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35 letters · Cyrillic The Mongolian alphabet
In Mongolia, Mongolian is written in a 35-letter Cyrillic alphabet that replaced the old Mongol script in the 1940s. It has two letters of its own, ө and ү, which stand for vowels that do not exist in English. Below are all 35 letters with an English pronunciation hint and an example word with audio from a real native speaker.
Mongolian has vowel harmony: the vowels in a word belong to a back group or a front group and do not mix. The old vertical Mongol script is still used in Inner Mongolia, China.
| Letter | Latin letters | Sounds like | Example word |
|---|---|---|---|
| А а | a | a in father | аав aav Father |
| Б б | b | b in boy | бугуй bugui Wrist |
| В в | v | v in van (w after a vowel) | вокзал vokzal Train station |
| Г г | g | g in go | гар gar Arm |
| Д д | d | d in dog | дух dukh Forehead |
| Е е | ye | ye in yes | — |
| Ё ё | yo | yo in yonder | — |
| Ж ж | j | j in jam | жинс zhıns Jeans |
| З з | z | dz in adze | зээ zee Grandchild to (granduncles/aunts) |
| И и | i | ee in see | индүү indüü Iron |
| Й й | i | short y, as in boy | — |
| К к | k | k in sky | компьютер kom'pyutr Computer |
| Л л | l | l in lamp | лийр liir Pear |
| М м | m | m in man | мөр mör Shoulder |
| Н н | n | n in net | ноён noen Mr. |
| О о | o | o in or | охин okhin Girl |
| Ө ө | ö | ur in fur, with rounded lips | өвөө övöö Grandfather |
| П п | p | p in spot | пүүз püüz Sport shoes |
| Р р | r | rolled r | ресторан restoran Restaurant |
| С с | s | s in sun | сахал sakhal Moustache |
| Т т | t | t in stop | толгой tolgoi Head |
| У у | u | oo in book | уруул uruul Lip |
| Ү ү | ü | German ü in über | үеэл üeel Cousin |
| Ф ф | f | f in fan | футболка futbolka T-shirt |
| Х х | kh | ch in Scottish loch | хүү khüü Boy |
| Ц ц | ts | ts in cats | цээж tseezh Breast |
| Ч ч | ch | ch in cheese | чих çikh Ear |
| Ш ш | sh | sh in ship | ширээ şiree Table |
| Щ щ | shch | sh-ch, as in fresh cheese (rare) | — |
| Ъ ъ | (hard sign) | no sound (rare) | — |
| Ы ы | y | like i in ill, said further back | — |
| Ь ь | (soft sign) | no sound; softens the consonant | — |
| Э э | e | e in met | эмээ emee Grandmother |
| Ю ю | yu | u in use | юбка yubka Skirt |
| Я я | ya | ya in yard | ядам yadam Ring finger |
Next steps
Listen to every word by topic in the free Mongolian vocabulary (480 words), then hear real Mongolian phrases at two speeds. Want to read Cyrillic text in Latin letters? Try the Cyrillic to Latin transliterator.