Mongolian pronunciation requires careful attention when you first start learning the language.

Many of these sounds simply don’t exist in English.

You have to train your mouth and throat to move in entirely new ways.

However, you can conquer these unfamiliar sounds by breaking them down into manageable pieces.

I’ll show you exactly how to pronounce the most difficult Mongolian sounds with clear explanations and practical examples.

The tricky Mongolian vowels (ө, ү, о, у)

Getting your Mongolian vowels right is the foundation of good pronunciation.

The Cyrillic alphabet has four specific vowel letters that constantly confuse English speakers.

These are the front vowels ө and ү, and the back vowels о and у.

The letter ө sounds like the “ur” in the English word “burn”, but with your lips pushed forward and rounded.

The letter ү is similar to the “oo” in “moon”, but spoken at the very front of your mouth with tight lips.

On the other hand, the letter о sounds like a standard short “o” but pronounced deep down in your throat.

The letter у sounds like the “oo” in “book”, and is also pronounced much further back in the mouth.

Here’s a simple comparison chart to help you practice.

The notorious Mongolian l (л)

The Mongolian “л” is easily the most famous pronunciation hurdle for foreigners.

It doesn’t sound like a normal, relaxed English “l”.

Instead, it sounds like a weird mixture of an “l”, an “sh”, and a “th” sound.

Language experts call this unique sound a lateral fricative.

To make this sound, place the tip of your tongue flat against the roof of your mouth just behind your front teeth.

Keep your tongue pressed firmly in place.

Now, blow air out forcefully so that it escapes around the sides of your tongue.

Your vocal cords should vibrate as you do this.

If it sounds slightly like a slurred “hl” or “shl”, you’re doing it perfectly.

Practicing this common everyday word is a great way to train your mouth for the Mongolian l.

Deep throat consonants (х and г)

Mongolian pronunciation relies heavily on using the back of your throat.

This is especially true for the consonants х (kh) and г (g).

The way you pronounce these letters completely changes depending on the vowels surrounding them.

When paired with front vowels (like э, ө, ү, и), they sound very similar to a soft English “h” and a hard English “g”.

But when paired with back vowels (like а, о, у), they’re pronounced much deeper in the throat.

The back х sounds like a harsh, scraping noise in the back of your throat.

It’s very similar to the “ch” in the Scottish word “loch” or the German name “Bach”.

The back г is the voiced version of this exact same scraping sound.

You have to make a gargling sound deep in your throat without letting your tongue touch the roof of your mouth.

The rolled r (р)

The Mongolian р is a rolled or tapped sound.

It’s very similar to the rolled “r” used in languages like Spanish or Italian.

You can’t use the soft, relaxed English “r” sound when speaking Mongolian.

To pronounce it correctly, you must flick the tip of your tongue against the ridge just behind your upper teeth.

If you struggle with rolling your “r”, try saying the English word “butter” very quickly out loud.

The way your tongue quickly taps the roof of your mouth for the double “t” in “butter” is the exact motion you need.

You should also note that the р sound is never used at the very beginning of native Mongolian words.

You’ll only ever see it in the middle or at the end of a native word.

Short versus long vowels

In Mongolian, vowel length is incredibly important for being understood.

Holding a vowel sound for slightly too long can completely change the meaning of a word.

Long vowels are represented in writing by a double vowel letter (like аа, оо, үү).

When you see a double vowel, you must hold the sound for twice as long as you normally would.

Short vowels are clipped and pronounced very quickly.

Listen carefully to native speakers to hear the natural rhythm difference between short and long vowels.

Here’s an example of how vowel length changes meaning.

Always pay close attention to the spelling so you know exactly how long to hold the vowel sound when speaking.