ᠮᠠᠨᠵᡠ ᡤᡳᠰᡠᠨ

Manchu

Tungusic > Southern

FamilyTungusic > Southern Speakers約100人 (L1高齢者) / 数千人 (L2) RegionManchuria (Northeast China) RomanizationMöllendorff transliteration (1892) ReadingNative Manchu word

Manchu is a Tungusic language that served as the imperial language of the Qing dynasty (1644–1912). For Han characters encountered in Chinese texts, Manchu speakers used their own rich native vocabulary — emu, juwe, ilan for numbers; šun for sun; abka for heaven — alongside Sino-Manchu pronunciations derived from late-Ming northern Mandarin, documented in the bilingual 御製清文鑑 (1708). The Manchu script, derived from the Mongolian alphabet, was used in official documents alongside Chinese throughout the Qing period. By the late 19th century Manchu had become endangered, with Qingyu (Sibe) emerging as its closest living relative. Modern scholarship relies on Norman's Concise Manchu-English Lexicon and the Qing imperial dictionaries for reconstruction.

Where it is spoken

Han character readings in Manchu

Character Meaning Reading Form IPA
one ᡝᠮᡠemu /emu/
two ᠵᡠᠸᡝjuwe /d͡ʒuwə/
three ᡳᠯᠠᠨilan /ilan/
four ᡩᡠᡳᠨduin /duin/
five ᠰᡠᠨᠵᠠsunja /sund͡ʒa/
six ᠨᡳᠩᡤᡠᠨninggun /niŋɡun/
seven ᠨᠠᡩᠠᠨnadan /nadan/
eight ᠵᠠᡴᡡᠨjakūn /d͡ʒakʰuːn/
nine ᡠᠶᡠᠨuyun /ujun/
ten ᠵᡠᠸᠠᠨjuwan /d͡ʒuwan/
sun ᡧᡠᠨšun /ʃun/
moon ᠪᡳᠶᠠbiya /bija/
mountain ᠠᠯᡳᠨalin /alin/
water ᠮᡠᡴᡝmuke /mukə/
fire ᡨᡠᠸᠠtuwa /tuwa/
tree ᠮᠣᠣmoo /moː/
soil ᠪᠣᡳᡥᠣᠨboihon /bojxon/
sky ᠠᠪᡴᠠabka /abka/
ground ᠨᠠna /na/
sea ᠮᡝᡩᡝᡵᡳmederi /medəri/
dragon ᠮᡠᡩᡠᡵᡳmuduri /muduri/
tiger ᡨᠠᡧᠠtasha /taʃa/
dog ᡳᠨᡩᠠᡥᡡᠨindahūn /indaxuːn/
horse ᠮᠣᡵᡳᠨmorin /morin/
bird ᡤᠠᡧᠠgasha /ɡaʃa/
fish ᠨᡳᠮᠠᡥᠠnimaha /nimaxa/
ox ᡳᡥᠠᠨihan /ixan/
sheep ᡥᠣᠨᡳᠨhonin /xonin/
cat ᡴᡝᠰᡳᡴᡝkesike /kəsikə/
person ᠨᡳᠶᠠᠯᠮᠠniyalma /njalma/
hand ᡤᠠᠯᠠgala /ɡala/
foot ᠪᡝᡨᡥᡝbethe /bətxə/
eye ᠶᠠᠰᠠyasa /jasa/
ear ᡧᠠᠨšan /ʃan/
mouth ᠠᠩᡤᠠangga /aŋɡa/
head ᡠᠵᡠuju /ud͡ʒu/
heart ᠨᡳᠶᠠᠮᠠᠨniyaman /njaman/
blood ᠰᡝᠩᡤᡳsenggi /səŋɡi/
meat ᠶᠠᠯᡳyali /jali/
up ᡩᡝᠯᡝdele /dələ/
down ᡶᡝᠵᡳᠯᡝfejile /fəd͡ʒilə/
middle ᡩᡠᠯᡳᠮᠪᠠdulimba /dulimba/
hit ᡤᠣᡳᠪᡠᠮᠪᡳgoibumbi /ɡoibumbi/
center ᡩᡠᠯᡳᠮᠪᠠᡳdulimbai /dulimbai/
left ᡥᠠᡧᡡhashū /xaʃuː/
right ᡳᠴᡳici /it͡ʃi/
east ᡩᡝᡵᡤᡳdergi /dərɡi/
西 west ᠸᠠᡵᡤᡳwargi /warɡi/
south ᠵᡠᠯᡝᡵᡤᡳjulergi /d͡ʒulərɡi/
north ᠠᠮᠠᡵᡤᡳamargi /amarɡi/
go ᠶᠠᠪᡠᠮᠪᡳyabumbi /jabumbi/
row ᡶᠠᡳᡩᠠᠨfaidan /faidan/
come ᠵᡳᠮᠪᡳjimbi /d͡ʒimbi/
leave ᡤᡝᠨᡝᠮᠪᡳgenembi /ɡənəmbi/
see ᠰᠠᠪᡠᠮᠪᡳsabumbi /sabumbi/
hear ᡩᠣᠨᠵᡳᠮᠪᡳdonjimbi /dond͡ʒimbi/
eat ᠵᡝᠮᠪᡳjembi /d͡ʒəmbi/
drink ᠣᠮᡳᠮᠪᡳomimbi /omimbi/
run ᠰᡠᠵᡠᠮᠪᡳsujumbi /sud͡ʒumbi/
sit ᡨᡝᠮᠪᡳtembi /təmbi/
stand ᡳᠯᡳᠮᠪᡳilimbi /ilimbi/

Sources

Words compared

Compared with related Tungusic (Manchu-Tungus, Southern) languages

Meaning ManchuSibeJurchenNanaiEven (Lamut)EvenkiUdege
Water ᠮᡠᡴᡝ /mukə/ ᠮᡠᡴᡝ /mukə/ muke /muke/ муэ /mue/ му /mu/ му /mu/ уй /uj/
Fire ᡨᡠᠸᠠ /tuwa/ ᡨᡠᠸᠠ /tuwa/ tuwa /tuwa/ това /tova/ тоог /toːɡ/ того /toɡo/ тогбо /toɡbo/
Sun ᡧᡠᠨ /ʃun/ ᠰᡠᠨ /sun/ šun /ʃun/ сиун /siun/ нөлтэн /nølten/ дылача /dɯlatɕa/ даигаси /daiɡasi/
Moon ᠪᡳᠶᠠ /bija/ ᠪᡳᠶᠠ /bija/ biya /bija/ биа /bia/ бяг /bjaɡ/ бега /beɡa/ биа /bia/
Mother ᡝᠨᡳᠶᡝ /ənijə/ ᡝᠨᡞᠶᡝ /ənije/ eme /eme/ энин /enin/ эньэн /eɲen/ эни /eni/ энэ /ene/
Father ᠠᠮᠠ /ama/ ᠠᠮᠠ /ama/ ama /ama/ ама /ama/ ама /ama/ ама /ama/ амэ /amə/
Eat ᠵᡝᠮᠪᡳ /dʒəmbi/ ᠵᡝᠮᠪᡞ /d͡ʒəmbi/ jefu /dʒefu/ депу /depu/ дьэб /dʒeb/ дептэ /depte/ джевэ /d͡ʒevə/
Drink ᠣᠮᡳᠪᡳ /omibi/ ᠣᠮᡳᠪᡞ /omibi/ omi /omi/ омичи /omitʃi/ ум /um/ умӣ /umiː/ омимэ /omimə/
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Word order compared

Compare with major world languages

Manchu
ᠪᡳ ᠠᠨᡨᠠᡥᠠ ᡳ ᠵᡠᠯᡝᡵᡳ ᡥᡡᡩᠠ ᡩᡝ ᠰᠠᠪᡠᡥᠠᠩᡤᡝ ᡝᡨᡠᡴᡠ ᠪᡝ ᡝᡨᡠᡴᡳ ᡨᡠᠸᠠᡴᡳ ᠰᡝᠮᠪᡳ
أنا أريد أن أجرب بدلة رأيتها في محل مقابل الفندق
试穿 酒店 对面的 商店 看到的 那套西装
I want to try on a suit I saw ‌in a shop across from the hotel
Ich möchte einen Anzug anprobieren den ich in einem Geschäft gegenüber vom Hotel gesehen habe
मैं होटल के सामने एक दुकान में देखा सूट को पहनकर देखना चाहता हूँ
私は ホテルの 向かいの お店 見た スーツを 試着 したいです
Я хочу примерить костюм который я увидел в магазине напротив отеля

Han readings compared

Compared with related Tungusic > Southern languages

Character ManchuJurchenSibeProto-TungusicKhitanProto-MongolicOld Japanese on-yomi
emu /emu/ emu /emu/ emu /əmu/ *əmun /*əmun/ om /əm/ *nigen /*niɡen/ iti /iti/
juwe /d͡ʒuwə/ juwe /dʑuwe/ juwe /d͡ʑuwə/ *dʒuər /*d͡ʒuər/ jur /dʒur/ *qoyar /*qojar/ ni /ɲi/
ilan /ilan/ ilan /ilan/ ilan /ilan/ *ilan /*ilan/ gur /ɡur/ *gurba(n) /*gurban/ sam /sam/
duin /duin/ duin /duin/ duin /duin/ *dügin /*dyɡin/ dur /dur/ *dörbe(n) /*dœrben/ si /ɕi/
sunja /sund͡ʒa/ sunja /sundʑa/ sunja /sund͡ʑa/ *tuɲga /*tuɲɡa/ tau /tau/ *tabu(n) /*tabun/ go /ŋo/
ninggun /niŋɡun/ ninggun /niŋɡun/ ninggun /niŋɢun/ *ɲuŋun /*ɲuŋun/ nil /nil/ *jirguɣa(n) /*dʒirɣuɣan/ roku /roku/
nadan /nadan/ nadan /nadan/ nadan /nadan/ *nadan /*nadan/ dalu /dalu/ *doluɣa(n) /*doluɣan/ siti /ɕiti/
jakūn /d͡ʒakʰuːn/ jakūn /dʑakɯn/ jakūn /d͡ʑaqun/ *dʒapkun /*d͡ʒapkun/ naim /naim/ *nayima(n) /*najiman/ pati /pati/
uyun /ujun/ uyun /ujun/ uyun /ujun/ *xəgün /*xəɡyn/ isen /isen/ *yersü(n) /*jersyn/ kiu /kiu/
juwan /d͡ʒuwan/ juwan /dʑuwan/ juwan /d͡ʑuwan/ *dʒuwan /*d͡ʒuwan/ par /par/ *harba(n) /*harban/ zipu /ʑipu/
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