Introduction

This goal of learning how to read Tibetan came from my need to find who I really am. I want to go back to my roots, to feel closer to my ancestors. For this, it is essential for me to understand Tibetan and more importantly how to read in that language. Growing up in Switzerland, I only learned how to speak Tibetan thanks to my parents, they are the main reason why I can speak the language, for this I am grateful for them.

Other than learning the language because I am Tibetan, I would like to study Buddhism. I have spent some time learning Buddhist concepts on my own in English. However, I came to the realization that the English language do not provide accurate translations of concepts and words that are found in Buddhism. Therefore, in order to learn more about Buddhism and progress on the path, it is essential to learn Tibetan. Why ? Because Tibetans have preserved the Dharma. Everything has been translated in Tibetan, along with commentaries from many Buddhist scholars on the Dharma. Therefore, I see learning the language (speaking, reading, writing) as a necessity to study Buddhism. The other option would be to study Sanskrit.

• If the images do not render, you can check my Notion page here:

  https://satin-hyssop-aff.notion.site/Learning-how-to-read-tibetan-ca3de79c538343bbb9dd92c280866843?pvs=4

Resources

If you would like to learn how to read Tibetan, I suggest you to watch this series of videos, I found them very good and useful:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INpyDeQjUgc&list=PLpSHv_PUvSvNHTa_9Ck1KccT11sVSaFDR&pp=iAQB

The only problem is that the teacher speaks Tibetan, so as a non-Tibetan speaker, it would be more difficult to follow. However, I hope through my personal notes that you will be able to understand and learn how to read Tibetan 😊.

For a textbook, I think this one is pretty good:

• https://www.theswissbay.ch/pdf/Books/Linguistics/Mega linguistics pack/Sino-Tibetan/Tibetan%2C A Beginning Textbook of Lhasa (Bartee %26 Nyima Droma).pdf

30 Root Letters

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFR182Dig4g&list=PLpSHv_PUvSvNHTa_9Ck1KccT11sVSaFDR&index=2

• just listen carefully to the video and memorise how to pronounce each of them

4 Vowels

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugLzQcvXv4k&t=136s

• For the vowels, there are 4 of them, they look like accents, they change the pronunciation of the root letter from “a” to:
  • “a” → “i”
  • “a” → “u”
  • “a” → “e”
  • “a” → “o”
• listen to the video, you should get the hang of it :)

10 Suffixes

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88CxNk09hcs

→ when the suffixe is one of: ད - ན - ལ - ས

“a” becomes → “eee”

With vowels

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVzA6KGKOZQ

The following rules only works when the suffixes are: ད - ན - ལ - ས !

• vowels + suffixes only changes for normal case, naro and chabkyu.
  • “a” → “e”
  • “i” → “i”
  • “u” → “ü”
  • “e” → “e”
  • “o” → “ö”

2 Second Suffixes

• Episode 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7-fUqGfNlo
• Episode 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWo_FGf591s

• ད can only appear after those 3 root letters : ན - ར - ལ

• ས can only appear after those 4 root letters : ག - ང - བ - མ

• Here the rule is pretty simple, the second suffix ད or ས don’t change the pronunciation.

→ we look if the first suffix is one of: ད - ན - ལ - ས.

Rule: when the suffix is any of: ད - ན - ལ - ས

• the rules become the same as when they are only a suffix
  • “a” → “e”
  • “i” → “i”
  • “u” → “ü”
  • “e” → “e”
  • “o” → “ö”

khen - khin

khün - khen

khön

5 Prefixes

Prefix 1/5 - Khaa

• Episode 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf7wZVmTkWg

• tcha (normal)
• gna (up)
• ta (normal)
• da
• na (up)
• tsa (normal)
• sha (normal) (ja for kham dialect)
• saa (normal) (za for kham dialect)
• ya (up)
• sha (up)
• sa (up)

tcha, ta and tsa pronounciations do not change because they are “masculine”

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Prefixes + Suffixes

• Episode 10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztb1heitb-U&t=814s

For pronunciation :

1. apply the prefix
2. apply the accent
3. apply the suffix

Prefixes + Suffixes + 2nd Suffixes

• Episode 11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBo516AN4js

For pronunciation :

→ first apply the prefix

→ then apply the suffix

→ second suffix doesn’t do much

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Prefix 2/5 - Taaa

• Episode 12: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGV7ocywkn0&t=7s

• ka (normal)
• ga
• nga (up)
• pa (normal)
• ouaa (up)
• ma (up)

Prefixes + Suffixes

• Episode 13: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUA2uxUWI58

4th one → ouaa → ouuuu → üüü

Prefixes + Suffixes + 2nd Suffixes

• Episode 14: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ikBjIsSXTE

Prefix 3/5 - paaa

• Episode 15: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N310E5Z4YRo

• ka (normal)
• ga
• tcha (normal)
• ta (normal)
• da
• tsa (normal)
• shaa (ja for Kham dialect)
• saa (za for Kham dialect)
• sha (up)
• sa (up)

→ remember masculine do not change in pronunciation

Prefixes + Suffixes

• Episode 16: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVrgFgmtlfQ

Prefixes + Suffixes + 2nd Suffixes

• Episode 17: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rn5Munjnk2c&list=PLpSHv_PUvSvNHTa_9Ck1KccT11sVSaFDR&index=19

Prefix 4/5 - ma

• Episode 18: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KuwvPWONgo&list=PLpSHv_PUvSvNHTa_9Ck1KccT11sVSaFDR&index=20

• khha (normal)
• ga
• nga (up)
• tchhha (normal)
• dja
• gna (up)
• th ha (normal)
• da
• na (up)
• ts hha (normal)
• dza

khha, tchhha, thhaa, ts hha → masculine

Prefixes + Suffixes

• Episode 19: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fY-LUdbMsYE&list=PLpSHv_PUvSvNHTa_9Ck1KccT11sVSaFDR&index=21

Prefixes + Suffixes + 2nd Suffixes

• Episode 20: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBzk-MA6YFU&list=PLpSHv_PUvSvNHTa_9Ck1KccT11sVSaFDR&index=22

Prefix 5/5 - Ahh

• Episode 21: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SwuNTWz1jw&list=PLpSHv_PUvSvNHTa_9Ck1KccT11sVSaFDR&index=23

• khha (normal)
• ga
• tchha (normal)
• dja
• thha (normal)
• da
• pha (normal)
• ba
• tshha
• dza

Prefixes + Suffixes

• Episode 22: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc2XyTvkdos&list=PLpSHv_PUvSvNHTa_9Ck1KccT11sVSaFDR&index=24

Prefixes + Suffixes + 2nd Suffixes

• Episode 23: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-deKG7fmTQ&t=9s

Superfixed Letters

• There are 3 letters

Superfix - raa (12)

• Episode 24: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFMRWf0s6Fs

→ 12 superfixes

ka (normal), ga, nga (up), dja,

gna (up), da, na (up)

ba, ma (up), tsa (normal), dza

(pronounced as if we had a prefix !!!)

+ Suffixes

• Episode 25: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qqqy2R9Y4-I

+ Suffixes + 2nd Suffixes

• Episode 26: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63ygYpIIcJY&list=PLpSHv_PUvSvNHTa_9Ck1KccT11sVSaFDR&index=25

+ Prefixes + Suffixes

• Episode 27: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc6fKADoG08&list=PLpSHv_PUvSvNHTa_9Ck1KccT11sVSaFDR&index=26

→ pronounced as if there are no prefixes

+ Prefixes + Suffixes + 2nd Suffixes

• Episode 28: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMK54hqf6M0

Superfix - la (10)

• Episode 29: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuh3yYlb7Ug

ka (normal), ga, nga (up), tcha (normal), dja

ta (normal), da, pa, ba, lha

→ as if you have a prefix

+ Suffixes

• Episode 30: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGqDmwV6Po0

+ Suffixes + 2nd Suffixes

• Episode 31: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMnz8KnT4-w

+ Prefixes + Suffixes + 2nd Suffixes

• Episode 32: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-Uj8SNZoAs

→ the prefix doesn’t change the pronounciation

Superfix - sa (11)

• Episode 33: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLt_OVfmILM

ka (normal), ga, nga (up), gna (up)

ta (normal), da, na (up), pa (normal)

ba, ma (up), tsa (normal)

+ Suffixes

• Episode 34: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLTfRTw9R3s

+ Suffixes + 2nd Suffixes

• Episode 35: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VsxHRAQbqI

+ Prefixes + Suffixes

• Episode 36: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psZwBGJgfAA

+ Prefixes + Suffixes + 2nd Suffixes

• Episode 37: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuK8Rr0FMqE

Subjoined Letters

• There are 4 letters

Subjoin - ya (7)

• Episode 38: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTkJZsAbCJM

kya, khya, kyaaa

tcha, tchhha, tchaaa, gna

+ Suffixes + 2nd Suffixes

• Episode 39: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMoruoJBcbA

+ Prefixes + Suffixes + 2nd Suffixes

• Episode 40: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Fxeb6VIgqA

• Prefix taa

→ same pronunciations as with prefix, then add the subjoin

kya, gya, tcha, ya (up), gna (up)

• Prefix paa

kya, gya

• Prefix ma

khya, gya

• Prefix aaah

gya, dja

Subjoin - ra (11)

• Episode 41: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJnloy-mGC8

tra, trha, traa

tra, trha, traa

tra, trha, traa

ma (up), sa (normal), rhha

→ side note, i don’t think tha is a part of it, leaving only 11 letters !

+ Suffixes + 2nd Suffixes

• Episode 42: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPKaDukoB3k

+ Prefixes + Suffixes + 2nd Suffixes

• Episode 43: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l3Z-xjFscg

• Prefix taa

tra, dra, tra, ra (up)

• Prefix paa

tra, dra, sa

• Prefix ma

trha, dra

• Prefix aahh

trha, dra, dra, trha, dra

Subjoin - la (6)

• Episode 44: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEzLZvzy9dU

la (up), la (up), la (up)

da, la (up), la (up)

+ Suffixes + 2nd Suffixes

• Episode 45: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvTPEVEkHYU

+ Prefixes + Suffixes + 2nd Suffixes

• Episode 46: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO1vAOfb8_M

la (up), da (paao saa lata da !!!), la (up),

Subjoin - wa (8)

• Episode 47: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3YcMbKC46Y

(ka wassou ka)

→ pronunciation does not change !!!

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• with superfix la → no subjoin
• with superfix ra → no ra subjoin possible
• with any superifx → no la subjoin possible

Superfix ra + Subjoin ya (3)

• Episode 48: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aa2wkWw9BjU

kya, gya, gna (up)

Superfix sa + Subjoin ya (5)

• Episode 49: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcAZ380roT4

kya, gya, tcha, dja, gna (up)

Superfix sa + Subjoin ra (6)

• Episode 50: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcAZ380roT4

tra, dra, na (up)

tra, dra, ma (up)

Additional notes

• Sometimes བ is pronounced “wa”

• Sometimes ག - ད - ན - ལ - ས are not pronounced in some words when speaking Tibetan (this can only be learned through listening to Tibetans speak), however when learning the language, I think it is useful to pronounce the letters so that we also learn the spelling

• འི

  • པའི is pronounced pe
  • བའི is pronounced we
  • ངའི is pronounced nge

Reading faster

The best way to become faster at reading is to read, obviously. Here are some tips:

• Practice reading syllable by syllable fast. The correct sound should come out as soon as you see a syllable. By practicing reading you will eventually become better and faster at reading.

• The basic step reading should be like this:

  1. reading the prefix. If a gochen (superfix) is present, skip the prefix and look at the gochen. In that case, the prefix will not influence the pronunciation).
  2. look if there is a subjoin letter below
  3. look at accent
  4. look at the suffix

• For the future: reading 2 syllables at a time can be helpful, sometimes there is one syllable that can be read alone due to the grammar, if this is the case, read the next 2 syllables together. But first, learn how to read fast by looking at one syllable at a time.

Next steps

Now that you know how to read and pronounce syllables.

The next step is to continue practicing reading, learning the vocabulary (spelling of words and their meaning).

While doing that, it might be a good idea to start learning the grammar too.