ᠰᡞᠪᡝ ᡤᡞᠰᡠᠨ

Sibe

Tungusic > Southern Tungusic > Manchu-Sibe

FamilyTungusic > Southern Tungusic > Manchu-Sibe Speakers約3万人 RegionQapqal Xibe Autonomous County, Xinjiang RomanizationMöllendorff (Sibe convention) + IPA ReadingSibe — Tungusic kin of Manchu

Sibe (Xibe) is a Tungusic language spoken by roughly 25,000–30,000 people in Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County, Xinjiang, descended from the population of bannermen relocated from Manchuria in 1764. It is the direct living descendant of literary Manchu — the lexicon is largely inherited intact — but has diverged phonologically: Manchu *ki, *ke, *gi, *ge palatalize to /tɕ, d͡ʑ/ after vowels (so muke 'water' → /mutɕə/, wargi 'west' → /wartɕi/), the vowel inventory expanded from six to eight (adding /y, œ/), and intervocalic fricatives voice ([s]→[z], [x]→[ɣ]/[ʁ]). The imperfective verbal suffix -mbi often reduces to -m in colloquial speech. Sibe is still written in the Manchu script with two added letters, and Qapqal supports a Sibe-medium primary education and a Sibe-language newspaper (Cabcal Serkin) — making it one of the very few Tungusic languages with active intergenerational transmission.

Where it is spoken

Han character readings in Sibe

Character Meaning Reading Form IPA
one ᠡᠮᡠemu /əmu/
two ᠵᡠᠸᡝjuwe /d͡ʑuwə/
three ᡳᠯᠠᠨilan /ilan/
four ᡩᡠᡳᠨduin /duin/
five ᠰᡠᠨᠵᠠsunja /sund͡ʑa/
six ᠨᡳᠩᡤᡠᠨninggun /niŋɢun/
seven ᠨᠠᡩᠠᠨnadan /nadan/
eight ᠵᠠᡴᡡᠨjakūn /d͡ʑaqun/
nine ᡠᠶᡠᠨuyun /ujun/
ten ᠵᡠᠸᠠᠨjuwan /d͡ʑuwan/
sun ᡧᡠᠨšun /ɕun/
moon ᠪᡳᠶᠠbiya /bija/
mountain ᠠᠯᡳᠨalin /alin/
water ᠮᡠᡴᡝmuke /mutɕə/
fire ᡨᡠᠸᠠtuwa /tuwa/
tree ᠮᠣᠣmoo /mɔː/
soil ᠪᠣᡳᡥᠣᠨboihon /bɔiʁɔn/
sky ᠠᠪᡴᠠabka /apqa/
ground ᠨᠠna /na/
sea ᠮᡝᡩᡝᡵᡳmederi /mədəri/
dragon ᠮᡠᡩᡠᡵᡳmuduri /muduri/
tiger ᡨᠠᡧᠠtasha /taɕa/
dog ᡳᠨᡩᠠᡥᡡᠨindahūn /indaʁun/
horse ᠮᠣᡵᡳᠨmorin /mɔrin/
bird ᡤᠠᡧᠠgasha /ɢaɕa/
fish ᠨᡳᠮᠠᡥᠠnimaha /nimaʁa/
ox ᡳᡥᠠᠨihan /iʁan/
sheep ᡥᠣᠨᡳᠨhonin /χɔnin/
cat ᡴᡝᠰᡳᡴᡝkesike /kəsitɕə/
person ᠨᡳᠶᠠᠯᠮᠠniyalma /ɲalma/
hand ᡤᠠᠯᠠgala /ɢala/
foot ᠪᡝᡨᡥᡝbethe /bətxə/
eye ᠶᠠᠰᠠyasa /jaza/
ear ᡧᠠᠨšan /ɕan/
mouth ᠠᠩᡤᠠangga /aŋɢa/
head ᡠᠵᡠuju /ud͡ʑu/
heart ᠨᡳᠶᠠᠮᠠᠨniyaman /ɲaman/
blood ᠰᡝᠩᡤᡳsenggi /səŋɣi/
meat ᠶᠠᠯᡳyali /jali/
up ᡩᡝᠯᡝdele /dələ/
down ᡶᡝᠵᡳᠯᡝfejile /fəd͡ʑilə/
middle ᡩᡠᠯᡳᠮᠪᠠdulimba /dulimba/
hit ᡤᠣᡳᠪᡠᠮᠪᡳgoibumbi /ɢɔibum/
center ᡩᡠᠯᡳᠮᠪᠠᡳdulimbai /dulimbai/
left ᡥᠠᡧᡡhashū /χaɕu/
right ᡳᠴᡳici /it͡ɕi/
east ᡩᡝᡵᡤᡳdergi /dərɡi/
西 west ᠸᠠᡵᡤᡳwargi /warɡi/
south ᠵᡠᠯᡝᡵᡤᡳjulergi /d͡ʑulərɡi/
north ᠠᠮᠠᡵᡤᡳamargi /amarɡi/
go ᠶᠠᠪᡠᠮᠪᡳyabumbi /jawum/
row ᡶᠠᡳᡩᠠᠨfaidan /faidan/
come ᠵᡳᠮᠪᡳjimbi /d͡ʑim/
leave ᡤᡝᠨᡝᠮᠪᡳgenembi /ɡənəm/
see ᠰᠠᠪᡠᠮᠪᡳsabumbi /sabum/
hear ᡩᠣᠨᠵᡳᠮᠪᡳdonjimbi /dɔnd͡ʑim/
eat ᠵᡝᠮᠪᡳjembi /d͡ʑəm/
drink ᠣᠮᡳᠮᠪᡳomimbi /ɔmim/
run ᠰᡠᠵᡠᠮᠪᡳsujumbi /sud͡ʑum/
sit ᡨᡝᠮᠪᡳtembi /təm/
stand ᡳᠯᡳᠮᠪᡳilimbi /ilim/

Sources

Words compared

Compared with related Tungusic (Manchu-Nanai, Manchu — sister/dialect of Manchu) languages

Meaning SibeManchuJurchenNanaiUdegeEven (Lamut)Evenki
Water ᠮᡠᡴᡝ /mukə/ ᠮᡠᡴᡝ /mukə/ muke /muke/ муэ /mue/ уй /uj/ му /mu/ му /mu/
Fire ᡨᡠᠸᠠ /tuwa/ ᡨᡠᠸᠠ /tuwa/ tuwa /tuwa/ това /tova/ тогбо /toɡbo/ тоог /toːɡ/ того /toɡo/
Sun ᠰᡠᠨ /sun/ ᡧᡠᠨ /ʃun/ šun /ʃun/ сиун /siun/ даигаси /daiɡasi/ нөлтэн /nølten/ дылача /dɯlatɕa/
Moon ᠪᡳᠶᠠ /bija/ ᠪᡳᠶᠠ /bija/ biya /bija/ биа /bia/ биа /bia/ бяг /bjaɡ/ бега /beɡa/
Mother ᡝᠨᡞᠶᡝ /ənije/ ᡝᠨᡳᠶᡝ /ənijə/ eme /eme/ энин /enin/ энэ /ene/ эньэн /eɲen/ эни /eni/
Father ᠠᠮᠠ /ama/ ᠠᠮᠠ /ama/ ama /ama/ ама /ama/ амэ /amə/ ама /ama/ ама /ama/
Eat ᠵᡝᠮᠪᡞ /d͡ʒəmbi/ ᠵᡝᠮᠪᡳ /dʒəmbi/ jefu /dʒefu/ депу /depu/ джевэ /d͡ʒevə/ дьэб /dʒeb/ дептэ /depte/
Drink ᠣᠮᡳᠪᡞ /omibi/ ᠣᠮᡳᠪᡳ /omibi/ omi /omi/ омичи /omitʃi/ омимэ /omimə/ ум /um/ умӣ /umiː/
Page 1/3

Han readings compared

Compared with related Tungusic > Southern Tungusic > Manchu-Sibe languages

Character SibeManchuJurchenProto-TungusicKhitanProto-MongolicJapanese kun-yomi
emu /əmu/ emu /emu/ emu /emu/ *əmun /*əmun/ om /əm/ *nigen /*niɡen/ hito /çito/
juwe /d͡ʑuwə/ juwe /d͡ʒuwə/ juwe /dʑuwe/ *dʒuər /*d͡ʒuər/ jur /dʒur/ *qoyar /*qojar/ futa /ɸɯta/
ilan /ilan/ ilan /ilan/ ilan /ilan/ *ilan /*ilan/ gur /ɡur/ *gurba(n) /*gurban/ mi /mi/
duin /duin/ duin /duin/ duin /duin/ *dügin /*dyɡin/ dur /dur/ *dörbe(n) /*dœrben/ yo /jo/
sunja /sund͡ʑa/ sunja /sund͡ʒa/ sunja /sundʑa/ *tuɲga /*tuɲɡa/ tau /tau/ *tabu(n) /*tabun/ itsu /it͡sɯ/
ninggun /niŋɢun/ ninggun /niŋɡun/ ninggun /niŋɡun/ *ɲuŋun /*ɲuŋun/ nil /nil/ *jirguɣa(n) /*dʒirɣuɣan/ mu /mɯ/
nadan /nadan/ nadan /nadan/ nadan /nadan/ *nadan /*nadan/ dalu /dalu/ *doluɣa(n) /*doluɣan/ nana /nana/
jakūn /d͡ʑaqun/ jakūn /d͡ʒakʰuːn/ jakūn /dʑakɯn/ *dʒapkun /*d͡ʒapkun/ naim /naim/ *nayima(n) /*najiman/ ya /ja/
uyun /ujun/ uyun /ujun/ uyun /ujun/ *xəgün /*xəɡyn/ isen /isen/ *yersü(n) /*jersyn/ kokono /kokono/
juwan /d͡ʑuwan/ juwan /d͡ʒuwan/ juwan /dʑuwan/ *dʒuwan /*d͡ʒuwan/ par /par/ *harba(n) /*harban/ /toː/
Page 1/7

Part of LangMap — a linguistic visualization project. This is a static, crawlable summary; the interactive maps offer pronunciation audio, filters, and a globe view.