German Transliteration: Alphabet, Rules, Tables and Converter
German transliteration means writing German letters and words using the letters of other languages and writing systems. On this page, you will find key information about the German alphabet, rules for representing German letters, practical transcription, comparison tables, and online converters for different systems.
German transliteration is used to write German letters, words, names, and place names in other languages and writing systems. It is used in translations, official documents, catalogues, maps, academic publications, international databases and electronic systems. Unlike simple letter replacement, German transliteration often takes into account pronunciation, letter combinations and traditional spelling.
This section contains information about the German alphabet, transliteration rules, comparison tables, details about different systems for writing German, as well as online converters and reference materials for converting German words into Russian, English and other languages.
German–Russian transliteration
German to Russian transliteration: table of letters and combinations, rules for umlauts and ß, with examples for names, geographical names and general vocabulary.
The German Alphabet
The German alphabet: 26 Latin letters, the umlauts ä, ö, ü and the letter ß, a table of the letters, alphabetical order, vowels and consonants, special features of the German language.
Questions and Answers
What is German transliteration?
It is the way of writing German words, names and place names using the letters of another language or writing system, while keeping the original letters as close as possible.
What is the difference between transliteration and transcription?
Transliteration shows the letters and spelling of a word, while transcription shows how it is pronounced.
How many letters are there in the German alphabet?
The German alphabet has 26 Latin letters plus the special characters ä, ö, ü and ß. In Germany, there are 30 letters in total.
Are ä, ö and ü separate letters?
Yes, umlauts are considered separate letters in the German alphabet and have their own usage rules.
What does the letter ß mean?
The letter ß (Eszett) is used in German after long vowels and diphthongs, and usually stands for the sound "ss".
Does ß have a capital letter?
Yes, modern German uses the capital ẞ, although in some cases SS is still used instead.
Is the German alphabet the same in Germany, Austria and Switzerland?
In general, yes. All German-speaking countries use the same basic alphabet, but there are some spelling differences.
Is ß used in Switzerland?
No, in Swiss German the letter ß is not usually used. The combination ss is used instead.
Are there differences in how German words are written in different countries?
Yes. Some spelling rules and word forms are different in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, but the basic language and alphabet are the same.
Why are letter combinations important in German?
Many German sounds are written with letter combinations rather than single letters – for example sch, ch, ei, ie and eu.
How is sch written in Russian?
In most cases, sch is written as the Russian letter “ш”.
How are umlauts written internationally?
In technical systems and web addresses (URLs), umlauts are often replaced with ae, oe or ue.
Is there a single system for German-to-Russian transliteration?
No. There are different approaches: practical transcription, special rules for place names, dictionary standards and special comparison tables.
What is practical transcription?
This means writing foreign words using Russian letters based on how they sound and traditional spelling.
Can you always restore the original German spelling from Russian?
No, not always. In normal practical transcription, different German letters can be written the same way in Russian, so you can't always tell which original letter was used.
What is unambiguous transliteration?
This is a system where each letter of the original alphabet always matches one specific symbol or group of symbols in another alphabet.
Where is German transliteration used?
It is used in documents, translations, maps, academic works, libraries, international databases and computer systems.
Can GOST 7.79 be used for German?
GOST 7.79 is designed for transliterating Cyrillic into Latin script, but its tables can sometimes help find matching letters.
Which countries use the German alphabet?
The German alphabet is used in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and other German-speaking regions.
Is there an online converter for German?
Yes. In this section you will find online converters and tables for converting German words into Russian and other languages.