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

31 core words in Inner Mongolian

Water

ᠤᠰᠤ

/usu/

Fire

ᠭᠠᠯ

/ɡɑl/

Sun

ᠨᠠᠷᠠ

/nɑrɑ/

Moon

ᠰᠠᠷᠠ

/sɑrɑ/

Star

ᠣᠳᠤᠨ

/ɔtŋ̍/

Mother

ᠡᠬᠡ

/eχe/

Father

ᠠᠪᠤ

/ɑβu/

I

ᠪᠢ

/bi/

You

ᠴᠢ

/tʃʰi/

Name

ᠨᠡᠷᠡ

/nər/

Eye

ᠨᠢᠳᠦ

/nidʉ/

Hand

ᠭᠠᠷ

/ɡɑr/

Heart

ᠵᠢᠷᠦᠬᠡ

/dʒirʉχe/

Love

ᠬᠠᠢᠷ᠎ᠠ

/χɑir/

Tree

ᠮᠣᠳᠤ

/mɔdu/

House

ᠭᠡᠷ

/ɡer/

Dog

ᠨᠣᠬᠠᠢ

/nɔχɑi/

Cat

ᠮᠤᠤᠷ

/muːr/

Eat

ᠢᠳᠡᠬᠦ

/ideχʉ/

Drink

ᠤᠤᠬᠤ

/uːχu/

One

ᠨᠢᠭᠡ

/niɡe/

Two

ᠬᠣᠶᠠᠷ

/xɔˈjɔr/

Hello

ᠰᠠᠢᠨ ᠪᠠᠢᠨ᠎ᠠ

/sɑin bɑinɑ/

Thank you

ᠪᠠᠶᠠᠷᠯᠠᠯ᠎ᠠ

/bɑjɑrlɑlɑ/

Good

ᠰᠠᠢᠨ

/sɑin/

Cuckoo

ᠬᠦᠬᠦᠭᠡ

/kɵkɵˈɡe/

Sources

Words compared

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

Meaning Inner MongolianMongolianClassical MongolianMiddle MongolEastern YugurMongghulMonguor language
Water ᠤᠰᠤ /usu/ ус /us/ ᠤᠰᠤᠨ /usun/ ᠤᠰᠤᠨ /usun/ ус /us/ usu /usu/ us /ʊs/
Fire ᠭᠠᠯ /ɡɑl/ гал /ɡal/ ᠭᠠᠯ /ɡal/ ᠭᠠᠯ /ɣal/ гал /ɡal/ ghal /ʁal/ gal /ɡɑl/
Sun ᠨᠠᠷᠠ /nɑrɑ/ нар /nar/ ᠨᠠᠷᠠᠨ /naran/ ᠨᠠᠷᠠᠨ /naran/ нар /nar/ nara /nara/ naran /ˈnɑrɑn/
Moon ᠰᠠᠷᠠ /sɑrɑ/ сар /sar/ ᠰᠠᠷᠠ /sara/ ᠰᠠᠷᠠ /sara/ сар /sar/ sara /sara/ sar /sɑr/
Star ᠣᠳᠤᠨ /ɔtŋ̍/ од /ɔt/ ᠣᠳᠣᠨ /odun/ ᠬᠣᠳᠤᠨ /hodun/ ходэн /χoden/ hodi /xoˈdi/ hudun /xudun/
Mother ᠡᠬᠡ /eχe/ ээж /eːdʒ/ ᠡᠬᠡ /eke/ ᠡᠭᠡ /eke/ ээж /eːʒ/ ana /ana/ eej /ˈeːʒ/
Father ᠠᠪᠤ /ɑβu/ аав /aːw/ ᠡᠴᠢᠭᠡ /etʃiɡe/ ᠡᠴᠢᠭᠡ /etʃiɡe/ аава /ɑːva/ ada /ada/ aav /ˈaːv/
I ᠪᠢ /bi/ би /bi/ ᠪᠢ /bi/ ᠪᠢ /bi/ би /bi/ bu /bu/ bu /pu/
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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
Би зочид буудлын эсрэг талын дэлгүүрт харсан хувцасаа өмсөж үзмээр байна

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