Hungarian notation

US/hʌŋˈɡɛɹi.ən noʊˈteɪʃən/

noun

A naming convention in which the name of a variable indicates its data type and intended use by including abbreviations as prefixes.

“lpsz is Hungarian notation for a 32-bit pointer to a null-terminated string.”

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Meanings

nounHungarian notation (uncountable)
  1. uncountablecomputingA naming convention in which the name of a variable indicates its data type and intended use by including abbreviations as prefixes.

    lpsz is Hungarian notation for a 32-bit pointer to a null-terminated string.

Origin

The notation was invented by Charles Simonyi (born 1948), Hungarian-American computer programmer.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 匈牙利命名法
  • 匈牙利命名法 (Xiōngyálì mìngmíngfǎ)Hungarian notation
Dutch hongaarse notatie
  • hongaarse notatieHungarian notation
Finnish unkarilainen notaatio
  • unkarilainen notaatioHungarian notation
French notation hongroise
  • notation hongroiseHungarian notation
German ungarische Notation
  • ungarische NotationHungarian notation
Hungarian magyar jelölés
  • magyar jelölésHungarian notation
Italian notazione ungara
  • notazione ungaraHungarian notation
Japanese ハンガリアン記法, ハンガリー記法
  • ハンガリアン記法 (hangarian kihō)Hungarian notation
  • ハンガリー記法 (hangarī-kihō)Hungarian notation
Polish notacja węgierska
  • notacja węgierskaHungarian notation
Portuguese notação húngara
  • notação húngaraHungarian notation
Russian венге́рская нота́ция
  • венге́рская нота́ция (vengérskaja notácija)Hungarian notation
Spanish notación húngara
  • notación húngaraHungarian notation
Swedish ungersk notation
  • ungersk notationHungarian notation
Ukrainian уго́рська нота́ція
  • уго́рська нота́ція (uhórsʹka notácija)Hungarian notation
Cite this entry
APA

Hungarian notation. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Hungarian%20notation

MLA

“Hungarian notation.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Hungarian%20notation. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Hungarian notation,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Hungarian%20notation.

Source: Hungarian notation on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.