Capitalization Rules in Romanian for English Speakers

Understanding Capitalization in Romanian

Capitalization in Romanian follows specific rules that differ in some ways from English. Knowing these rules is essential for writing correctly and professionally in Romanian.

When to Capitalize the First Letter

In Romanian, the first letter of the first word in a sentence is always capitalized, just like in English. Additionally, proper nouns and certain other words require capitalization.

Capitalizing Proper Nouns

Proper nouns such as names of people, places, organizations, and brands are capitalized in Romanian. For example, Maria, București, and Universitatea București.

Days of the Week and Months

Unlike English, Romanian does not capitalize the names of days of the week or months of the year unless they begin a sentence. For example, luni (Monday) and ianuarie (January) are written in lowercase.

Languages and Nationalities

Names of languages and nationalities are not capitalized in Romanian unless they start a sentence. For example, română (Romanian language) and american (American) are lowercase.

Titles and Headings

In Romanian titles and headings, only the first word and proper nouns are capitalized. This contrasts with English title case, where most words are capitalized.

Religious Terms and Holidays

Names of religions and religious holidays are capitalized in Romanian. For example, Creștinism (Christianity) and Paște (Easter).

Abbreviations and Acronyms

Abbreviations and acronyms are usually written in uppercase letters, such as UNESCO or ONU (United Nations).

Summary of Key Differences from English

Here are some important capitalization differences between Romanian and English:

• Days of the week and months are lowercase in Romanian unless at the start of a sentence.
• Languages and nationalities are lowercase unless at the start of a sentence.
• Only the first word and proper nouns are capitalized in titles and headings.
• Religious terms and holidays are capitalized.

Examples of Capitalization in Romanian