ᠮᠣᠩᠭᠣᠯ
Inner Mongolian
Mongolic (Central, Khalkha-Buryat)
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
ᠬᠠᠢᠷᠠ
/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 ᠪᠠᠢᠨᠠ
/sɑin bɑinɑ/
Thank you
ᠪᠠᠶᠠᠷᠯᠠᠯᠠ
/bɑjɑrlɑlɑ/
Good
ᠰᠠᠢᠨ
/sɑin/
Cuckoo
ᠬᠦᠬᠦᠭᠡ
/kɵkɵˈɡe/
Sources
- Ethnologue: mon
- Janhunen (2003) The Mongolic Languages
- UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger
Words compared
Compared with related Mongolic (Central, Khalkha-Buryat) languages
| Meaning | Inner Mongolian | Mongolian | Classical Mongolian | Middle Mongol | Eastern Yugur | Mongghul | Monguor 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/ |
| You | ᠴᠢ /tʃʰi/ | чи /tʃʰi/ | ᠴᠢ /tʃi/ | ᠴᠢ /tʃi/ | чи /tʃi/ | chi /tɕi/ | chi /tɕi/ |
| Name | ᠨᠡᠷᠡ /nər/ | нэр /ner/ | ᠨᠡᠷᠡ /nere/ | ᠨᠡᠷᠡ /nere/ | нэрэ /nere/ | nere /nərə/ | nere /nerə/ |
| Eye | ᠨᠢᠳᠦ /nidʉ/ | нүд /nyd/ | ᠨᠢᠳᠦ /nidü/ | ᠨᠢᠳᠦᠨ /nidyn/ | нүдэ /nʏde/ | nidu /nidu/ | nüd /ˈnʏd/ |
| Hand | ᠭᠠᠷ /ɡɑr/ | гар /ɡar/ | ᠭᠠᠷ /ɡar/ | ᠭᠠᠷ /ɣar/ | гар /ɡar/ | ghar /ʁar/ | gar /ɡɑr/ |
| Heart | ᠵᠢᠷᠦᠬᠡ /dʒirʉχe/ | зүрх /dzyrx/ | ᠵᠢᠷᠦᠬᠡ /dʒirüke/ | ᠵᠢᠷᠦᠭᠡ /dʒiryke/ | зүрх /zʏrχ/ | jürige /dʒyriɡe/ | zürkh /ˈzʏrkx/ |
| Love | ᠬᠠᠢᠷᠠ /χɑir/ | хайр /xajr/ | ᠬᠠᠶᠢᠷᠠ /xajira/ | ᠳᠤᠷᠠ /dura/ | хайрлаха /χajrlaχa/ | durala- /durala/ | khairakh /xaɪˈrɑx/ |
| Tree | ᠮᠣᠳᠤ /mɔdu/ | мод /mod/ | ᠮᠣᠳᠤ /modu/ | ᠮᠣᠳᠤᠨ /modun/ | мод /mod/ | modu /modu/ | mod /mɔd/ |
| House | ᠭᠡᠷ /ɡer/ | гэр /ɡer/ | ᠭᠡᠷ /ɡer/ | ᠭᠡᠷ /ɡer/ | гэр /ɡer/ | ger /ɡer/ | ger /ɡer/ |
| Dog | ᠨᠣᠬᠠᠢ /nɔχɑi/ | нохой /nɔxɔj/ | ᠨᠣᠬᠠᠢ /noxai/ | ᠨᠣᠬᠠᠢ /noqai/ | нохай /noχaj/ | noghui /noʁui/ | noxoi /ˈnɔxɔɪ/ |
| Cat | ᠮᠤᠤᠷ /muːr/ | муур /muːr/ | ᠮᠢᠭᠤᠢ /miɣui/ | ᠮᠢᠭᠤᠢ /miɣui/ | мэшэ /meʃe/ | mau /mau/ | mulagsai /mulɑɡˈsaɪ/ |
| Eat | ᠢᠳᠡᠬᠦ /ideχʉ/ | идэх /idex/ | ᠢᠳᠡ- /ide-/ | ᠢᠳᠡ /ide/ | идэхэ /ɪdeχe/ | idi- /idi/ | ide /ˈide/ |
| Drink | ᠤᠤᠬᠤ /uːχu/ | уух /uːx/ | ᠤᠭᠤ- /uɣu-/ | ᠤᠭᠤ /uɣu/ | ухаха /uχaχa/ | uu- /uː/ | uu /uː/ |
| One | ᠨᠢᠭᠡ /niɡe/ | нэг /neɡ/ | ᠨᠢᠭᠡᠨ /niɡen/ | ᠨᠢᠭᠡᠨ /niɡen/ | нэг /neɡ/ | nige /niɡe/ | nige /ˈniɡe/ |
| Two | ᠬᠣᠶᠠᠷ /xɔˈjɔr/ | хоёр /xɔˈjɔr/ | ᠬᠣᠶᠠᠷ /qojar/ | ᠬᠣᠶᠠᠷ /qojar/ | гоор /ɣoːr/ | ghoor /ʁoːr/ | ghoor /ɣoːr/ |
| Hello | ᠰᠠᠢᠨ ᠪᠠᠢᠨᠠ /sɑin bɑinɑ/ | сайн уу /sajn uː/ | ᠰᠠᠶᠢᠨ ᠤᠤ /sajin uu/ | ᠠᠮᠤᠷ /amur/ | сайнар уу /sajnar uː/ | amur sain /amur sain/ | sain bain uu /saɪn baɪn uː/ |
| Thank you | ᠪᠠᠶᠠᠷᠯᠠᠯᠠ /bɑjɑrlɑlɑ/ | баярлалаа /bajarlalaː/ | ᠪᠠᠶᠠᠷᠯᠠᠯᠠ /bajarlala/ | ᠪᠠᠶᠠᠷᠯᠠᠪᠠ /bajarlaba/ | баярлалаа /bajarlalaː/ | bayarla- /bajarla/ | bayarlaa /bɑjɑrˈlaː/ |
| Good | ᠰᠠᠢᠨ /sɑin/ | сайн /sajn/ | ᠰᠠᠶᠢᠨ /sajin/ | ᠰᠠᠶᠢᠨ /sain/ | сайн /sajn/ | sain /sain/ | sain /ˈsaɪn/ |
| Cuckoo | ᠬᠦᠬᠦᠭᠡ /kɵkɵˈɡe/ | хөхөө /xɵˈxɵː/ | ᠬᠦᠬᠦᠭᠡ /kɵkɵˈɡe/ | ᠬᠦᠬᠦᠭᠡ /kɵkɵˈɡe/ | — | — | — |
Word order compared
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