ᠮᠣᠩᠭᠣᠯ

Inner Mongolian

Mongolic (Central, Khalkha-Buryat)

FamilyMongolic (Central, Khalkha-Buryat) Speakers~6M ScriptTraditional Mongolian (vertical, Hudum bichig) CountriesChina (Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang) Official inChina (regional, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region) Vitalitysafe ISO 639-3mon

Inner Mongolian is the Mongolic variety of China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (and adjacent Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang), with ~6M speakers. It retains the traditional vertical Mongolian script (Hudum bichig, used since c.1204) where the Republic of Mongolia switched to Cyrillic in 1946 — making the two writing traditions visually distinct despite mutual intelligibility. UNESCO has flagged it as endangered amid increasing language-policy pressure: a 2020 Inner Mongolia curriculum change reducing Mongolian-medium teaching for major subjects sparked widespread protests across the autonomous region.

Where it is spoken

20 core words in Inner Mongolian

Water

ᠤᠰᠤ

/usu/

Fire

ᠭᠠᠯ

/ɡɑl/

Sun

ᠨᠠᠷᠠ

/nɑrɑ/

Moon

ᠰᠠᠷᠠ

/sɑrɑ/

Mother

ᠡᠬᠡ

/eχe/

Father

ᠠᠪᠤ

/ɑβu/

Eat

ᠢᠳᠡᠬᠦ

/ideχʉ/

Drink

ᠤᠤᠬᠤ

/uːχu/

Love

ᠬᠠᠢᠷ᠎ᠠ

/χɑir/

Heart

ᠵᠢᠷᠦᠬᠡ

/dʒirʉχe/

Tree

ᠮᠣᠳᠤ

/mɔdu/

House

ᠭᠡᠷ

/ɡer/

Dog

ᠨᠣᠬᠠᠢ

/nɔχɑi/

Cat

ᠮᠤᠤᠷ

/muːr/

Hand

ᠭᠠᠷ

/ɡɑr/

Eye

ᠨᠢᠳᠦ

/nidʉ/

Hello

ᠰᠠᠢᠨ ᠪᠠᠢᠨ᠎ᠠ

/sɑin bɑinɑ/

Thank you

ᠪᠠᠶᠠᠷᠯᠠᠯ᠎ᠠ

/bɑjɑrlɑlɑ/

One

ᠨᠢᠭᠡ

/niɡe/

Good

ᠰᠠᠢᠨ

/sɑin/

Sources

Words compared

Compared with related Mongolic (Central, Khalkha-Buryat) languages

Meaning Inner MongolianClassical MongolianMongolianMiddle MongolMongghulKalmykBuryat
Water ᠤᠰᠤ /usu/ ᠤᠰᠤᠨ /usun/ ус /us/ ᠤᠰᠤᠨ /usun/ usu /usu/ усн /usn/ уһан /uhan/
Fire ᠭᠠᠯ /ɡɑl/ ᠭᠠᠯ /ɡal/ гал /ɡal/ ᠭᠠᠯ /ɣal/ ghal /ʁal/ гал /ɡal/ гал /ɡal/
Sun ᠨᠠᠷᠠ /nɑrɑ/ ᠨᠠᠷᠠᠨ /naran/ нар /nar/ ᠨᠠᠷᠠᠨ /naran/ nara /nara/ нарн /narn/ наран /naran/
Moon ᠰᠠᠷᠠ /sɑrɑ/ ᠰᠠᠷᠠ /sara/ сар /sar/ ᠰᠠᠷᠠ /sara/ sara /sara/ сар /sar/ һара /hara/
Mother ᠡᠬᠡ /eχe/ ᠡᠬᠡ /eke/ ээж /eːdʒ/ ᠡᠭᠡ /eke/ ana /ana/ ээҗ /eːdʒ/ эхэ /exe/
Father ᠠᠪᠤ /ɑβu/ ᠡᠴᠢᠭᠡ /et͡ʃiɡe/ аав /aːw/ ᠡᠴᠢᠭᠡ /etʃiɡe/ ada /ada/ аав /aːv/ эсэгэ /eseɡe/
Eat ᠢᠳᠡᠬᠦ /ideχʉ/ ᠢᠳᠡ- /ide-/ идэх /idex/ ᠢᠳᠡ /ide/ idi- /idi/ иде /ide/ эдеэлхэ /edeːlxe/
Drink ᠤᠤᠬᠤ /uːχu/ ᠤᠭᠤ- /uɣu-/ уух /uːx/ ᠤᠭᠤ /uɣu/ uu- /uː/ уу /uː/ ууха /uːxa/
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Word order compared

Compare with major world languages

Inner Mongolian
ᠪᠢ ᠵᠣᠴᠢᠳ ᠪᠠᠭᠤᠳᠠᠯ ᠤᠨ ᠡᠰᠡᠷᠭᠦ ᠲᠠᠯ᠎ᠠ ᠶᠢᠨ ᠳᠡᠯᠭᠡᠭᠦᠷ ᠲᠤ ᠬᠠᠷᠠᠭᠰᠠᠨ ᠬᠤᠪᠴᠠᠰᠤ ᠪᠠᠨ ᠡᠮᠦᠰᠦᠵᠦ ᠦᠵᠡᠮᠡᠭᠡᠷ ᠪᠠᠶᠢᠨ᠎ᠠ
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

Compare with closely-related languages

Inner Mongolian
ᠪᠢ ᠵᠣᠴᠢᠳ ᠪᠠᠭᠤᠳᠠᠯ ᠤᠨ ᠡᠰᠡᠷᠭᠦ ᠲᠠᠯ᠎ᠠ ᠶᠢᠨ ᠳᠡᠯᠭᠡᠭᠦᠷ ᠲᠤ ᠬᠠᠷᠠᠭᠰᠠᠨ ᠬᠤᠪᠴᠠᠰᠤ ᠪᠠᠨ ᠡᠮᠦᠰᠦᠵᠦ ᠦᠵᠡᠮᠡᠭᠡᠷ ᠪᠠᠶᠢᠨ᠎ᠠ
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