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

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87 core words in Inner Mongolian

Water

ᠤᠰᠤ

usu

Fire

ᠭᠠᠯ

ɡɑl

Sun

ᠨᠠᠷᠠ

nɑrɑ

Moon

ᠰᠠᠷᠠ

sɑrɑ

Star

ᠣᠳᠤᠨ

ɔtŋ̍

Night

ᠰᠥᠨᠢ

ʃønø

Rain

ᠪᠣᠷᠣᠭᠠ

bɔrɔːɢɑ

Snow

ᠴᠠᠰᠤ

tsas

Wind

ᠰᠠᠯᠬᠢ

salxi

Earth

ᠭᠠᠵᠠᠷ

ɢɑdʒɑr

Stone

ᠴᠢᠯᠠᠭᠤ

tʃʊɮuː

Mountain

ᠠᠭᠤᠯᠠ

ʊːl

Sea

ᠳᠠᠯᠠᠢ

tɑlɑi

Mother

ᠡᠬᠡ

eχe

Father

ᠠᠪᠤ

ɑβu

Daughter

ᠥᠬᠢᠨ

øχin

I

ᠪᠢ

bi

You

ᠴᠢ

tʃʰi

We

ᠪᠢᠳᠡ

bid

Name

ᠨᠡᠷᠡ

nər

Person

ᠬᠦᠮᠦᠨ

xuŋ

Head

ᠲᠣᠯᠤᠭᠠᠢ

tɔlɡɔi

Eye

ᠨᠢᠳᠦ

nidʉ

Ear

ᠴᠢᠬᠢ

tʃʰiki

Nose

ᠬᠠᠮᠠᠷ

xamar

Mouth

ᠠᠮᠠ

am

Tooth

ᠰᠢᠳᠦ

ʃyd

Tongue

ᠬᠡᠯᠡ

xel

Hand

ᠭᠠᠷ

ɡɑr

Foot

ᠬᠥᠯ

køl

Heart

ᠵᠢᠷᠦᠬᠡ

dʒirʉχe

Bone

ᠶᠠᠰᠤ

jas

Blood

ᠴᠢᠰᠤ

tʃus

Poop

ᠪᠠᠭᠠᠰᠤ

paːs

Love

ᠬᠠᠢᠷ᠎ᠠ

χɑir

Tree

ᠮᠣᠳᠤ

mɔdu

Dog

ᠨᠣᠬᠠᠢ

nɔχɑi

Cat

ᠮᠤᠤᠷ

muːr

Fish

ᠵᠢᠭᠠᠰᠤ

tsaɡas

Bird

ᠰᠢᠪᠠᠭᠤ

ʃʊwuː

Butterfly

ᠡᠷᠪᠡᠬᠡᠢ

erweːxei

Egg

ᠥᠨᠳᠡᠭᠡ

øndəɡ

Bear

ᠪᠠᠭᠠᠪᠠᠭᠠᠢ

baːwɡɑi

Horse

ᠮᠣᠷᠢ

mɔr

House

ᠭᠡᠷ

ɡer

Milk

ᠰᠦᠨ

syː

Honey

ᠪᠠᠯ

bal

Salt

ᠳᠠᠪᠤᠰᠤ

dabusu

Wine

ᠳᠠᠷᠠᠰᠤ

darasu

Rice

ᠪᠤᠳᠠᠭ᠎ᠠ

pʊtaː

Iron

ᠲᠡᠮᠦᠷ

tɵmɵr

Wheel

ᠬᠦᠷᠳᠦ

xʉrdʉ

Silk

ᠲᠣᠷᠭ᠎ᠠ

tɔrɡɔ

Book

ᠨᠣᠮ

nɔm

Eat

ᠢᠳᠡᠬᠦ

ideχʉ

Drink

ᠤᠤᠬᠤ

uːχu

Sleep

ᠤᠨᠲᠠᠬᠤ

untax

One

ᠨᠢᠭᠡ

niɡe

Two

ᠬᠣᠶᠠᠷ

xɔˈjɔr

Three

ᠭᠤᠷᠪᠠ

ɡurwa

Four

ᠳᠥᠷᠪᠡ

dørwə

Five

ᠲᠠᠪᠤᠨ

taβun

Hundred

ᠵᠠᠭᠤ

tsuː

Hello

ᠰᠠᠢᠨ ᠪᠠᠢᠨ᠎ᠠ

sɑin bɑinɑ

Thank you

ᠪᠠᠶᠠᠷᠯᠠᠯ᠎ᠠ

bɑjɑrlɑlɑ

Good

ᠰᠠᠢᠨ

sɑin

New

ᠰᠢᠨ᠎ᠡ

ʃine

Red

ᠤᠯᠠᠭᠠᠨ

ʊɮaːn

White

ᠴᠠᠭᠠᠨ

tsʰaɡaːn

Black

ᠬᠠᠷ᠎ᠠ

xar

Green

ᠨᠣᠭᠤᠭᠠᠨ

nɔɡɔːŋ

Blue

ᠬᠥᠬᠡ

xɵx

Cuckoo

ᠬᠦᠬᠦᠭᠡ

kɵkɵˈɡe

Tea

ᠴᠠᠢ

tsʰai

Orange

ᠵᠦᠷᠵᠢ

dʒʉrdʒ

Ninety-nine

ᠶᠡᠷᠡ ᠶᠢᠰᠦ

jere jisʉ

Sources

Words compared

Compared with languages in the same classification: Mongolic (Central, Khalkha-Buryat)

Meaning Inner MongolianMongolianClassical MongolianMiddle MongolProto-MongolicBuryatKalmyk
Water ᠤᠰᠤ /usu/ ус /us/ ᠤᠰᠤᠨ /usun/ ᠤᠰᠤᠨ /usun/ *usun /usun/ уһан /uhan/ усн /usn/
Fire ᠭᠠᠯ /ɡɑl/ гал /ɡal/ ᠭᠠᠯ /ɡal/ ᠭᠠᠯ /qal/ *gal /ɡal/ гал /ɡal/ һал /ɣal/
Sun ᠨᠠᠷᠠ /nɑrɑ/ нар /nar/ ᠨᠠᠷᠠᠨ /naran/ ᠨᠠᠷᠠᠨ /naran/ *naran /naran/ наран /naran/ нарн /narn/
Moon ᠰᠠᠷᠠ /sɑrɑ/ сар /sar/ ᠰᠠᠷᠠ /sara/ ᠰᠠᠷᠠ /sara/ *sara /sara/ һара /hara/ сар /sar/
Star ᠣᠳᠤᠨ /ɔtŋ̍/ од /ɔt/ ᠣᠳᠣᠨ /odun/ ᠬᠣᠳᠤᠨ /hodun/ *hodun /hodun/ одон /odoŋ/ одн /odn/
Night ᠰᠥᠨᠢ /ʃønø/ шөнө /ʃønø/ ᠰᠥᠨᠢ /søni/ ᠰᠥᠨᠢ /søni/ *söni /søni/ һүни /hyni/ сө /sø/
Rain ᠪᠣᠷᠣᠭᠠ /bɔrɔːɢɑ/ бороо /bɔrɔː/ ᠬᠤᠷᠠ /qura/ ᠬᠤᠷᠠ /qura/ *kura /kura/ бороо /bɔrɔː/ хур /xur/
Snow ᠴᠠᠰᠤ /tsas/ цас /tsas/ ᠴᠠᠰᠤ /tʃasu/ ᠴᠠᠰᠤᠨ /tʃasun/ *časun /tʃasun/ саһан /sahaŋ/ цасн /tsasn/
Page 1/10

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
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 で 見た スーツを 試着 したいです
我 想 试穿 酒店 对面的 商店 里 看到的 那套西装
أنا أريد أن أجرب بدلة رأيتها في محل مقابل الفندق
Я хочу примерить костюм который я увидел в магазине напротив отеля

Compare with languages in the same classification

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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