白语

Central Bai

Sino-Tibetan (Bai)

FamilySino-Tibetan (Bai) Speakers~600–700K ScriptLatin (Latin script with diacritics following Yunnan conventions) CountriesChina Official inNone (minority language, not official status)

Central Bai (ISO 639-3: bca), represented chiefly by Jianchuan Bai, is a Sino-Tibetan language of northwestern Yunnan, China, spoken by roughly 600,000–700,000 people. It is one of the major Bai varieties alongside Dali and Bijiang Bai, and centuries of contact with Chinese have contributed a large stratum of loanwords; its deeper position within Sino-Tibetan remains debated. Jianchuan Bai has open syllables, distinctive oral and nasal vowels, and a tonal-register system in which pitch contrasts interact with lax, breathy, and constricted phonation. The language has basic SVO order and is written in a standardized Latin orthography whose final letters mark tone and phonation; traditional Bai texts have also used adapted Chinese characters.

Where it is spoken

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87 core words in Central Bai

Water

xuix

ɕui˧˧

Fire

xue

xue˧˧

Sun

jĩpʰĩ

jĩ˦˦pʰĩ˧˩

Moon

mixngvax

mi˥˥w̃a˦˦

Star

ɕɛ̃kʰo

ɕɛ̃˥˥kʰo˧˧

Night

joxɯ

jo˧˩xɯ˧˩

Rain

vɤ

vɤ˧˧

Snow

sue

sui˦˦

Wind

pisɿ

pi˥˥sɿ˥˥

Earth

tʰusɿ

tʰu˧˧sɿ˧˧

Stone

tɕokʰue

tɕo˦˨kʰue˥˥

Mountain

sɤ

sɤ˦˨

Mother

amo

a˧˩mo˧˧

Father

ati

a˧˩ti˧˧

Daughter

yvn

jṽ˧

I

ngo

ŋo˧

You

no

no˧˩

We

nga

ŋa

Name

mie

mie˧

Person

jĩkɛ̃jĩ

jĩ˨˩kɛ̃˥˥jĩ˨˩

Head

tɯpo

tɯ˨˩po˨˩

Eye

wẽ

wẽ˧˧

Ear

jĩtɯkũã

jĩ˧˧tɯ˨˩kũã˥˥

Nose

ɤ̃kʰɤtɯ

ɤ̃˧˩kʰɤ˦˦tɯ˦˨

Mouth

tɕykɛ

tɕy˧˧kɛ˥˥

Tooth

zix

tsɿ˧

Tongue

ceit

tse˦˨

Hand

sɯ

sɯ˧˧

Foot

kou

kou˦˦

Heart

ɕĩ

ɕĩ˥˥

Bone

kuatu

kua˧tu˧

Blood

sua

sua˧

Poop

sɿ

sɿ˧˧

Love

kou

kou˨˩

Tree

tsɯ

tsɯ˧˩

Dog

kʰũã

kʰũã˧˧

Cat

ani

a˥˥ni˥˥

Fish

ɤ̃

ɤ̃˥˥

Bird

tsoutsɿ

tsou˦˦tsɿ˧˧

Butterfly

koulɛtsɿ

kou˥˥lɛ˦˦tsɿ˧˧

Egg

se

se˦˨

Horse

mɛ

mɛ˧˧

House

xou

xou˨˩

Milk

pɑtsɛ

pɑ˦˨tsɛ˦˦

Salt

pĩ

pĩ˥˥

Rice

me

me˧˧

Iron

tʰe

tʰe˦˦

Silk

tsʰotsi

tsʰo˥˥tsi˧˩

Book

sɤtsʰuɛ

sɤ˥˥tsʰuɛ˦˦

Eat

jɯ

jɯ˦˦

Drink

ɯ̃

ɯ̃˧˧

Sleep

tsʰɛ̃

tsʰɛ̃˧˧

One

yi

i˧

Two

ko

ko˧

Three

sanx

sɑ̃˧

Four

ɕi

ɕi˦˦

Five

ɤ̃

ɤ̃˧˧

Hundred

apɛ

a˧˩pɛ˦˦

Hello

he

he

Thank you

mje-kje

mje kje

Good

tɕʰõ

tɕʰõ˥˥

New

ɕĩ

ɕĩ˥˥

Red

cai

tsʰɛ˦˦

White

baip

pɛ˦˨

Black

xɯ

xɯ˦˦

Green

lu

lu˦˦

Blue

tɕʰɛ̃

tɕʰɛ̃˥˥

Sugar

soto

so˥˥to˧˩

Sources

Words compared

Compared with languages in the same classification: Sino-Tibetan (Bai)

Meaning Central BaiHengyang XiangTaiwaneseChengdu MandarinXinzhou JinEastern MinZhangzhou Hokkien
Water xuix /ɕui˧˧/ 水 /ɕy˧˧/ 水 /tsui˥˧/ 水 /suei˥˧/ 水 /suei˧˩˧/ 水 /tsui˧˧/ 水 /tsui˥˧/
Fire xue /xue˧˧/ 火 /xo˧˧/ 火 /he˥˧/ 火 /xo˥˧/ 火 /xuɛ˧˩˧/ 火 /hui˧˧/ 火 /hue˥˧/
Sun jĩpʰĩ /jĩ˦˦pʰĩ˧˩/ 日头 /ɕi˩˩˨ təu˩˩˨/ 日頭 /lit˦ tʰau˨˦/ 太阳 /tʰai˨˩˧ iaŋ˨˩/ 太阳 /tʰæ˥˨ iɑ̃˧˩/ 日头 /niʔ˥ tʰau˥˧/ 日头 /dzit̚˩˨˩ tʰau˩˧/
Moon mixngvax /mi˥˥w̃a˦˦/ 月光 /ye˩˩˨ kuan˦˦˥/ 月娘 /ɡeʔ˦ niũ˨˦/ 月亮 /ye˨˩ lia̠ŋ˨˩˧/ 月 /yɔʔ˦˧/ 月光 /ŋuoʔ˥ kuoŋ˥˥/ 月娘 /ɡueʔ˩˨˩ niɔ̃˩˧/
Star ɕɛ̃kʰo /ɕɛ̃˥˥kʰo˧˧/ 星子 /ɕin˦˦˥ tsɿ/ 星 /tsʰĩ˦˦/ 星星 /ɕin˥˥ ɕin˥˥/ 星宿 /ɕiəŋ˧˩˧ ɕiəu˥˨/ 星 /siŋ˥˥/ 星 /tsʰɛ̃˦˦/
Night joxɯ /jo˧˩xɯ˧˩/ 夜里 /ia˨˩˧ ti˧˧/ 暗暝 /am˩˩ mĩ˨˦/ 晚上 /wan˥˧ saŋ/ 夜里 /iɛ˥˨ li˧˩˧/ 暝 /maŋ˥˧/ 暗暝 /am˨˩ mɛ̃˩˧/
Rain vɤ /vɤ˧˧/ 雨 /y˧˧/ 雨 /hɔ˧˧/ 雨 /y˥˧/ 雨 /y˧˩˧/ 雨 /huɔ˨˦˨/ 雨 /hɔ˨˨/
Snow sue /sui˦˦/ 雪 /ɕye˨˨/ 雪 /seʔ˧˨/ 雪 /ɕye˨˩/ 雪 /ɕyɔʔ˦˧/ 雪 /suɔʔ˨˦/ 雪 /seʔ˧˨/
Page 1/9

Han readings compared

Compared with languages in the same classification: Sino-Tibetan > Bai

Character Central BaiChengdu MandarinSichuan MandarinLeizhou MinShanghai WuKaifeng MandarinPinghua
一 ji7 /ji˦/ yi²¹ /i˨˩/ yi²¹ /i˨˩/ 訓讀(蜀)yiag8 /ziak̚˨/文讀ieg4 /iek̚˥/ iq7 /ɪʔ˥˥/ yi²⁴ /i˨˦/ ɐt³ /ɐt̚˧/
二 ne7 /ne˦/ er²¹³ /ɚ˨˩˧/ er²¹³ /ɚ˨˩˧/ lu7 /lu˥˥/ gni6 /ɲi˨˧/ er³¹² /ɚ˧˩˨/ ȵi²² /ȵi˨˨/
三 sa1 /sa˥/ san⁵⁵ /san˥˥/ san⁵⁵ /san˥˥/ 白讀sa1 /sa˧˥/文讀sam1 /sam˧˥/ se1 /sɛ˥˧/ san²⁴ /san˨˦/ ɬam⁵³ /ɬam˥˧/
四 ɕi7 /ɕi˦/ si²¹³ /sɿ˨˩˧/ si²¹³ /sɿ˨˩˧/ 白讀xi3 /si˨˩/文讀su3 /su˨˩/ sy5 /sɿ˧˥/ si³¹² /sɿ˧˩˨/ ɬi⁵⁵ /ɬi˥˥/
五 mu4 /mu˧/ wu⁵³ /u˥˧/ wu⁵³ /u˥˧/ ngeu6 /ŋɛu˧˧/ ng6 /ŋ̍˨˧/ wu⁵³ /u˥˧/ ŋ̍²⁴ /ŋ̍˨˦/
六 fv̩7 /fv̩˦/ nu²¹ /nu˨˩/ neu²¹ /nəu˨˩/ 白讀lag8 /lak̚˨/文讀log4 /lɔk̚˥/ loq8 /loʔ˩˨/ liu²⁴ /liəu˨˦/ lœk²⁴ /lœk̚˨˦/
七 tɕʰi7 /tɕʰi˦/ qi²¹ /tɕʰi˨˩/ qi²¹ /tɕʰi˨˩/ qieg4 /tsʰiek̚˥/ chiq7 /tɕʰɪʔ˥˥/ qi²⁴ /tɕʰi˨˦/ tʃʰɐt³ /tʃʰɐt̚˧/
八 pia7 /pia˦/ ba²¹ /pa˨˩/ ba²¹ /pa˨˩/ boi7 /pɔi˥˥/ paq7 /pɐʔ˥˥/ ba²⁴ /pa˨˦/ pat³ /pat̚˧/
九 tɕɯ3 /tɕɯ˧/ jiu⁵³ /tɕiəu˥˧/ jiu⁵³ /tɕiəu˥˧/ gao2 /kau˧˩/ cieu5 /tɕiɤɯ˧˥/ jiu⁵³ /tɕiəu˥˧/ kɐu³³ /kɐu˧˧/
十 tsi8 /tsi˦˨/ si²¹ /sɿ˨˩/ si²¹ /sɿ˨˩/ 白讀zab8 /tsap̚˨/文讀xib4 /sip̚˥/ zeq8 /zəʔ˩˨/ shi⁴² /ʂʐ̩˦˨/ ʃɐp² /ʃɐp̚˨/
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