Language/Halh-mongolian/Grammar/Cyrillic-Script

Halh Mongolian → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Introduction to the Halh Mongolian Alphabet → Cyrillic Script

Introduction to Cyrillic Script in Halh Mongolian

Welcome to the lesson on the Cyrillic script, one of the two scripts used for writing Halh Mongolian. Cyrillic script is mainly used in Mongolia, while the other script, Mongolian script, is mainly used in Inner Mongolia, China. In this lesson, you will learn about the Cyrillic script used in Halh Mongolian, including the unique letters and their pronunciation.

History of Cyrillic Script in Halh Mongolian

The Cyrillic script was introduced to Mongolians during the Soviet era, when the Mongolian People's Republic was established in 1924. The Cyrillic script was chosen because it was already used in the Russian language, which was then the second official language in Mongolia. The script has since been the only official script of the Mongolian language in Mongolia.

The Cyrillic Alphabet

The Cyrillic alphabet used in Halh Mongolian consists of 35 letters, including the basic 33 letters of the Russian alphabet plus two additional letters. The two additional letters are Өө and Үү, which represent the sounds /œ/ and /ʉ/ respectively. These two letters do not exist in the Russian alphabet.

Here is the complete list of the Cyrillic script used in Halh Mongolian:

Letter	Name (IPA)	Name (Transliteration)	English Name
А а	/ɑ/	'a'	A
Б б	/b/	'b'	B
В в	/w/	'v'	V
Г г	/ɡ/	'g'	G
Д д	/d/	'd'	D
Е е	/je/ or /e/	'ye' or 'e'	E
Ё ё	/jo/ or /o/	'yo' or 'o'	Yo
Ж ж	/ʒ/	'zh'	Zh
З з	/z/	'z'	Z
И и	/i/	'i'	I
Й й	/j/	'y'	Y
К к	/k/	'k'	K
Л л	/l/	'l'	L
М м	/m/	'm'	M
Н н	/n/	'n'	N
Ү ү	/ʉ/	'ü'	Ü
О о	/o/	'o'	O
Ө ө	/œ/	'ö'	Ö
П п	/p/	'p'	P
Р р	/r/	'r'	R
С с	/s/	's'	S
Т т	/t/	't'	T
У у	/u/	'u'	U
Ф ф	/f/	'f'	F
Х х	/x/	'kh'	Kh
Ц ц	/ts/	'ts'	Ts
Ч ч	/tʃ/	'ch'	Ch
Ш ш	/ʃ/	'sh'	Sh
Щ щ	/ʃː/	'shch'	Shch
Ъ ъ		'ʺ' (hard sign)	Hard sign
Ы ы	/ɨ/	'i'	Y
Ь ь		'ʹ' (soft sign)	Soft sign
Э э	/e/	'e'	E
Ю ю	/ju/	'yu'	Yu
Я я	/ja/	'ya'	Ya

Cyrillic Script Pronunciation

Knowing the pronunciation of Cyrillic script is important in learning Halh Mongolian. The following are some pronunciation tips for the letters in Cyrillic script that are unique to Halh Mongolian.

Өө (Öö)

The letter Өө (Öö) represents the sound /œ/ and is unique to the Cyrillic script used in Halh Mongolian. This sound is similar to the "eu" sound in "feud".

• Өө (Öö) at the beginning of a word:
  

  Word	Pronunciation	English Translation
  Өргөн (Örgön)	/'œrgœn/	Circle
  Өв (Öv)	/'œv/	Night

• Өө (Öö) in the middle of a word:

Word	Pronunciation	English Translation
Гөрөнгө (Göröngö)	/gœrœŋœ/	Window
Өвөг (Övög)	/ Table of Contents - Halh Mongolian Course - 0 to A1 Course Presentation Introduction to the Halh Mongolian Alphabet Cyrillic Script Vowel Harmony Basic Greetings and Expressions Greetings Polite Expressions Nouns and Pronouns Noun Cases Personal Pronouns Numbers and Time Cardinal Numbers Ordinal Numbers Telling Time Verbs and Tenses Present Tense Past Tense Future Tense Family and Relationships Family Members Relationships Adjectives and Adverbs Adjectives Adverbs Food and Dining Common Foods Dining Phrases Prepositions and Conjunctions Prepositions Conjunctions Travel and Transportation Modes of Transportation Travel Phrases Mongolian Customs and Traditions Traditional Holidays Mongolian Etiquette Weather and Seasons Weather Vocabulary Seasons Mongolian Music and Arts Traditional Music Visual Arts Other Lessons Gender How to Use Have Conditional Mood How to Use Be Declensions Negation Past Tense Verbs Give your Opinion Noun Cases Vowel Harmony