ᠮᠣᠩᠭᠣᠯ
Middle Mongol
Mongolic · historical / hidden variety
Middle Mongol was the language of the Mongol Empire under Genghis Khan and his successors (13th–15th c.) — the language of the Yuan dynasty in China, the Ilkhanate in Persia, the Chagatai Khanate, and the Golden Horde. Attested in the Secret History of the Mongols (the foundational text of Mongolian literature, c. 1240), Phags-pa script inscriptions (the Yuan-era square script designed by Tibetan lama Phags-pa Lama, 1269), the Mukaddimat al-Adab Arabic-Mongolian glossary, and various translations of Buddhist and Christian texts. It is the ancestor of all modern Mongolic languages (Khalkha Mongolian, Buryat, Kalmyk, Mongolian dialects in China).
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Middle Mongol
Water
ᠤᠰᠤᠨ
/usun/
Fire
ᠭᠠᠯ
/ɣal/
Sun
ᠨᠠᠷᠠᠨ
/naran/
Moon
ᠰᠠᠷᠠ
/sara/
Star
ᠬᠣᠳᠤᠨ
/hodun/
Mother
ᠡᠭᠡ
/eke/
Father
ᠡᠴᠢᠭᠡ
/etʃiɡe/
I
ᠪᠢ
/bi/
You
ᠴᠢ
/tʃi/
Name
ᠨᠡᠷᠡ
/nere/
Eye
ᠨᠢᠳᠦᠨ
/nidyn/
Hand
ᠭᠠᠷ
/ɣar/
Heart
ᠵᠢᠷᠦᠭᠡ
/dʒiryke/
Love
ᠳᠤᠷᠠ
/dura/
Tree
ᠮᠣᠳᠤᠨ
/modun/
House
ᠭᠡᠷ
/ɡer/
Dog
ᠨᠣᠬᠠᠢ
/noqai/
Cat
ᠮᠢᠭᠤᠢ
/miɣui/
Eat
ᠢᠳᠡ
/ide/
Drink
ᠤᠭᠤ
/uɣu/
One
ᠨᠢᠭᠡᠨ
/niɡen/
Two
ᠬᠣᠶᠠᠷ
/qojar/
Hello
ᠠᠮᠤᠷ
/amur/
Thank you
ᠪᠠᠶᠠᠷᠯᠠᠪᠠ
/bajarlaba/
Good
ᠰᠠᠶᠢᠨ
/sain/
Cuckoo
ᠬᠦᠬᠦᠭᠡ
/kɵkɵˈɡe/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Mongolic languages
| Meaning | Middle Mongol | Classical Mongolian | Proto-Mongolic | Buryat | Mongghul | Kalmyk | Eastern Yugur |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ᠤᠰᠤᠨ /usun/ | ᠤᠰᠤᠨ /usun/ | *usun /usun/ | уһан /uhan/ | usu /usu/ | усн /usn/ | ус /us/ |
| Fire | ᠭᠠᠯ /ɣal/ | ᠭᠠᠯ /ɡal/ | *gal /gal/ | гал /ɡal/ | ghal /ʁal/ | гал /ɡal/ | гал /ɡal/ |
| Sun | ᠨᠠᠷᠠᠨ /naran/ | ᠨᠠᠷᠠᠨ /naran/ | *naran /naran/ | наран /naran/ | nara /nara/ | нарн /narn/ | нар /nar/ |
| Moon | ᠰᠠᠷᠠ /sara/ | ᠰᠠᠷᠠ /sara/ | *sara /sara/ | һара /hara/ | sara /sara/ | сар /sar/ | сар /sar/ |
| Star | ᠬᠣᠳᠤᠨ /hodun/ | ᠣᠳᠣᠨ /odun/ | *hodun /hodun/ | одон /oˈdõ/ | hodi /xoˈdi/ | одн /odn/ | ходэн /χoden/ |
| Mother | ᠡᠭᠡ /eke/ | ᠡᠬᠡ /eke/ | *eke /eke/ | эхэ /exe/ | ana /ana/ | ээҗ /eːdʒ/ | ээж /eːʒ/ |
| Father | ᠡᠴᠢᠭᠡ /etʃiɡe/ | ᠡᠴᠢᠭᠡ /etʃiɡe/ | *ečige /ečige/ | эсэгэ /eseɡe/ | ada /ada/ | аав /aːv/ | аава /ɑːva/ |
| I | ᠪᠢ /bi/ | ᠪᠢ /bi/ | *bi /bi/ | би /bi/ | bu /bu/ | би /bi/ | би /bi/ |
| You | ᠴᠢ /tʃi/ | ᠴᠢ /tʃi/ | *či /či/ | ши /ʃi/ | chi /tɕi/ | чи /tʃi/ | чи /tʃi/ |
| Name | ᠨᠡᠷᠡ /nere/ | ᠨᠡᠷᠡ /nere/ | *nere /nere/ | нэрэ /nere/ | nere /nərə/ | нерн /nern/ | нэрэ /nere/ |
| Eye | ᠨᠢᠳᠦᠨ /nidyn/ | ᠨᠢᠳᠦ /nidü/ | *nidün /nidün/ | нюдэн /nʲuden/ | nidu /nidu/ | нүдн /nyˈdn̩/ | нүдэ /nʏde/ |
| Hand | ᠭᠠᠷ /ɣar/ | ᠭᠠᠷ /ɡar/ | *gar /gar/ | гар /ɡar/ | ghar /ʁar/ | һар /ɣar/ | гар /ɡar/ |
| Heart | ᠵᠢᠷᠦᠭᠡ /dʒiryke/ | ᠵᠢᠷᠦᠬᠡ /dʒirüke/ | *ǰirüken /ǰirüken/ | зүрхэн /zyrxen/ | jürige /dʒyriɡe/ | зүркн /zyrˈkən/ | зүрх /zʏrχ/ |
| Love | ᠳᠤᠷᠠ /dura/ | ᠬᠠᠶᠢᠷᠠ /xajira/ | — /—/ | дуран /duran/ | durala- /durala/ | дурлх /durlx/ | хайрлаха /χajrlaχa/ |
| Tree | ᠮᠣᠳᠤᠨ /modun/ | ᠮᠣᠳᠤ /modu/ | *modun /modun/ | модон /modon/ | modu /modu/ | модн /moˈdn̩/ | мод /mod/ |
| House | ᠭᠡᠷ /ɡer/ | ᠭᠡᠷ /ɡer/ | *ger /ger/ | гэр /ɡer/ | ger /ɡer/ | гер /ɡer/ | гэр /ɡer/ |
| Dog | ᠨᠣᠬᠠᠢ /noqai/ | ᠨᠣᠬᠠᠢ /noxai/ | *nokai /nokai/ | нохой /noxoj/ | noghui /noʁui/ | ноха /noxa/ | нохай /noχaj/ |
| Cat | ᠮᠢᠭᠤᠢ /miɣui/ | ᠮᠢᠭᠤᠢ /miɣui/ | — /—/ | миисгэй /miːsɡej/ | mau /mau/ | миис /miːs/ | мэшэ /meʃe/ |
| Eat | ᠢᠳᠡ /ide/ | ᠢᠳᠡ- /ide-/ | *ide- /ide-/ | эдеэлхэ /edeːlxe/ | idi- /idi/ | иде /ide/ | идэхэ /ɪdeχe/ |
| Drink | ᠤᠭᠤ /uɣu/ | ᠤᠭᠤ- /uɣu-/ | *uu- /uu-/ | ууха /uːxa/ | uu- /uː/ | уу /uː/ | ухаха /uχaχa/ |
| One | ᠨᠢᠭᠡᠨ /niɡen/ | ᠨᠢᠭᠡᠨ /niɡen/ | *nigen /nigen/ | нэгэн /neɡen/ | nige /niɡe/ | негн /neɡn/ | нэг /neɡ/ |
| Two | ᠬᠣᠶᠠᠷ /qojar/ | ᠬᠣᠶᠠᠷ /qojar/ | *koyar /koyar/ | хоёр /xɔˈjɔr/ | ghoor /ʁoːr/ | хойр /xojr/ | гоор /ɣoːr/ |
| Hello | ᠠᠮᠤᠷ /amur/ | ᠰᠠᠶᠢᠨ ᠤᠤ /sajin uu/ | — /—/ | сайн байна /sajn bajna/ | amur sain /amur sain/ | менд /mend/ | сайнар уу /sajnar uː/ |
| Thank you | ᠪᠠᠶᠠᠷᠯᠠᠪᠠ /bajarlaba/ | ᠪᠠᠶᠠᠷᠯᠠᠯᠠ /bajarlala/ | — /—/ | баярлаа /bajarlaː/ | bayarla- /bajarla/ | ханҗанав /xandʒanav/ | баярлалаа /bajarlalaː/ |
| Good | ᠰᠠᠶᠢᠨ /sain/ | ᠰᠠᠶᠢᠨ /sajin/ | *sajin /sajin/ | һайн /hajn/ | sain /sain/ | сән /sæn/ | сайн /sajn/ |
| Cuckoo | ᠬᠦᠬᠦᠭᠡ /kɵkɵˈɡe/ | ᠬᠦᠬᠦᠭᠡ /kɵkɵˈɡe/ | — | хүхы /xyˈxɘ/ | — | көкә /køˈkæ/ | — |
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