Mongolian writing systems

Various Mongolian writing systems have been created for the Mongolian language over many years. Many different kinds of scripts have been used.

The oldest and most traditional one is called the Mongolian script. This script has been very important in Mongolian history and is still used today in the Inner Mongolia region of China, as well as in everyday life in Mongolia.

From this traditional script, many new alphabets grew. Some were made to fix problems people saw in the old script, while others were designed to write down languages like Chinese, Sanskrit, and Tibetan. In the 1900s, Mongolia tried using the Latin script for a short time. But soon after, the country changed to a version of the Cyrillic alphabet. This helped people learn to read and write much better.

Even though Mongolia mostly uses the Cyrillic alphabet now, people in Inner Mongolia and other parts of China still use alphabets based on the older Mongolian script. In March 2020, the Government of Mongolia decided that the traditional Mongolian script should be used along with the Cyrillic script in important papers like identity documents, academic certificates, birth certificates, and marriage certificates. This change was planned to happen by 2025, though people could still choose to use just the Cyrillic script for less formal writing.

Precursors

The Xianbei spoke an early form of the Mongolian language and used Chinese characters to write it down, like the Japanese once did. Sadly, all of their writings have been lost over time.

Later, the Rouran language was found to be written in Brahmi script, thanks to discoveries at the Brāhmī Bugut and Khüis Tolgoi sites. The Khitan people, who spoke a related language, made two special writing systems called the Khitan large script and Khitan small script. Both were based on Chinese characters.

Classic Mongolian scripts

Main article: Mongolian script

Main article: Galik alphabet

Main article: Clear script

The Mongolian language has many writing systems. The traditional Mongolian script began around 1204. A scribe named Tata-tonga helped create it. This script is still used today in Inner Mongolia. One special feature is that it is written vertically from left to right.

Over time, new alphabets were created. In 1587, the Galik alphabet was made to help write words from Tibetan, Sanskrit, Chinese, and Russian. In 1648, another alphabet was created to help write the Oirat language. This script was used in Russia and is still used by some people in Xinjiang, China.

'Phags-pa script (Square script)

Main article: 'Phags-pa script

During the Yuan dynasty, Kublai Khan asked a Tibetan monk, Drogön Chögyal Phagpa, to make a new writing system for the whole empire. Phagpa used his Tibetan script and added symbols for Mongolian and Chinese sounds. This new script was called the 'Phags-pa script. It was not used by many people and mostly disappeared after the Yuan dynasty ended in 1368. Some experts think it may have helped shape the Korean hangul alphabet.

Soyombo script

Main article: Soyombo script

The Soyombo script is a special way of writing made by a Mongolian monk named Bogdo Zanabazar in the late 1600s. It can be used to write Mongolian, Tibetan, and Sanskrit. One special sign from this script, called the Soyombo symbol, is important for Mongolia. You can see it on the country's flag and coat of arms, as well as on money and stamps.

Zanabazar created this script to help translate Buddhist books. People still see it today in old writings on temples, and it helps experts learn about the Mongolian language.

Horizontal square script

Main article: Horizontal square script

Zanabazar made the horizontal square script (Хэвтээ дөрвөлжин) a long time ago, but people did not find it again until 1801. This writing looked like a square and was inspired by the Tibetan alphabet. People read it from left to right. It used special marks above and below letters to show vowels, and a dot below letters to show the end of a word.

Today, the horizontal square script is part of the Unicode Standard, called “Zanabazar Square.” Its 72 characters were added to Unicode in June 2017.

Foreign scripts

Before the 13th century, people used writing systems from other cultures like the Uighur and Tibetan scripts to write the Mongolian language. Even during the Mongol Empire, people in different areas often wrote Mongolian using their own local writing systems. Sometimes, Mongolian was written using Chinese characters, like in the surviving copies of The Secret History of the Mongols. People from the Middle East working in administrative jobs often used Perso-Arabic script for their Mongolian documents.

Latin script

Main article: Mongolian Latin alphabet

On February 1, 1930, Mongolia decided to use a Latin alphabet for writing. But by March 25, 1941, they changed their minds. The Latin alphabet was difficult for the Mongolian language because it didn’t show all the sounds correctly. Later, Mongolia started using the Cyrillic script, which is used in many countries like Russia. Today, many people online prefer using the Latin script because it’s easier to type.

Cyrillic script

Main article: Mongolian Cyrillic alphabet

Today, Mongolia mainly uses the Cyrillic script, which is the Russian alphabet with two extra letters: Өө Öö and Үү Üü. This system was introduced in the 1940s and has been the official way to write Mongolian ever since. In March 2020, Mongolia planned to start using the traditional Mongolian script along with Cyrillic in official documents beginning in 2025.