| German original | Russian transcription | Bulgarian transcription[2] |
| a | а (but at the end of a word, following i, я is used: Bavaria → Бавария) |
| aa | а (Aachen → Ахен) |
| ae | transcribed like ä when it stands for that letter; otherwise, transcribed like a + e | depending on pronunciation |
| ai | ай (Mainz → Майнц) |
| ay | ай |
| ä | е after consonants, э after vowels and at the beginning of a word | е |
| äu | ой (historically also ей: Bäumler → Беймлер) | ой |
| b | б |
| c | as к (Calw → Кальв) or ц (Celle → Целле) depending on pronunciation | as к or ц depending on pronunciation |
| ch | х (or, in loanwords, ш, ч, к etc. based on pronunciation) (Chiemsee → Кимзе, historically also Химзе) | к at the start of the word (Chiemsee → Кимзе); х after vowels (Achim → Ахим) |
| chh | хг (traditionally), or хх (modern variant)[3][4] (Hochhuth → Хоххут; Eichhorn → Айххорн) | хх if ch and h belong to different morphemes (Hochheim → Хоххайм) |
| chs | кс, when pronounced as x, otherwise transcribed like ch + s |
| ck | к, or between vowels (and always, according to the rules for transcribing geographic names)[5] кк (Boris Becker → Борис Беккер) | к |
| d | д |
| e | е after consonants, э after vowels and at the beginning of a word (Erfurt → Эрфурт) | е |
| ee | like e (Spree → Шпре) |
| ei | ай (Eider → Айдер) (historically also эй, ей: Einstein → Эйнштейн) | ай |
| eu | ой (Neumünster → Ноймюнстер) (historically also эй, ей: Neumann → Нейман) | ой |
| ey | ай (Eider → Айдер) (historically also эй, ей: Meyer → Мейер) | ай |
| f | ф |
| g | г (in loanwords, before e, i, y, sometimes ж or дж based on pronunciation) | г |
| gk | гк (Woldegk → Вольдегк), sometimes г (Burgkmair → Бургмайр) | ? |
| h | х, when pronounced: Herne → Херне; Dietharz → Дитхарц; omitted when silent: Ehenbichl → Ээнбихль, Lahr → Лар (historically also transcribed with г) | х at the start of a word or morpheme; otherwise not transcribed |
| i | и at the beginning of a word or after consonants, й after vowels |
| ie | и when e indicates a long i, ие when divided between two syllables (Marienberg → Мариенберг) |
| j | й at the end of a syllable; at the beginning of a word or between vowels, ja → я, jä → е, je → е, jo → йо, jö → йё, ju → ю, jü → йю; after consonants: ja → ья, jä → ье, je → ье, jo → ьо, jö → ьё, ju → ью, jü → ью; when between parts of a compound word, then ъ instead of ь | depending on the following vowel: ja → я; je, jä → йе (only at the start of the word or after a vowel, otherwise: е); ju, jü, jui → ю |
| k | к |
| l | л before vowels, ль before consonants or at the end of a word (exceptions include Karl → Карл); after l, u becomes ю instead of у in some traditional cases (Ludwigsburg → Людвигсбург) | л |
| ll | лл except between consonants and vowels; at the end of a word -ь is appended (exceptions include Rheinmetall → Рейнметалл) | л |
| m | м |
| n | н (but -mann → -ман) |
| o | о |
| oe | transcribed like ö when it stands for that letter; if it stands for a long o then transcribed as о: Coesfeld → Косфельд; if the two letters form separate syllables, then transcribed like o + e | transcribed like ö when it stands for that letter; if it stands for a long o then transcribed as о: Coesfeld → Косфелд; if the two letters form separate syllables, then transcribed like o + e: Buchloe → Бухлое |
| oo | о (Koopmann → Копман) |
| ö | э at the beginning of a word, otherwise ё (Österreich (as a last name) → Эстеррайх) | ьо after a consonant, otherwise йо |
| p | п |
| ph | ф, unless divided by a syllable boundary: Diepholz → Дипхольц | ф, unless divided by a syllable boundary: Diepholz → Дипхолц |
| qu | кв (Querfurt → Кверфурт) |
| r | р |
| s | з for /z/, с for /s/: Sassnitz → Засниц, Kiste → Кисте | likewise: з at the start of the word or if between vowels (or between a vowel and a sonorant), in all other cases: с |
| sch | ш |
| sp | шп at the beginning of a word (including inside compound words), otherwise сп |
| ss | сс or с (when ss stands for ß, then с), unless divided between two syllables: Ludwigsstadt → Людвигсштадт | s unless at morpheme boundary |
| st | шт at the beginning of a word (including inside compound words), otherwise ст: Rostock → Росток | щ at the beginning of a word (including inside compound words), otherwise ст |
| ß | с |
| t | т, but the suffix -tion → -цион |
| tsch | ч (unless divided between two syllables, in which case тш: Altschul → Альтшуль) | ч |
| tz | тц between vowels, otherwise ц (Ratzeburg → Ратцебург) | ц: Рацебург |
| u | у |
| ue | transcribed like ü when it stands for that letter; if it stands for a long u then transcribed as у: Buer → Бур; if the two letters form separate syllables, then transcribed like u + e: Adenauer → Аденауэр | transcribed like ü when it stands for that letter; if it stands for a long u then transcribed as у: Buer → Бур; if the two letters form separate syllables, then transcribed like u + e: Adenauer → Аденауер |
| ü | и at the beginning of a word, otherwise ю (Neumünster → Ноймюнстер, Uelzen → Ильцен) | ю |
| v | ф when pronounced like f; в when pronounced like w |
| w | в (Wagner → Вагнер) |
| x | кс |
| y | и at the beginning of a word and after consonants (even when pronounced as ü) (Bad Pyrmont → Бад-Пирмонт), й after vowels; as a consonant, ya → я (Yanina Wickmayer → Янина Викмайер) |
| z | ц |
| zsch | ч (unless divided between two syllables, in which case цш: so, Delitzsch → Делич, but Nietzsche → Ницше) |
