Handwritten and Typeface Forms of the Traditional Mongolian Script

The following tables show the handwritten form of traditional Mongolian letters and corresponding typeface forms. Each table features three columns (excepting the citation forms which have only two columns):

W: The handwritten form. This is given here in Inner Mongolian style, which, except for a few letters, is not markedly different from written styles in Mongolia itself.

P1: The common printed typeface in use in Inner Mongolia.

P2: A typeface more common in Mongolia. This typeface appears to be relatively unfamiliar to people in Inner Mongolia and less easy to read.

An idea of the difference in style between ordinary handwriting and the two typefaces can be gained from the following example of the word for 'cloud', əgulə (modern uul, Cyrillic үүл). From left to right, the word is shown in: actual handwriting, in P1, and in P2:

Handwriting	P1	P2

Note the flowing nature of the handwritten form, the more squat nature of the normal Inner Mongolian typeface (P1), and the angular, almost archaic look of the last typeface (P2).

The scans have been taken from available tables of forms rather than from running text. They are mostly clear enough, although P1 is somewhat lacking in sharpness. Some letters in P2 (for instance in the p column) have had to be assembled from available materials since no examples could be found.

1. Tables of open syllables

2. Syllable-closing forms

3. Citation forms

1. TABLE OF OPEN SYLLABLES

The following table shows the initial, medial, and final forms for all the ordinary open syllables in the alphabet, that is, excluding those used for writing foreign words.

There are a few minor differences (ordering, letters included) from the tables in the page on Making Sense of the Mongolian Script.

Vowels
	Initial			Medial			Final
	W	P1	P2	W	P1	P2	W	P1	P2
1 a а
2 ə э
3 i и
4 ɔ o
5 ʊ y
6 o ө
7 u ү

n / н
	Initial			Medial			Final
	W	P1	P2	W	P1	P2	W	P1	P2
1 na на
2 nə нэ
3 ni ни
4 nɔ но
5 nʊ нy
6 no нө
7 nu нү

b / б
	Initial			Medial			Final
	W	P1	P2	W	P1	P2	W	P1	P2
1 ba ба
2 bə бэ
3 bi би
4 bɔ бo
5 bʊ бy
6 bo бө
7 bu бү

p / п
	Initial			Medial			Final
	W	P1	P2	W	P1	P2	W	P1	P2
1 pa па
2 pə пэ
3 pi пи
4 pɔ по
5 pʊ пy
6 po пө
7 pu пү

x / х
	Initial			Medial			Final
	W	P1	P2	W	P1	P2	W	P1	P2
1 xa ха
2 xə хэ
3 xi хи
4 xɔ хo
5 xʊ хy
6 xo хө
7 xu хү

g / ɣ / г
	Initial			Medial			Final
	W	P1	P2	W	P1	P2	W	P1	P2
1 ɣa га
2 gə гэ
3 gi ги
4 ɣɔ го
5 ɣʊ гy
6 go гө
7 gu гү

Note the different placing of the two dots at final ɣa. The placing of the dots in the curve of the is a characterestic of the Inner Mongolian font.

m / м
	Initial			Medial			Final
	W	P1	P2	W	P1	P2	W	P1	P2
1 ma ма
2 mə мэ
3 mi ми
4 mɔ мo
5 mʊ мy
6 mo мө
7 mu мү

l / л
	Initial			Medial			Final
	W	P1	P2	W	P1	P2	W	P1	P2
1 la ла
2 lə лэ
3 li ли
4 lɔ ло
5 lʊ лy
6 lo лө
7 lu лү

s / с
	Initial			Medial			Final
	W	P1	P2	W	P1	P2	W	P1	P2
1 sa са
2 sə сэ
3 si си
4 sɔ сo
5 sʊ сy
6 so сө
7 su сү

ʃ / ш
	Initial			Medial			Final
	W	P1	P2	W	P1	P2	W	P1	P2
1 ʃa ша
2 ʃə шэ
3 ʃi ши
4 ʃɔ шо
5 ʃʊ шy
6 ʃo шө
7 ʃu шү

t / т
	Initial			Medial			Final
	W	P1	P2	W	P1	P2	W	P1	P2
1 ta та
2 tə тэ
3 ti ти
4 tɔ тo
5 tʊ тy
6 to тө
7 tu тү

d / д
	Initial			Medial			Final
	W	P1	P2	W	P1	P2	W	P1	P2
1 da да
2 də дэ
3 di ди
4 dɔ до
5 dʊ дy
6 do дө
7 du дү

Although the language distinguishes between t and d in pronunciation, the two are not distinguished in the traditional script, apart from a few foreign words.

tʃ / ч
	Initial			Medial			Final
	W	P1	P2	W	P1	P2	W	P1	P2
1 tʃa ча
2 tʃə чэ
3 tʃi чи
4 tʃɔ чo
5 tʃʊ чy
6 tʃo чө
7 tʃu чү

dʒ / ж
	Initial			Medial			Final
	W	P1	P2	W	P1	P2	W	P1	P2
1 dʒa жа
2 dʒə жэ
3 dʒi жи
4 dʒɔ жо
5 dʒʊ жy
6 dʒo жө
7 dʒu жү

In the Mongolian of Mongolia and also in dialects of Inner Mongolia, in a large number of words tʃ has become ts and dʒ has become dz (in Cyrillic terms, ч has become ц and ж has become з).

j / й
	Initial			Medial			Final
	W	P1	P2	W	P1	P2	W	P1	P2
1 ja я
2 jə е
3 ji и
4 jɔ ё
5 jʊ юу
6 jo ю
7 ju юү

r / р
	Initial			Medial			Final
	W	P1	P2	W	P1	P2	W	P1	P2
1 ra ра
2 rə рэ
3 ri ри
4 rɔ ро
5 rʊ рy
6 ro рө
7 ru рү

2. SYLLABLE AND WORD-END FORMS

In the following scans, P1 are from a different source from the above with a slightly more angular font. The scan is also somewhat cleaner.

Consonant or vowel	Medial (syllable end)			Final (word end)
Consonant or vowel	W	P1	P2	W	P1	P2
b / б
ɣ / г (after masculine/yang vowels)
g / г (after feminine/yin vowels)
r / р
s / с
d / д
n / н
m / м
l / л
ŋ / н
i / й
ʊ or u / у or ү

3. CITATION FORMS

The following are the citation forms of the open syllables. This form is used when the word is a single open syllable, or the syllable in question is cited independently, not as part of a word. This is the form used in the index of some dictionaries.

No full list of citation forms was found for P2.

Vowels

n / н

b / б

p / п

x / х

g / ɣ / г