Romanian uses two letters for the same central vowel: î and â. In the current standard, position usually decides the spelling: în (in), mână (hand), and a urî (to hate). For the wider set of Romanian diacritics, see Romanian diacritics.
How do you choose between î and â?
Write î at the beginning or end of a word. Write â inside an ordinary word. In a compound or prefixed word, keep î when the next element begins with î.
- At the beginning of a word, write î: în (in), încă (still), înger (angel), a începe (to begin).
- At the end of a word, write î. This is especially visible in infinitives ending in -î: a coborî (to descend), a hotărî (to decide), a urî (to hate).
- Inside an ordinary word, write â: mână (hand), pâine (bread), râu (river), România (Romania).
- After a prefix or in a compound, keep î when the element that follows begins with î: reîncălzi (to reheat), neînțeles (not understood), bineînțeles (of course).
What happens in word families?
The spelling can change when a word gains a suffix or a grammatical ending. The infinitive a coborî keeps î at the end, but related forms place the vowel inside the word and therefore use â: coborâre (descent), coborând (descending), and coborât (descended).
A prefix does not automatically turn î into â. If the base begins with î, that î remains visible after the prefix: încălzi (to heat) becomes reîncălzi (to reheat), and înțelege (to understand) becomes subînțelege (to understand implicitly). A single word can therefore contain both letters, as in preîntâmpina (to prevent).
Do î and â sound different?
No. In current Romanian spelling, î and â represent the same vowel sound. The distinction is orthographic: the choice reflects the vowel's position in a word or the word's structure. Do not choose between them by trying to hear two different sounds.
What about older spellings and names?
The current standard uses â in ordinary word-internal positions, following the Romanian Academy's post-1993 norm. Older books and some publications may use î throughout a word; this is an older spelling convention, not the default for new neutral writing. A person's legal or family surname may preserve its established spelling, so copy a name from an authoritative source rather than regularizing it yourself.
Mistakes to avoid
- Do not write ân at the beginning of a normal word: the standard form is în (in).
- Do not use â at the end of an infinitive: write a urî, not a urâ.
- Do not replace the interior â in mână or câmp with î in current standard writing.
- Do not flatten a prefixed form such as reîncălzi into reâncălzi: the base begins with î, so that letter remains after the prefix.
Which word begins with î because the vowel is word-initial?
- mână
- în
- râu
- România
În begins with the target vowel, so current standard spelling uses î at the beginning of the word.
Which is the standard spelling of the prefixed verb meaning “to reheat”?
- reâncălzi
- reîncălzi
- reîncălâzi
- reâncălâzi
The base încălzi begins with î, and the prefix re- does not remove it: reîncălzi.
Which sentence uses the standard form of the past participle of a coborî?
- El a coborât repede.
- El a coborît repede.
- El a coborâ repede.
- El a coborîd repede.
The infinitive ends in î, but the past participle places the vowel inside the word: coborât.
Choose the sentence in current standard spelling.
- Ea vrea să reâncălzească supa.
- Ea vrea să reîncălzască supa.
- Ea vrea să reîncălzească supa.
- Ea vrea să reîncălzească supâ.
The base încălzi keeps î after re-, and the noun is supa, so the complete standard sentence is option 3.
Which pair follows the current standard?
- ân and mână
- în and mînă
- a urâ and câmp
- a urî and câmp
Use î at the beginning of în and at the end of a urî, but use â in the ordinary interior of câmp and mână.