Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Mongolian uses seven distinct vowels (а, э, и, о, ө, у, ү) which dictate the rules of vowel harmony in every word.
- Vowels are divided into back (а, о, у) and front (э, ө, ү) groups.
- The vowel 'и' is neutral and can appear in any word.
- A word must contain vowels from only one group to be grammatically correct.
Vowel Harmony Suffix Selection
| Root Vowel | Category | Suffix Example | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
|
а
|
Back
|
-тай
|
Ажилтай
|
|
о
|
Back
|
-тай
|
Оронтой
|
|
у
|
Back
|
-тай
|
Устай
|
|
э
|
Front
|
-тэй
|
Дэвтэртэй
|
|
ө
|
Front
|
-тэй
|
Өдөртэй
|
|
ү
|
Front
|
-тэй
|
Үсэгтэй
|
|
и
|
Neutral
|
-тэй
|
Биетэй
|
Meanings
The seven vowels form the foundation of Mongolian phonology and orthography, determining how suffixes attach to words.
Back Vowels
Vowels produced in the back of the throat.
“Аав”
“Орон”
Front Vowels
Vowels produced in the front of the mouth.
“Ээж”
“Өдөр”
Neutral Vowel
The vowel 'и' acts as a bridge between groups.
“Ид”
“Би”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Back Root
|
Root(а/о/у) + Back Suffix
|
Ном + ууд = Номууд
|
|
Front Root
|
Root(э/ө/ү) + Front Suffix
|
Үсэг + үүд = Үсэгүүд
|
|
Neutral Root
|
Root(и) + Front Suffix
|
Би + ий = Биеий
|
|
Plural Back
|
Noun + ууд
|
Хүн + ууд = Хүмүүс
|
|
Plural Front
|
Noun + үүд
|
Дэвтэр + үүд = Дэвтэрүүд
|
フォーマル度スペクトル
Ном энд байна. (General statement)
Ном энд байна. (General statement)
Ном энд байна. (General statement)
Ном энд байна. (General statement)
The Vowel Harmony Map
Back
- а a
- о o
- у u
Front
- э e
- ө ö
- ү ü
Neutral
- и i
レベル別の例文
Ном
Book
Ээж
Mother
Би
I
Ус
Water
Номууд
Books
Дэвтэрүүд
Notebooks
Ажилтай
Working
Хөдөлмөртэй
Laborious
Миний ном
My book
Тэрний дэвтэр
His notebook
Ахын машин
Brother's car
Үүнийг ав
Take this
Сургуулиуд руу явна
Going to the schools
Өдөр бүр ажиллана
Working every day
Үсэг бичих
Writing letters
Орон сууцны үнэ
Apartment price
Хөдөөний хүмүүс
Country people
Амьдралын утга учир
Meaning of life
Өвөрмөц хэллэг
Unique phrase
Үнэхээр гайхалтай
Truly amazing
Үндэсний үзэл санаа
National ideology
Олон улсын харилцаа
International relations
Өөрийнхөө бодлыг хэлэх
Expressing one's own thoughts
Аливаа асуудлыг шийдэх
Solving any problem
間違えやすい
Learners often forget which suffix matches which root.
Learners don't know if 'и' is back or front.
Learners confuse long vowels with two separate syllables.
よくある間違い
Ном-үүд
Номууд
Дэвтэр-ууд
Дэвтэрүүд
Би-ууд
Би-үүд
Ажил-тэй
Ажил-тай
Орон-тэй
Орон-той
Үсэг-тай
Үсэг-тэй
Ус-тэй
Ус-тай
Миний-ууд
Миний-үүд
Хөдөлмөр-тай
Хөдөлмөр-тэй
Ах-тэй
Ах-тай
Олон улсын-тэй
Олон улсын-тай
Үндэсний-тай
Үндэсний-тэй
Өвөрмөц-тай
Өвөрмөц-тэй
文型パターン
Миний ___ байна.
Энэ ___ байна.
Би ___ авна.
Та ___ уу?
Real World Usage
Сайн уу?
Гайхалтай зураг!
Би ажиллах хүсэлтэй байна.
Ус авъя.
Сургууль хаана вэ?
Захиалга баталгаажлаа.
Check the root
Don't mix groups
Neutral 'и'
Listen to natives
Smart Tips
Check the last vowel of the root.
Ensure all vowels belong to the same group.
Identify the root vowel to understand the suffix.
Pause briefly to check your vowel harmony.
発音
Vowel length
Double vowels (aa, oo) are held twice as long as single vowels.
Front vs Back
Back vowels are produced deep in the throat; front vowels are produced near the lips.
Declarative
Sentence ends with a slight drop.
Statement of fact.
暗記しよう
記憶術
Back vowels are 'A-O-U' (like a deep grunt), Front vowels are 'E-Ö-Ü' (like a bright smile).
視覚的連想
Imagine a seesaw. On one side are the heavy Back vowels (А, О, У). On the other are the light Front vowels (Э, Ө, Ү). The 'И' is the pivot in the middle.
Rhyme
Back with back, front with front, keep the harmony as you hunt.
Story
The Vowel Kingdom is divided by a river. The Back Tribe lives on the left, the Front Tribe on the right. The Neutral Messenger 'И' can cross the river freely to deliver letters to both sides.
Word Web
チャレンジ
Find 5 objects in your room and label them with a sticky note, ensuring the suffix matches the vowel harmony.
文化メモ
The standard dialect used in Ulaanbaatar follows these rules strictly.
Vowel harmony is present but has slight variations in vowel quality.
Uses the traditional script where harmony is visually represented.
Vowel harmony is a feature of the Mongolic language family, inherited from Proto-Mongolic.
会話のきっかけ
Таны ном хаана байна?
Та ажилтай юу?
Таны дэвтэр шинэ үү?
Таны бодлоор энэ зөв үү?
日記のテーマ
よくある間違い
Test Yourself
Ном___
Select the correct plural.
Find and fix the mistake:
Ажил-тэй
Ном -> ?
The vowel 'и' is a back vowel.
Та ___ байна уу?
ном / миний / байна
Which is a front vowel?
Score: /8
練習問題
8 exercisesНом___
Select the correct plural.
Find and fix the mistake:
Ажил-тэй
Ном -> ?
The vowel 'и' is a back vowel.
Та ___ байна уу?
ном / миний / байна
Which is a front vowel?
Score: /8
よくある質問 (8)
It is the basis of Mongolian grammar and suffix selection.
No, it will make your speech sound incorrect to natives.
Yes, it can appear in any word.
Look at the vowels in the root.
Yes, some loanwords break the rules.
Yes, spelling must follow harmony.
Use flashcards for word roots and suffixes.
It is logical and consistent once you practice.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Vowel harmony
Turkish has a 4-way harmony system, whereas Mongolian is primarily 2-way.
Vowel harmony
Finnish harmony is less extensive than Mongolian.
Vowel harmony
Hungarian has more complex vowel classes than Mongolian.
Vowel harmony
Korean harmony is largely historical, not active.
None
Japanese is not an agglutinative language in the same way.
None
Chinese grammar is analytic, not agglutinative.
