ᠮᠣᠩᠭᠣᠯ ᠬᠡᠯᠡ
Classical Mongolian
Mongolic · historical / hidden variety
Classical Mongolian is the literary register written in the vertical Mongolian script, used from the 17th to 20th century. Distinct from Middle Mongol (xng, 13-15c. Phags-pa and Uyghur-script) and modern Khalkha Mongolian (mn, in Cyrillic). The Mongolian script tradition survived in Inner Mongolia after Mongolia proper switched to Cyrillic in 1946. Lessing (1960) "Mongolian-English Dictionary" is the principal reference.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Classical Mongolian
Water
ᠤᠰᠤᠨ
/usun/
Fire
ᠭᠠᠯ
/ɡal/
Sun
ᠨᠠᠷᠠᠨ
/naran/
Moon
ᠰᠠᠷᠠ
/sara/
Star
ᠣᠳᠣᠨ
/odun/
Mother
ᠡᠬᠡ
/eke/
Father
ᠡᠴᠢᠭᠡ
/etʃiɡe/
I
ᠪᠢ
/bi/
You
ᠴᠢ
/tʃi/
Name
ᠨᠡᠷᠡ
/nere/
Eye
ᠨᠢᠳᠦ
/nidü/
Hand
ᠭᠠᠷ
/ɡar/
Heart
ᠵᠢᠷᠦᠬᠡ
/dʒirüke/
Love
ᠬᠠᠶᠢᠷᠠ
/xajira/
Tree
ᠮᠣᠳᠤ
/modu/
House
ᠭᠡᠷ
/ɡer/
Dog
ᠨᠣᠬᠠᠢ
/noxai/
Cat
ᠮᠢᠭᠤᠢ
/miɣui/
Eat
ᠢᠳᠡ-
/ide-/
Drink
ᠤᠭᠤ-
/uɣu-/
One
ᠨᠢᠭᠡᠨ
/niɡen/
Two
ᠬᠣᠶᠠᠷ
/qojar/
Hello
ᠰᠠᠶᠢᠨ ᠤᠤ
/sajin uu/
Thank you
ᠪᠠᠶᠠᠷᠯᠠᠯᠠ
/bajarlala/
Good
ᠰᠠᠶᠢᠨ
/sajin/
Cuckoo
ᠬᠦᠬᠦᠭᠡ
/kɵkɵˈɡe/
Sources
- Lessing (1960) — Mongolian-English Dictionary
- Poppe (1965) — Introduction to Altaic Linguistics
Words compared
Compared with related Mongolic languages
| Meaning | Classical Mongolian | Middle Mongol | Proto-Mongolic | Buryat | Eastern Yugur | Mongolian | Kalmyk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ᠤᠰᠤᠨ /usun/ | ᠤᠰᠤᠨ /usun/ | *usun /usun/ | уһан /uhan/ | ус /us/ | ус /us/ | усн /usn/ |
| Fire | ᠭᠠᠯ /ɡal/ | ᠭᠠᠯ /ɣal/ | *gal /gal/ | гал /ɡal/ | гал /ɡal/ | гал /ɡal/ | гал /ɡal/ |
| Sun | ᠨᠠᠷᠠᠨ /naran/ | ᠨᠠᠷᠠᠨ /naran/ | *naran /naran/ | наран /naran/ | нар /nar/ | нар /nar/ | нарн /narn/ |
| Moon | ᠰᠠᠷᠠ /sara/ | ᠰᠠᠷᠠ /sara/ | *sara /sara/ | һара /hara/ | сар /sar/ | сар /sar/ | сар /sar/ |
| Star | ᠣᠳᠣᠨ /odun/ | ᠬᠣᠳᠤᠨ /hodun/ | *hodun /hodun/ | одон /oˈdõ/ | ходэн /χoden/ | од /ɔt/ | одн /odn/ |
| Mother | ᠡᠬᠡ /eke/ | ᠡᠭᠡ /eke/ | *eke /eke/ | эхэ /exe/ | ээж /eːʒ/ | ээж /eːdʒ/ | ээҗ /eːdʒ/ |
| Father | ᠡᠴᠢᠭᠡ /etʃiɡe/ | ᠡᠴᠢᠭᠡ /etʃiɡe/ | *ečige /ečige/ | эсэгэ /eseɡe/ | аава /ɑːva/ | аав /aːw/ | аав /aːv/ |
| I | ᠪᠢ /bi/ | ᠪᠢ /bi/ | *bi /bi/ | би /bi/ | би /bi/ | би /bi/ | би /bi/ |
| You | ᠴᠢ /tʃi/ | ᠴᠢ /tʃi/ | *či /či/ | ши /ʃi/ | чи /tʃi/ | чи /tʃʰi/ | чи /tʃi/ |
| Name | ᠨᠡᠷᠡ /nere/ | ᠨᠡᠷᠡ /nere/ | *nere /nere/ | нэрэ /nere/ | нэрэ /nere/ | нэр /ner/ | нерн /nern/ |
| Eye | ᠨᠢᠳᠦ /nidü/ | ᠨᠢᠳᠦᠨ /nidyn/ | *nidün /nidün/ | нюдэн /nʲuden/ | нүдэ /nʏde/ | нүд /nyd/ | нүдн /nyˈdn̩/ |
| Hand | ᠭᠠᠷ /ɡar/ | ᠭᠠᠷ /ɣar/ | *gar /gar/ | гар /ɡar/ | гар /ɡar/ | гар /ɡar/ | һар /ɣar/ |
| Heart | ᠵᠢᠷᠦᠬᠡ /dʒirüke/ | ᠵᠢᠷᠦᠭᠡ /dʒiryke/ | *ǰirüken /ǰirüken/ | зүрхэн /zyrxen/ | зүрх /zʏrχ/ | зүрх /dzyrx/ | зүркн /zyrˈkən/ |
| Love | ᠬᠠᠶᠢᠷᠠ /xajira/ | ᠳᠤᠷᠠ /dura/ | — /—/ | дуран /duran/ | хайрлаха /χajrlaχa/ | хайр /xajr/ | дурлх /durlx/ |
| Tree | ᠮᠣᠳᠤ /modu/ | ᠮᠣᠳᠤᠨ /modun/ | *modun /modun/ | модон /modon/ | мод /mod/ | мод /mod/ | модн /moˈdn̩/ |
| House | ᠭᠡᠷ /ɡer/ | ᠭᠡᠷ /ɡer/ | *ger /ger/ | гэр /ɡer/ | гэр /ɡer/ | гэр /ɡer/ | гер /ɡer/ |
| Dog | ᠨᠣᠬᠠᠢ /noxai/ | ᠨᠣᠬᠠᠢ /noqai/ | *nokai /nokai/ | нохой /noxoj/ | нохай /noχaj/ | нохой /nɔxɔj/ | ноха /noxa/ |
| Cat | ᠮᠢᠭᠤᠢ /miɣui/ | ᠮᠢᠭᠤᠢ /miɣui/ | — /—/ | миисгэй /miːsɡej/ | мэшэ /meʃe/ | муур /muːr/ | миис /miːs/ |
| Eat | ᠢᠳᠡ- /ide-/ | ᠢᠳᠡ /ide/ | *ide- /ide-/ | эдеэлхэ /edeːlxe/ | идэхэ /ɪdeχe/ | идэх /idex/ | иде /ide/ |
| Drink | ᠤᠭᠤ- /uɣu-/ | ᠤᠭᠤ /uɣu/ | *uu- /uu-/ | ууха /uːxa/ | ухаха /uχaχa/ | уух /uːx/ | уу /uː/ |
| One | ᠨᠢᠭᠡᠨ /niɡen/ | ᠨᠢᠭᠡᠨ /niɡen/ | *nigen /nigen/ | нэгэн /neɡen/ | нэг /neɡ/ | нэг /neɡ/ | негн /neɡn/ |
| Two | ᠬᠣᠶᠠᠷ /qojar/ | ᠬᠣᠶᠠᠷ /qojar/ | *koyar /koyar/ | хоёр /xɔˈjɔr/ | гоор /ɣoːr/ | хоёр /xɔˈjɔr/ | хойр /xojr/ |
| Hello | ᠰᠠᠶᠢᠨ ᠤᠤ /sajin uu/ | ᠠᠮᠤᠷ /amur/ | — /—/ | сайн байна /sajn bajna/ | сайнар уу /sajnar uː/ | сайн уу /sajn uː/ | менд /mend/ |
| Thank you | ᠪᠠᠶᠠᠷᠯᠠᠯᠠ /bajarlala/ | ᠪᠠᠶᠠᠷᠯᠠᠪᠠ /bajarlaba/ | — /—/ | баярлаа /bajarlaː/ | баярлалаа /bajarlalaː/ | баярлалаа /bajarlalaː/ | ханҗанав /xandʒanav/ |
| Good | ᠰᠠᠶᠢᠨ /sajin/ | ᠰᠠᠶᠢᠨ /sain/ | *sajin /sajin/ | һайн /hajn/ | сайн /sajn/ | сайн /sajn/ | сән /sæn/ |
| Cuckoo | ᠬᠦᠬᠦᠭᠡ /kɵkɵˈɡe/ | ᠬᠦᠬᠦᠭᠡ /kɵkɵˈɡe/ | — | хүхы /xyˈxɘ/ | — | хөхөө /xɵˈxɵː/ | көкә /køˈkæ/ |
Part of LangMap — a linguistic visualization project. This is a static, crawlable summary; the interactive maps offer pronunciation audio, filters, and a globe view.