Mongolian phrases – Here you will find the most common phrases in Mongolian with translation. | Free & useful
Mongolian phrases are short expressions or idioms often used in speech to be polite, express gratitude, greet or say goodbye or simply to have a pleasant conversation.
They are an important part of Mongolian culture and can be useful in different situations, both in private and business life.
Mongolian phrases you should know
OUR TIP: If you want to learn these phrases interactively, we recommend the free language course demo from 17-Minute-Language, where you can learn Mongolian phrases and dialogues today.
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Greet someone in Mongolian
If you want to greet someone in Mongolian, it’s actually quite easy:
| English | Mongolian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Good day to you! | Танд сайхан өдөр хүсье! | [tʰant sai̯xan ɔdœr xusʲje] |
| Good morning to you! | Танд өглөөний мэнд! | [tʰant œɡɮɔːnɪː mɛnt] |
| Good evening! | Сайн орой! | [sai̯n ɔrɔi̯] |
| Good to see you. | Танийг харахад таатай байна. | [tʰaniːɡ xaraxat tʰaːtaɪ̯ bɛɪ̯nə] |
| I’m glad to see you. | Танийг харахад баяртай байна. | [tʰaniːɡ xaraxat bajartʰaɪ̯ bɛɪ̯nə] |
If you are greeted in Mongolian, the best way to respond is as follows:
| English | Mongolian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Have a nice day too! | Танд ч бас сайхан өдөр байг! | [tʰant t͡ʃi bas sai̯xan ɔdœr bai̯ɡ] |
| Thanks, it’s nice to see you too. | Баярлалаа, таныг харахад ч бас таатай байна. | [bajaɾlalaː tʰaniːɡ xaraxat t͡ʃi bas tʰaːtaɪ̯ bɛɪ̯nə] |
How is my dialogue partner?
As in any other country, it is polite to start by asking where the person you are talking to is located. Here’s how you do it:
| English | Mongolian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| How are you doing? | Таны бие хэр байна вэ? | [tʰani biːjɛ xɛr bai̯nə wɛ] |
| Are you doing well? | Та сайн байна уу? | [tʰa sai̯n bai̯nə ʊː] |
If you are asked how you feel, you can answer with the following phrases:
| English | Mongolian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Thank you for asking, I am fine. | Асуусанд баярлалаа, би сайн байна. | [ɑsʊːsɑnd bɑjɑrˈlɑlɑː bi sɑi̯n ˈbɑi̯nə] |
| Thank you, I am fine. | Баярлалаа, би сайн байна. | [bɑjɑrˈlɑlɑː bi sɑi̯n ˈbɑi̯nə] |
| Thank you, I am not doing so well. | Баярлалаа, би тийм ч сайн биш байна. | [bɑjɑrˈlɑlɑː bi tʰiːm t͡ʃi sɑi̯n biʃ ˈbɑi̯nə] |
| Thanks, I’m fine. How are you doing? | Баярлалаа, би сайн байна. Та хэр байна вэ? | [bɑjɑrˈlɑlɑː bi sɑi̯n ˈbɑi̯nə tʰɑ xɛr ˈbɑi̯nə wɛ] |
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How do I say goodbye to someone in Mongolian?
Saying goodbye to a friend or stranger in Mongolian is not that difficult. Just use the following phrases:
| English | Mongolian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Goodbye! | Баяртай! | [bajaɾtaɪ̯] |
| Take care of yourself! | Өөртөө анхаараарай! | [œːrtœː aŋxaːraːraɪ̯] |
| Goodbye | Баяртай | [bajaɾtaɪ̯] |
| See you tomorrow | Маргааш уулзъя | [maɾɡaːʃ ʊːɮɮəjə] |
| See you soon | Дараа уулзъя | [taɾaː ʊːɮɮəjə] |
| See you later | Дараа уулзъя | [taɾaː ʊːɮɮəjə] |
| Good night | Сайхан шөнө болоорой | [sai̯xan ʃœnœ bɔɮɔːɾɔi̯] |
| Sleep well | Сайхан амраарай | [sai̯xan amraːraɪ̯] |
| Talk to you later. | Дараа ярья. | [taɾaː jaɾja] |
| Nice to have met you! | Тантай танилцсандаа таатай байна! | [tʰantaɪ̯ tʰanɪɬt͡sandaː tʰaːtaɪ̯ bɛɪ̯nə] |
How do I introduce myself in Mongolian?
When travelling in Mongolia, sooner or later you will come into contact with local people. Naturally, you’ll want to introduce yourself in Mongolian and know who you’re talking to.
| English | Mongolian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| My name is Jonas. | Намайг Йонас гэдэг. | [nɑmaɪ̯ɡ jɔnas ɡɛtɛk] |
| What is your name? | Таны нэр хэн бэ? | [tʰani nɛr xɛn bɛ] |
| What is your surname? | Таны овог юу вэ? | [tʰani ɔvɔɡ juː wɛ] |
| What is your first name? | Таны жинхэнэ нэр юу вэ? | [tʰani t͡ʃinxɛnɛ nɛr juː wɛ] |
| What is your surname? | Таны овог юу вэ? | [tʰani ɔvɔɡ juː wɛ] |
If you want to tell people where you come from, the following sentences are useful:
| English | Mongolian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Where do you come from? | Та хаанаас ирсэн бэ? | [tʰa xaːnaːs ɪrˈsɛn bɛ] |
| I am from London. | Би Лондоноос ирсэн. | [bi lɔndɔnɔːs ɪrˈsɛn] |
| Are you from Birmingham? | Та Бирмингемээс ирсэн үү? | [tʰa birmiŋɡɛːmɛːs ɪrˈsɛn ʊː] |
| No, I’m from Madrid. | Үгүй, би Мадридаас ирсэн. | [ʊɡʊi̯ bi mɑdritɑːs ɪrˈsɛn] |
| Great, I’m from Madrid too. | Сайхан байна, би ч бас Мадридаас ирсэн. | [sai̯xan bai̯nə bi t͡ʃi bas mɑdritɑːs ɪrˈsɛn] |
| Where do you live? | Та хаана амьдардаг вэ? | [tʰa xaːna ɑmˈdardaɡ wɛ] |
| I live in Berlin. | Би Берлинд амьдардаг. | [bi bɛrˈlɪnt ɑmˈdardaɡ] |
If you have problems with your Mongolian, it is good to know which languages are still spoken:
| English | Mongolian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Do you speak English? | Та англиар ярьдаг уу? | [tʰa ɑŋɡliaɾ jɑrdaɡ ʊː] |
| Yes, I speak English. | Тийм ээ, би англиар ярьдаг. | [tʰiːm eː bi ɑŋɡliaɾ jɑrdaɡ] |
| Yes, I speak some English. | Тийм ээ, би жаахан англиар ярьдаг. | [tʰiːm eː bi d͡ʒaːxan ɑŋɡliaɾ jɑrdaɡ] |
| No, I do not speak any English. | Үгүй ээ, би англиар ярьдаггүй. | [ʊɡʊi̯ eː bi ɑŋɡliaɾ jɑrdaɡɡʊi̯] |
| I only speak English. | Би зөвхөн англиар ярьдаг. | [bi t͡sœʊ̯xœn ɑŋɡliaɾ jɑrdaɡ] |
| I understand some Mongolian. | Би жаахан монголоор ойлгодог. | [bi d͡ʒaːxan mɔŋɡɔɮɔːɾ ɔi̯ɮɡɔdɔɡ] |
Useful sentences with ‘I am…’
The following sentences will help you orientate yourself in Mongolian and express your wishes and concerns:
| English | Mongolian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| I am English. | Би англичуудын хүн. | [bi ɑŋɡlit͡ʃʊːdɪŋ xʊn] |
| I am injured. | Би гэмтсэн. | [bi ɡɛmˈt͡sɛn] |
| I am here. | Би энд байна. | [bi ɛnt bai̯nə] |
| I am hungry. | Би өлссөн. | [bi œɬˈsən] |
| I am thirsty. | Би цангаж байна. | [bi t͡sanɡɑt͡ʃ bai̯nə] |
| I am a single person. | Би ганц бие. | [bi ɡɑnt͡s biːjɛ] |
| I need help! | Надад тусламж хэрэгтэй байна! | [nɑdɑt tʰʊsɬɑmt͡ʃ xɛrɛɡtɛː bai̯nə] |
| I am tired. | Би ядраад байна. | [bi jɑdraːd bai̯nə] |
| I am happy. | Би баяртай байна. | [bi bɑjɑrtʰai̯ bai̯nə] |
| I am sad. | Би гунигтай байна. | [bi ɡʊniɡtʰai̯ bai̯nə] |
| I am in love. | Би дурласан. | [bi dʊrɬɑsən] |
| I am ill. | Би өвдсөн. | [bi œvt͡sən] |
| I am ready. | Би бэлэн байна. | [bi bɛɮɛn bai̯nə] |
| I am busy. | Би завгүй байна. | [bi t͡saɪ̯ɡʊi̯ bai̯nə] |
| I am lost. | Би төөрсөн. | [bi tœːrˈsən] |
| I am a tourist. | Би жуулчин. | [bi t͡ʃʊɮt͡ʃin] |
| I am new here. | Би энд шинэ. | [bi ɛnt ʃinɛ] |
| I am confident. | Би өөртөө итгэлтэй байна. | [bi œːrtœː ɪtɡɛɮtʰɛː bai̯nə] |
| I am proud. | Би бахархаж байна. | [bi bɑxɑrxət͡ʃ bai̯nə] |
| I am a teacher. | Би багш. | [bi bɑɡʃ] |
| I am late. | Би хоцорсон. | [bi xɔt͡sɔrsən] |
| I am 30 years old. | Би гучин настай. | [bi ɡʊt͡ʃin nɑstʰai̯] |
| I am in a hurry. | Би яарч байна. | [bi jɑrt͡ʃ bai̯nə] |
| I am happy. | Би баяртай байна. | [bi bɑjɑrtʰai̯ bai̯nə] |
| I am surprised. | Би гайхаж байна. | [bi ɡai̯xət͡ʃ bai̯nə] |
| I am angry. | Би уурлаж байна. | [bi ʊːrɬət͡ʃ bai̯nə] |
Apologising in Mongolian
Here’s how to apologise to a Mongolian speaker:
| English | Mongolian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| I apologise. | Уучлаарай. | [ʊːt͡ʃɮɑːraɪ̯] |
| Sorry, that was not the intention. | Уучлаарай, тэр санаатай үйлдэл байгаагүй. | [ʊːt͡ʃɮɑːraɪ̯ tɛr sɑnɑːtʰai̯ ʊi̯ɮdɛɮ bɑi̯ɡɑːɡʊi̯] |
| Sorry, I did not do it on purpose. | Уучлаарай, би зориуд тэгээгүй. | [ʊːt͡ʃɮɑːraɪ̯ bi t͡sɔriʊt tɛɡɛːɡʊi̯] |
| Sorry, that was very clumsy of me. | Уучлаарай, энэ миний хайхрамжгүй байдал байсан. | [ʊːt͡ʃɮɑːraɪ̯ ɛnɛ miniː xɑi̯xɑrɑmt͡ʃʊi̯ bɑi̯dɑɮ bɑi̯sən] |
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Useful signs and notices in Mongolian
Useful signs and messages in Mongolian that you will often see.
| English | Mongolian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Entrance | Оролт | [ɔrɔɬt] |
| Toilet | Жорлон | [t͡ʃɔrɮɔŋ] |
| Exit | Гарах | [ɡɑrɑx] |
| Attention! | Анхаар! | [ɑnxaːr] |
| Police | Цагдаа | [t͡sɑɡtaː] |
| Emergency services | Яаралтай тусламж | [jɑrɑɬtʰaː tʰʊsɬɑmt͡ʃ] |
| Fire brigade | Гал команд | [ɡɑɬ kɔmɑnt] |
| Passage forbidden. | Нэвтрэхийг хориглоно. | [nɛvtʰrɛxiːɡ xɔrɪɮnɔ] |
| Caution! | Болгоомжтой! | [bɔɮɡɔːmʃtɔi̯] |
| This building is under video surveillance. | Энэ барилга камержуулалттай. | [ɛnɛ bɑrɪɮɡɑ kʰɑmɛrt͡ʃʊːɮɑɬtʰaɪ̯] |
Numbers to 25 in Mongolian
Counting in Mongolian is not that difficult. Here are the numbers in Mongolian from 1 to 25.
| English | Mongolian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Нэг | [nɛk] |
| 2 | Хоёр | [xɔˈjɔr] |
| 3 | Гурав | [ɡʊˈrɑw] |
| 4 | Дөрөв | [ˈtɵrʊw] |
| 5 | Тав | [tɑw] |
| 6 | Зургаа | [zʊrˈɡɑː] |
| 7 | Долоо | [ˈtɔɮɔː] |
| 8 | Найм | [nɑɪ̯m] |
| 9 | Ес | [jɔs] |
| 10 | Арав | [ˈɑrɑw] |
| 11 | Арван нэг | [ˈɑrʋɑn nɛk] |
| 12 | Арван хоёр | [ˈɑrʋɑn xɔˈjɔr] |
| 13 | Арван гурав | [ˈɑrʋɑn ɡʊˈrɑw] |
| 14 | Арван дөрөв | [ˈɑrʋɑn ˈtɵrʊw] |
| 15 | Арван тав | [ˈɑrʋɑn tɑw] |
| 16 | Арван зургаа | [ˈɑrʋɑn zʊrˈɡɑː] |
| 17 | Арван долоо | [ˈɑrʋɑn ˈtɔɮɔː] |
| 18 | Арван найм | [ˈɑrʋɑn nɑɪ̯m] |
| 19 | Арван ес | [ˈɑrʋɑn jɔs] |
| 20 | Хорь | [xɔrʲ] |
| 21 | Хорин нэг | [xɔˈrɪn nɛk] |
| 22 | Хорин хоёр | [xɔˈrɪn xɔˈjɔr] |
| 23 | Хорин гурав | [xɔˈrɪn ɡʊˈrɑw] |
| 24 | Хорин дөрөв | [xɔˈrɪn ˈtɵrʊw] |
| 25 | Хорин тав | [xɔˈrɪn tɑw] |
The colours in Mongolian
The most common colours in Mongolian with phonetic transcription for pronunciation.
| English | Mongolian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Red | Улаан | [ʊˈɮaːn] |
| Blue | Цэнхэр | [t͡sɛnxɛr] |
| Green | Ногоон | [nɔˈɡoːn] |
| Yellow | Шар | [ʃɑr] |
| Black | Хар | [xɑr] |
| White | Цагаан | [t͡sɑˈɡaːn] |
| Brown | Бор | [bɔr] |
| Orange | Улбар шар | [ʊɮbɑr ʃɑr] |
| Purple | Ягаан | [jɑˈɡaːn] |
| Pink | Ягаан ягаан | [jɑˈɡaːn jɑˈɡaːn] |
Days of the week, months and seasons in Mongolian
Of course, you will also need the days of the week in Mongolian and the pronunciation of the months and seasons in dialogues and daily communication in Mongolian.
| English | Mongolian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Даваа | [ˈtɑwɑː] |
| Tuesday | Мягмар | [ˈmjɑɡmɑr] |
| Wednesday | Лхагва | [ˈɬɑɡwɑ] |
| Thursday | Пүрэв | [ˈpʰurɛw] |
| Friday | Баасан | [ˈbɑːsən] |
| Saturday | Бямба | [ˈbjɑmbɑ] |
| Sunday | Ням | [ˈnjam] |
| January | Нэгдүгээр сар | [ˈnɛktʊɡɛːr sɑr] |
| February | Хоёрдугаар сар | [xɔˈjɔrdʊɡɛːr sɑr] |
| March | Гуравдугаар сар | [ɡʊˈrɑwdʊɡɛːr sɑr] |
| April | Дөрөвдүгээр сар | [ˈtɵrʊwdʊɡɛːr sɑr] |
| May | Тавдугаар сар | [ˈtɑwdʊɡɛːr sɑr] |
| June | Зургаадугаар сар | [zʊrˈɡɑːdʊɡɛːr sɑr] |
| July | Долоодугаар сар | [ˈtɔɮɔːdʊɡɛːr sɑr] |
| August | Наймдугаар сар | [nɑɪ̯mˈdʊɡɛːr sɑr] |
| September | Есдүгээр сар | [jɔsˈdʊɡɛːr sɑr] |
| October | Аравдугаар сар | [ˈɑrɑwdʊɡɛːr sɑr] |
| November | Арван нэгдүгээр сар | [ˈɑrʋɑn ˈnɛktʊɡɛːr sɑr] |
| December | Арван хоёрдугаар сар | [ˈɑrʋɑn xɔˈjɔrdʊɡɛːr sɑr] |
| Spring | Хавар | [ˈxɑwɑr] |
| Summer | Зун | [zʊn] |
| Autumn / Fall | Намар | [ˈnɑmɑr] |
| Winter | Өвөл | [ˈœʋɵɮ] |
OUR TIP: If you want to learn these Mongolian phrases interactively, we recommend the free language course demo from 17-Minute-Language, where you can learn Mongolian phrases and dialogues.
*
More information about the Mongolian Business Course.
Additional links
- The different ways of learning languages
- Learning vocabulary successfully
- Motivated language learning
- It is so easy to train your understanding of a language at the same time
- Learning languages quickly? – Is it possible?
- The different types of learners when learning languages
More information about the Mongolian Course for Children.