]] (ELOT) issued its system in cooperation with the [[International Organization for Standardization]] (ISO) in 1983. This system was adopted (with minor modifications) by the [[United Nations]]' Fifth Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names at [[Montreal]] in 1987,<ref name="UNCSGN5" /><ref name="un">[[United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names]], Working Group on Romanization Systems. ''Report on the Current Status of United Nations Romanization Systems for Geographical Names:'' "[http://www.eki.ee/wgrs/rom1_el.htm Greek]". [[United Nations]] (New York), 2003. Accessed 6 October 2014.</ref> by the United Kingdom's [[Permanent Committee on Geographical Names for British Official Use]] (PCGN) and by the United States' [[United States Board on Geographic Names|Board on Geographic Names]] (BGN) in 1996,<ref name="bgn96" /> and by the ISO itself in 1997.<ref name="un" /><ref name="isogreek">[[International Organization for Standardization]]. "[[ISO 843]]:1997 (Conversion of Greek characters into Latin characters)". 2010.</ref> Romanization of names for official purposes (as with passports and identity cards) were required to use the ELOT system within Greece until 2011, when a legal decision permitted Greeks to use irregular forms<ref>[http://www.synigoros.gr/langs?i=human-rights.el&l=el {{lang|el|Συνήγορος του Πολίτη}}] [''Synī́goros tou Polítī'', "[http://www.synigoros.gr/langs?i=human-rights.en&l=en The Greek Ombudsman]".] "[http://www.synigoros.gr/?i=human-rights.el.eggrafa_tautotitas.63804 {{lang|el|Λατινική γραφή κατά παρέκκλιση ΕΛΟΤ 743 στις ταυτότητες και τα διαβατήρια}}]" [''Latinikī́ grafī́ katá parékklisī'' ELOT 743 ''stis taftótītes kai ta diavatī́ria'', "Latin Script Exceptions to ELOT 743 on Passports and ID Cards"]. Accessed 3 October 2014. {{in lang|el}}</ref> (such as "[[Demetrios]]" for {{lang|el|Δημήτριος}}) provided that official identification and documents also list the standard forms (as, for example, "Demetrios OR Dimitrios").<ref>Hellenic National Passport Center. Press Releases: "[http://www.passport.gov.gr/en/anouncements-bulletins/anouncements-bulletins/transliteration-of-the-passport-holders-name-in-latin.html Transliteration of the Passport Holder's Name in Latin<!--sic-->] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171114162732/http://www.passport.gov.gr/en/anouncements-bulletins/anouncements-bulletins/transliteration-of-the-passport-holders-name-in-latin.html |date=2017-11-14 }}". 12 February 2012. Accessed 3 October 2014. {{in lang|en}}</ref> Other romanization systems still encountered are the BGN/PCGN's earlier 1962 system<ref name="un" /><ref name="sixty2" /> and the system employed by the [[American Library Association]] and the United States' [[Library of Congress]].<ref name="ala-lc" />

==See also==
* [[Classical compound]]
* [[Cyrillization of Greek]]
* [[English words of Greek origin]]
* [[Greek alphabet]]
* [[List of Latin and Greek words commonly used in systematic names]]
* [[:wikt:Main page|Wiktionary]]'s articles on [[:wikt:Wiktionary:Ancient Greek romanization and pronunciation|Ancient Greek romanization and pronunciation]], [[wikt:Appendix:Greek numerals|numerals]], [[:wikt:Appendix:Greek punctuation|punctuation]] and [[:wikt:Wiktionary:Greek transliteration|Modern Greek transliteration]].

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [http://www.passport.gov.gr/passports/GrElotConverter/GrElotConverter.html ELOT 743 Converter], a free online tool by the Greek government for official purposes using 2nd-edition ELOT transcription {{in lang|el}}
* [https://translate.google.com/#el/en/ Google Translate], a free online tool providing UN transliteration of Modern Greek. Also comes as application
* [http://transliterate.com/ Transliterate.com], a free online tool providing transliteration of Ancient Greek
* ''[http://transliteration.eki.ee/ Transliteration of Non-Roman Scripts]'', tables in pdf format by Thomas T. Pedersen
* [https://www.greeklishconverter.com/ Greeklish converter] Greeklish to Greek conversion and Greek transliteration with user-selectable options

{{Greek language}}
{{Romanization}}

[[Category:Romanization of Greek| ]]
[[Category:Greek language]]
[[Category:Hellenic scripts]]