Bahá’í World/Volume 7/Transliteration of Oriental Words with Guide
TRANSLITERATION OF ORIENTAL WORDS FREQUENTLY USED IN BAHÁ’Í LITERATURE[edit]
| ‘Abá | ‘Aẓamat | Fará’id | Íqán |
| Ábádih | ‘Azíz | Fárán | Írán |
| ‘Abbás | Farmán | ‘Iráq | |
| ‘Abdu’l-Bahá | Báb | Farrásh-Báshí | ‘Iráqí |
| ‘Abdu’l-Ḥamíd | Bábí | Fárs | ‘Iráq-i-‘Ajam |
| ‘Abdu’l-Ḥusayn | Bábu’l-Báb | Farsakh | Iṣfáhán |
| ‘Abdu’lláh | Baghdád | Fatḥ-‘Alí | ‘Ishqábád |
| Abhá | Bahá | Firdaws | Ishráqát |
| Abu’l-Faḍl | Bahá’í | Firdawsí | Ishtihárd |
| ‘Adasíyyih | Bahá’u’lláh | Islám | |
| Adhán | Bahíyyih | Ganjih | Islamic |
| Ádhirbáyján | Bahjí | Gílán | Ismá‘ílíyyih |
| Afnán | Balúchistán | Gul | Istarábád |
| Aghṣán | Bandar-‘Abbás | Gulastán | ‘Izzat |
| ‘Ahd | Báqir | Gurgín | |
| Aḥmad | Baqíyyatu’lláh | Jalál | |
| Aḥsá’í | Bárfurúsh | Ḥabíb | Jamádíyu’l-Avval |
| Ahváz | Baṣrih | Ḥadíth | Jamál |
| Akbar | Báṭúm | Ḥaḍrat | Jamál-i-Mubárak |
| ‘Akká | Bayán | Ḥájí | Jamál-i-Qidam |
| ‘Alá’ | Bayt | Ḥájí Mírzá Áqásí | Jásb |
| ‘Alí | Big | Ḥájj | Jubbíh |
| ‘Alí-Muḥammad | Bírjand | Hamadán | |
| Alláh-u-Abhá | Bishárát | Ḥasan | Kaaba |
| Alváḥ | Bismi’lláh | Ḥaydar-‘Alí | Ka‘bih |
| Alváḥ-i-Saláṭín | Bukhárá | Haykal | Kad-Khudá |
| Amín | Burújird | Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds | Kalantar |
| Amír | Búshihr | Ḥijáz | Kalím |
| Amír-Nizám | Bushrú’í | Himmat-Ábád | Kalimát |
| Amru’lláh | Bushrúyih | Ḥujjat | Kamál |
| Ámul | Ḥusayn | Karand | |
| Anzalí | Chihríq | Huvaydar | Karbilá |
| Áqá | Káshán | ||
| Aqdas | Dalá’il-i-Sab‘ih | Ibráhím | Kashkúl |
| ‘Arabistán | Dárúghih | Íl | Kawmu’ṣ-Ṣa‘áyidih |
| Asmá’ | Dawlat-Ábád | ‘Ilm | Kawthar |
| ‘Aváshiq | Dhabíḥ | Imám | Kázim |
| Ayádí | Duzdáb | Imám-Jum‘ih | Kázimayn |
| Azal | Imám-Zádih | Khalkhál |
| Khán | Muftí | Qudrat | Ṣúfí |
| Khániqayn | Muḥammad | Qum | Sulaymán |
| Khaylí khúb | Muḥammad-‘Alí | Qur’án | Sulṭán |
| Khurásán | Muḥammarih | Qurbán | Sulṭán-Ábád |
| Khuy | Muḥarram | Qurratu’l-‘Ayn | Sultanate |
| Kirmán | Mujtahid | Sulṭánu’sh-Shuhadá’ | |
| Kirmánsháh | Mulk | Rafsinján | Sunní |
| Kitáb-i-‘Ahd | Mullá | Raḥím | Sunnites |
| Kitáb-i-Aqdas | Munírih | Raḥmán | Súratu’l-Haykal |
| Kitáb-i-Asmá’ | Muṣṭafá | Raḥmat | Súrih |
| Kitáb-i-Badí‘ | Mustagháth | Ra’ís | Súriy-i-Damm |
| Kitáb-i-Íqán | Muẓaffari’d-Dín | Ramaḍán | Súriy-i-Ghuṣn |
| Kuláh | Rasht | Súriy-i-Ra’ís | |
| Kurdistán | Nabíl | Rawḥání | Súriy-i-Ṣabr |
| Nabíl-i-A‘ẓam | Riḍván | ||
| Láhíján | Najaf | Rúḥu’lláh | Tabríz |
| Lár | Najaf-Ábád | Ṭáhirih | |
| Lawḥ | Náqidín | Sabzivár | Tajallíyát |
| Luristán | Náṣir | Sadratu’l-Muntahá | Tákur |
| Náṣiri’d-Dín | Ṣáḥibu’z-Zamán | Taqí | |
| Madrisih | Navváb | Ṣaḥífatu’l-Ḥaramayn | Ṭarázát |
| Maḥbúbu’sh-Shuhadá’ | Naw-Rúz | Sa‘íd | Tarbíyat |
| Mahd-i-‘Ulyá | Nayríz | Salsibíl | Ṭáshkand |
| Máh-Kú | Níshábúr | Samarqand | Tawḥíd |
| Maḥmúd | Nuqṭih | Sangsar | Thurayyá |
| Maláyir | Núr | Sárí | Ṭihrán |
| Man-Yuzhiruhu’lláh | Sha‘bán | Túmán | |
| Maqám | Pahlaví | Sháh | Turkistán |
| Marághih | Párán | Shahíd | |
| Marḥabá | Shahmírzád | ‘Ulamá | |
| Marv | Qádí | Sháhrúd | Urúmíyyih |
| Masá’il | Qádíyán | Sharaf | ‘Uthmán |
| Mashhad | Qahqahih | Sharí‘ah | |
| Mashíyyat | Qá’im | Shaykh | Vaḥíd |
| Mashriqu’l-Adhkár | Qájár | Shaykh-Tabarsí | Valí |
| Masjid | Qalyán | Shaykhu’l-Islám | Valí-‘Ahd |
| Maydán | Qamṣar | Shí‘ih | Varqá |
| Mázindarán | Qaṣr-i-Shírín | Shiites | Vazír |
| Mihdí | Qawl | Shíráz | |
| Miḥráb | Qayyúm | Shushtar | Yá-Bahá’u’l-Abhá |
| Mílán | Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’ | Simnán | Yaḥyá |
| Mi‘ráj | Qazvín | Sísán | Yazd |
| Mírzá | Qiblih | Sístán | |
| Mishkín-Qalam | Qúchán | Síyáh-Chál | Zanján |
| Mu’adhdhin | Quddús | Siyyid | Zarand |
| Zaynu’l-Muqarrabín |
GUIDE TO TRANSLITERATION AND PRONUNCIATION OF THE ÍRÁNIAN ALPHABET[edit]
| ا . . . . . á | خ . . . . . kh | ص . . . . . ṣ | ک . . . . . k |
| ب . . . . . b | د . . . . . d | ض . . . . . ḍ | گ . . . . . g |
| پ . . . . . p | ذ . . . . . dh | ط . . . . . ṭ | ل . . . . . l |
| ت . . . . . t | ر . . . . . r | ظ . . . . . ẓ | م . . . . . m |
| ث . . . . . th | ز . . . . . z | ع . . . . . ‘ | ن . . . . . n |
| ج . . . . . j | ژ . . . . . zh | غ . . . . . gh | و . . . . . v |
| چ . . . . . ch | س . . . . . s | ف . . . . . f | ه . . . . . h |
| ح . . . . . ḥ | ش . . . . . sh | ق . . . . . q | ي . . . . . y |
| ء . . . . . ’ |
| a . . . . . as in account á . . . . . as in arm |
i . . . . . as (e) in best í . . . . . as (ee) in meet |
u . . . . . as (o) in short ú . . . . . as (oo) in moon |
aw . . . . . as in mown |
The “í” added to the name of a town signifies “belonging to.” Thus, Shírází means native of Shíráz.
[Page 617]
NOTES ON THE PRONUNCIATION OF ÍRÁNIAN[edit]
The emphasis in Íránian words is more or less evenly distributed, each syllable being equally stressed as in French. For example, do not say Tabriz or Tabarsi; stay as long on one syllable as on the next: Tabriz; Ţabar-sí. (While there are many exceptions to this rule, it is the most generally correct method of treating the question of stress.)
A frequent mistake is the failure to distinguish between broad and flat "a's." This differentiation makes the language especially musical and should be observed: in the word Afnán, for example, pronounce the first "a" as in mat, and the second syllable to rhyme with on. Americans are apt to pronounce short "a" plus "r" like the verb form are; this is a mistake; "ar" should be pronounced as in the name of Harry—cf. Tarbiyat.
The following consonants may be pronounced like ss: th, s, s.
Zh is pronounced like the "" in pleasure.
Kh is pronounced like "ch" in Scotch loch or German nacht. Do not pronounce it as "k." Westerners are as a rule incapable of pronouncing gh and "q"; a guttural French "r" will serve here; otherwise use hard "g" as in good.
H and h, approximately like the English aspirate "h," should never be dropped. Ţihrán is Teh-ron; madrisih is mad-res-seh; Mihráb is Meh-rob.
In the case of double letters pronounce each separately: ‘Ab-bás.
The character transliterated (’) represents a pause; it is not unlike the initial sound made in pronouncing such a word as every.
The word Bahá’í is phonetically as follows: "a" as in account; "á" as in father; (’), pause; "" as ee in meet.
The character transliterated (*) may also be treated as a pause.
The same differentiation should be observed in the case of long and short "i" and long and short "u". As the guide to the transliteration indicates, short "i" is like "e" in best, and long "i" like "ee" in meet; for example, Ibráhím is pronounced Eb-rá-heem; Islám is Ess-lahm. Short "u" being like "o" in short, and long "u" being like "oo" in moon, the following would be pronounced: Quddús-Qod-dooss; Bárfurúsh-Bár-fo-roosh.
Pronounce "aw" to rhyme with oh, or mown; Naw-Rúz is No-Rooz.
The following consonants may be pronounced like z: dh, z, z, d.
N.B. As Íránian often indicates no vowel sounds and as its pronunciation differs in different localities throughout Írán and the Near East as well as among individuals in any given locality, a uniform system of transliteration such as the above, which is in use by Bahá’í communities all over the world, is indispensable to the student.