ISO 15919


ISO 15919 "Transliteration of Devanagari and related Indic scripts into Latin characters" is one of a series of international standards for romanization by the International Organization for Standardization. It was published in 2001 and uses diacritics to map the much larger set of consonants and vowels in Brahmic scripts to the Latin script.

Overview

7-bit
ISO		DevaBengGuruGujrOryaTamlTeluKndaMlymSinh
aअঅਅઅଅஅఅಅഅඅ11
aaआআਆઆଆஆఆಆആආ11
aeඇ1
aeeඈ1
iइইਇઇଇஇఇಇഇඉ11
iiईঈਈઈଈஈఈಈഈඊ11
uउউਉઉଉஉఉಉഉඋ11
uuऊঊਊઊଊஊఊಊഊඌ11
^u്1
,rऋঋઋଋఋಋഋඍ9
,rrॠৠૠୠౠೠൠඎ9
,lऌঌઌଌఌಌഌඏ9
,llॡৡૡୡౡೡൡඐ9
eऎஎఎಎഎඑ7
eeएএਏએଏஏఏಏഏඒ11
^eऍઍ2
aiऐঐਐઐଐஐఐಐഐඓ11
oऒஒఒಒഒඔ7
ooओওਓઓଓஓఓಓഓඕ11
^oऑઑ2
auऔঔਔઔଔஔఔಔഔඖ11
;mं ংਂંଂஂంಂം10
.mੰ1
~mँ ঁਁઁଁఀ9
^nఁං2
.hः ঃਃઃଃఃಃഃඃ11
_hᳵೱ2
^hᳶೲ2
_kஃ1
kकকਕકକகకಕകක11
khखখਖખଖఖಖഖඛ10
gगগਗગଗగಗഗග10
ghघঘਘઘଘఘಘഘඝ10
;nङঙਙઙଙஙఙಙങඞ11
^ngඟ1
cचচਚચଚசచಚചච11
^cౘ1
chछছਛછଛఛಛഛඡ10
jजজਜજଜஜజಜജජ11
jhझঝਝઝଝఝಝഝඣ10
~nञঞਞઞଞஞఞಞഞඤ11
^njඦ1
.tटটਟટଟடటಟടට11
.thठঠਠઠଠఠಠഠඨ10
.dडডਡડଡడಡഡඩ10
.dhढঢਢઢଢఢಢഢඪ10
.rड़ড়ੜଡ଼6
.rhढ़ঢ়ଢ଼5
.nणণਣણଣணణಣണණ11
^n.dඬ1
tतতਤતତதతತതත11
thथথਥથଥథಥഥථ10
dदদਦદଦదದദද10
dhधধਧધଧధಧധධ10
nनনਨનନநనನനන11
^ndඳ1
pपপਪપପபపಪപප11
phफফਫફଫఫಫഫඵ10
bबবਬબବబಬബබ10
bhभভਭભଭభಭഭභ10
mमমਮમମமమಮമම11
^mbඹ1
_rऱறఱಱറ6
_tഺ1
_nऩனഩ4
_lऴழఴೞഴ6
yयযਯયଯயయಯയය11
;yय़য়ୟ3
rरর, ৰਰરରரరರരර11
^rऱ्1
lलলਲલଲலలಲലල11
.lळਲ਼ળଳளళಳളළ11
vवৱਵવୱவవವവව11
;sशশਸ਼શଶஶశಶശශ11
.sषষષଷஷషಷഷෂ10
sसসਸસସஸసಸസස11
hहহਹહହஹహಹഹහ11
'ऽঽઽଽఽಽഽ7
qक़ক়ਕ਼ક઼5
_khख़খ়ਖ਼ખ઼5
.gग़গ়ਗ਼ગ઼5
zज़জ়ਜ਼જ઼ౙಜ಼7
fफ़ফ়ਫ਼ફ઼ಫ಼ෆ7

Relation to other systems

ISO 15919 is an international standard on the romanization of many Brahmic scripts, which was agreed upon in 2001 by a network of the national standards institutes of 157 countries. However, the Hunterian transliteration system is the "national system of romanization in India" and a United Nations expert group noted about ISO 15919 that "there is no evidence of the use of the system either in India or in international cartographic products."
Another standard, United Nations Romanization Systems for Geographical Names, was developed by the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names and covers many Brahmic scripts.
The ALA-LC romanization was approved by the Library of Congress and the American Library Association and is a US standard. The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is not a standard but a convention developed in Europe for the transliteration of Sanskrit rather than the transcription of Brahmic scripts.
As a notable difference, both international standards, ISO 15919 and UNRSGN transliterate anusvara as ṁ, while ALA-LC and IAST use ṃ for it. However, ISO 15919 provides guidance towards disambiguating between various anusvara situations, which is described in the table below.

Comparison with UNRSGN">United Nations romanization systems for geographical names">UNRSGN and IAST">International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration">IAST

The table below shows the differences between ISO 15919, UNRSGN and IAST for Devanagari transliteration.
DevanagariISO 15919UNRSGNIASTComment
ए / ेēeTo distinguish between long and short 'e' in Dravidian languages, 'e' now represents ऎ / ॆ. Note that the use of ē is considered optional in ISO 15919, and using e for ए is acceptable for languages that do not distinguish long and short e.
ओ / ोōoTo distinguish between long and short 'o' in Dravidian languages, 'o' now represents ऒ / ॊ. Note that the use of ō is considered optional in ISO 15919, and using o for ओ is acceptable for languages that do not distinguish long and short o.
ऋ / ृr̥ṛIn ISO 15919, ṛ is used to represent ड़.
ॠ / ॄr̥̄ṝFor consistency with r̥
ऌ / ॢl̥l̤In ISO 15919, ḷ is used to represent ळ.
ॡ / ॣl̥̄l̤̄For consistency with l̥
◌ंṁṁISO 15919 has two options about anusvāra. In the simplified nasalization option, an anusvāra is always transliterated as ṁ. In the strict nasalization option, anusvāra before a class consonant is transliterated as the class nasal—ṅ before k, kh, g, gh, ṅ; ñ before c, ch, j, jh, ñ; ṇ before ṭ, ṭh, ḍ, ḍh, ṇ; n before t, th, d, dh, n; m before p, ph, b, bh, m. ṃ is sometimes used to specifically represent Gurmukhi Tippi ੰ.
◌ंṅ ñ ṇ n mṁISO 15919 has two options about anusvāra. In the simplified nasalization option, an anusvāra is always transliterated as ṁ. In the strict nasalization option, anusvāra before a class consonant is transliterated as the class nasal—ṅ before k, kh, g, gh, ṅ; ñ before c, ch, j, jh, ñ; ṇ before ṭ, ṭh, ḍ, ḍh, ṇ; n before t, th, d, dh, n; m before p, ph, b, bh, m. ṃ is sometimes used to specifically represent Gurmukhi Tippi ੰ.
◌ँm̐Vowel nasalization is transliterated as a tilde above the transliterated vowel, except in Sanskrit.

Font support

Only certain fonts support all Latin Unicode characters for the transliteration of Indic scripts according to this standard. For example, Tahoma supports almost all the characters needed. Arial and Times New Roman font packages that come with Microsoft Office 2007 and later also support most Latin Extended Additional characters like ḑ, ḥ, ḷ, ḻ, ṁ, ṅ, ṇ, ṛ, ṣ and ṭ.
There is no standard keyboard layout for ISO 15919 input but many systems provide a way to select Unicode characters visually. ISO/IEC 14755 refers to this as a screen-selection entry method.