Capitalization Rules in Hungarian for English Speakers

Understanding Capitalization in Hungarian

Capitalization in Hungarian differs in several ways from English. While English capitalizes many proper nouns and the first word of every sentence, Hungarian has its own set of rules that learners should understand to write correctly.

Capitalizing the First Word of a Sentence

Just like in English, the first word of every sentence in Hungarian is capitalized. This is a universal rule that applies regardless of the type of sentence.

Proper Nouns and Names

Proper nouns, such as names of people, places, and organizations, are capitalized in Hungarian. For example, Budapest (the capital city) and János (a common male name) are capitalized.

Days of the Week and Months

Unlike English, Hungarian does not capitalize the names of days of the week or months of the year. For example, hétfő (Monday) and január (January) are written in lowercase.

Languages and Nationalities

In Hungarian, names of languages and nationalities are written in lowercase, unlike English where they are capitalized. For example, magyar means Hungarian (language or nationality) and is not capitalized.

Titles and Headings

In Hungarian, only the first word of a title or heading is capitalized, unless other words are proper nouns. This contrasts with English title case, where most words are capitalized.

Abbreviations and Acronyms

Abbreviations and acronyms are usually written in uppercase letters in Hungarian, similar to English. For example, USA or EU.

Capitalization in Personal Titles

Personal titles such as doktor (doctor) or professzor (professor) are generally not capitalized unless they begin a sentence or are part of a proper name.

Summary of Key Capitalization Rules in Hungarian

• Capitalize the first word of every sentence.
• Capitalize proper nouns such as names of people and places.
• Do not capitalize days of the week or months.
• Languages and nationalities are written in lowercase.
• Only the first word in titles and headings is capitalized unless proper nouns appear.
• Abbreviations and acronyms are capitalized.
• Personal titles are lowercase unless at the start of a sentence or part of a name.