Romanization table

This is a compromise version of romanization that combines the existing schemes.

It is expected that the readers of Wikipedia have no linguistic background, so simplified romanization is advised for usage in articles. Original Persian spelling in parenthesis is enough for those who need it. However, the semi-strict romanization may be written alongside (usually after) Persian script to give a clue to the native pronunciation of a name or a word.

The scientific (strict) column is given rather for reference. If you need a more precise transliteration, use the semi-strict one: it is precise enough but uses less diacritical signs and more intuitive.

Notes:

Redundant letters

Persian has seven redundant letters inherited from Arabic: ⟨ث ص⟩ for ⟨س⟩ s, ⟨ذ ظ ض⟩ for ⟨ز⟩ z, ⟨ط⟩ for ⟨ت⟩ t, ⟨ح⟩ for ⟨ه⟩ h. Usually, they are represented in romanizations with one diacritical sign or another. Unlike Arabic, this diacritics does not signify any changes in Persian pronunciation. The motive for this is backward conversion: one could restore the original Persian spelling from a romanization. But if the original spelling for a Persian word is already provided, there is no reason to write these diacritical signs, so you do not have to use them.

Digraphs

When combinations گه gh, که kh, سه sh, زه zh occur, a middle dot ⟨·⟩ or an apostrophe ⟨'⟩ may be employed: g·h, k·h, s·h, z·h.

Vowels

In Classical Persian there were three short vowels: a, i, u, and five long ones: ā, ē, ī, ō, ū. In modern varieties the distinction is between three unstable (formerly short) vowels: a, e, o, and three stable (formerly long) ones: ā, i, u. Sometimes a macron could be seen over the latter two: ī and ū, but as there is no short i and u in Modern Persian (either Farsi or Dari, but not Tajik), there is no need in such redundant notation. In simplified romanization the macron over the stable a could be also ignored. For ē and ō see the section below.

The ending -eh

The Middle Persian nominal ending -ag is written with the Arabic letter ⟨ه⟩ and pronounced either with a in Classical Persian and Dari or e in Iranian Farsi. The tradition is to retain this mute letter h in romanization. So شاهنامه is Shahnameh or Shahnamah. Note that Encyclopædia Iranica prefers -a.

Mute h

The word-final mute ⟨ه⟩ can signify any other final vowel than the above-mentioned ending.

Mute v

The initial combination ⟨خو⟩ that represented either /xʷ/ or /xw/ in Classical Persian has been simplified into /x/ in Modern Persian. It is advised not to transliterate this mute letter but in some cases it may be represented with ⟨ʷ⟩ (U+02B7 MODIFIER LETTER SMALL W). E.g. Khʷārazm or Khārazm.

Dari and Classical Persian

Dari, the variety used in Afghanistan, is more conservative in many ways and retains many traits of Classical Persian:

• Dari preserves two long vowels ē and ō, while in Iranian Persian they are merged with ī and ū respectively. E.g. the Persian words for "lion" and "milk" are written شیر but pronounced differently in Dari and Classical Persian: shēr and shīr, but the same in Iran: shir. If you want to present this distinction, it is better to write the macron.
• Dari preserves the quality of diphthongs ay and aw, whereas in Iran they are ow and ey.
• Dari preserves different pronunciation of the letter ⟨ق⟩ q, whereas in Iran the letter is merged with ⟨غ⟩ gh in pronunciation.
• Dari uses the semivowel pronunciation w of the letter ⟨و⟩.

It is up to the writer to decide whether to represent or not these linguistic peculiarities in the articles concerning Afghanistan. An advice here: be consistent and do not mix up two varieties. Articles concerning Classical (pre-modern) periods may follow the romanization of the sources cited.

Lead paragraphs

All Persian-related articles should have a lead paragraph which includes the article title in simplified romanization, along with the original Persian script and the semi-strict romanization in parenthesis, the latter gives a reader a general hint how the name or word is pronounced by native speakers. The Persian script may be enclosed in either {{lang-fa}}, {{lang-prs}} or {{lang}}, while the romanization in either {{unicode}} or {{transl}}.

Consider the following examples:

'''Tehran''' ({{lang-fa|تهران}}, ''{{unicode|Tehrān}}'') is the capital of Iran.

'''Kabul''' ({{lang-prs|کابل}}, ''{{unicode|Kābol}}'') is the capital of Afghanistan.

which gives:

Tehran (Persian: تهران, Tehrān) is the capital of Iran.

Kabul (Dari: کابل, Kābol) is the capital of Afghanistan.

Some cases may require variations on this format.

Consider the following:

Omar Khayyam (born Ghiyās̱-ad-Din Abu-l-Fatḥ ‘Omar ebn Ebrāhim al-Khayyām Nishāpuri, غیاثالدین ابوالفتح عمر ابراهیم خیام نیشابورﻯ) was a Persian poet and polymath.

Ferdowsi, or Firdawsi (full name in Persian: حکیم ابوالقاسم فردوسی توسی, Ḥakim Abu-l-Qāsem Ferdowsi Tusi) was a Persian poet.

The articles that are missing this information are listed at Articles needing Persian script or text.

In accordance with the official Wikipedia policy at Wikipedia:Naming conventions (use English), if the name has an accepted English form, then use it everywhere: in the name of the article, in the lead paragraph and in the article itself, e.g. use Kabul, not Kabol, Isfahan, not Esfahan, Kunduz, not Qondoz (except in semi-strict romanization after Persian script).

Redirects

All common transliterations should redirect to the article. There may often be many redirects, but this is intentional and does not represent a problem.

In text

Use simplified romanization for Persian names and words whenever possible. The first time you introduce a Persian name or word, provide the Persian script and the semi-strict transliteration in parenthesis. Example:

An early epic poem of Persian classical literature is the Shahnameh (Persian: شاهنامه, Shāhnāmeh) by Ferdowsi (Persian: فردوسی). Ferdowsi wrote the Shahnameh between 977 and 1010 AD. (Not "Ferdowsī wrote the Šāhnāmeh...")