Capitalization Rules in Ukrainian for English Speakers

Understanding Capitalization in Ukrainian

Capitalization in Ukrainian differs in some ways from English. Knowing these rules will help you write correctly and understand written Ukrainian better.

When to Capitalize in Ukrainian

In Ukrainian, capitalization is generally used for the first word of a sentence, proper nouns, and certain official names, similar to English. However, there are important differences to note.

Capitalizing Proper Nouns

Proper nouns such as names of people, cities, countries, and organizations are capitalized in Ukrainian, just like in English. For example, Київ (Kyiv) and Олександр (Oleksandr).

Days of the Week and Months

Unlike English, the names of days of the week and months are not capitalized in Ukrainian unless they start a sentence. For example, понеділок (Monday) and січень (January) are written in lowercase.

Languages and Nationalities

Names of languages and nationalities are also written in lowercase in Ukrainian, unlike English. For example, українська (Ukrainian language) and українець (Ukrainian person) are lowercase.

Titles and Headings

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

Capitalization in Abbreviations

Abbreviations of official names and titles are usually capitalized. For example, НАН України (National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine).

Summary of Key Differences

Here is a quick summary of capitalization differences between English and Ukrainian:

• Days of the week and months: lowercase in Ukrainian, capitalized in English
• Languages and nationalities: lowercase in Ukrainian, capitalized in English
• Titles: only first word and proper nouns capitalized in Ukrainian titles
• Proper nouns: capitalized in both languages

Examples of Capitalization in Ukrainian