Essential Mongolian Vocabulary For The Naadam Festival
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The Naadam festival is the most important cultural event in Mongolia.
It takes place every July to celebrate the traditional nomadic way of life.
Knowing a few key Mongolian words will make your festival experience much more exciting.
This guide breaks down the essential Naadam vocabulary you need to know.
Table of Contents:
The three manly games
The core of the Naadam festival revolves around sports.
Locals call the festival Eriin gurvan naadam (Эрийн гурван наадам).
This directly translates to “the three manly games” in English.
Women now participate in archery and horse racing, but wrestling remains strictly for men.
| English | Mongolian | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| Wrestling | Бөх | Bökh |
| Horse racing | Хурдан морь | Khurdan mori |
| Archery | Сурын харваа | Suryn kharvaa |
| Wrestler | Бөхчүүд | Bökhchüüd |
| Child jockey | Унаач хүүхэд | Unaach khüükhed |
Mongolian wrestling has no weight classes and no time limits.
The match only ends when one wrestler touches the ground with any body part other than their feet or hands.
Horse racing is done over long cross-country distances rather than short tracks.
The jockeys for these horse races are always young children.
Би монгол бөх үзэх дуртай.
Traditional Naadam food and drink
You can’t fully experience Naadam without eating the local festival food.
The smell of fried food fills the air outside every stadium during the holidays.
| English | Mongolian | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| Fried meat pastry | Хуушуур | Khuushuur |
| Fermented mare’s milk | Айраг | Airag |
| Meat | Мах | Makh |
| Festival food | Наадмын хоол | Naadmyn khool |
Khuushuur is a deep-fried pastry filled with minced mutton or beef.
Mongolians eat massive quantities of this specific food during the Naadam days.
To wash it down, locals drink airag, which is mildly alcoholic fermented mare’s milk.
It has a sour taste that surprises many foreigners, but it’s deeply refreshing on a hot July day.
Хуушуур идэцгээе.
Naadam clothing
Naadam is the perfect time for Mongolians to show off their best traditional clothing.
People wear bright, colorful garments to celebrate the occasion.
| English | Mongolian | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional robe | Дээл | Deel |
| Traditional boots | Гутал | Gutal |
| Traditional hat | Малгай | Malgai |
| Belt or sash | Бүс | Büs |
The deel is a long, loose traditional robe worn by both men and women.
It’s tied around the waist with a brightly colored silk sash.
Wrestlers wear a completely different outfit consisting of a special open-front shirt and small trunks.
Таны дээл маш гоё юм.
Essential Naadam greetings
You’ll hear specific greetings everywhere you go during the festival.
These phrases are used to wish others a happy holiday.
Сайхан наадаарай!
This is the most common way to wish someone a happy Naadam.
You can say this to your friends, family, or even shopkeepers.
When you bump into someone at the festival, you can ask them how their holiday is going.
Сайхан наадаж байна уу?
The polite and standard response to this question is very simple.
Сайхан.
Learning these simple words will help you connect with locals during Mongolia’s biggest celebration.
