Tibetan Pinyin
Encyclopedia
The SASM/GNC/SRC romanization of Tibetan, commonly known as Tibetan pinyin, is the official transcription
system for the Tibetan language
in the People's Republic of China
for personal name and place names. It is based on the Lhasa
dialect of Standard Tibetan
and reflects the pronunciation
very accurately, except that it doesn't mark tone. It is used within China as an alternative to the Wylie transliteration
for writing Tibetan in the Latin script; for use within academic circles, Wylie transliteration is more commonly used.
depends mostly on its initial consonant
. In this table, each initial is given in the International Phonetic Alphabet
(IPA) with the vowel a and a tone mark to present tone register (high/low).
The seventeen vowel
s of the Lhasa dialect are represented in Tibetan pinyin as follows:
Syllable-final -r is usually not spoken, but lengthens the preceding vowel. Syllable-final -n of the written forms usually nasalises the preceding vowel. This is how syllable-final consonants are transcribed:
Transcription (linguistics)
Transcription in the linguistic sense is the systematic representation of language in written form. The source can either be utterances or preexisting text in another writing system, although some linguists only consider the former as transcription.Transcription should not be confused with...
system for the Tibetan language
Tibetan language
The Tibetan languages are a cluster of mutually-unintelligible Tibeto-Burman languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering the Indian subcontinent, including the Tibetan Plateau and the northern Indian subcontinent in Baltistan, Ladakh,...
in the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
for personal name and place names. It is based on the Lhasa
Lhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
dialect of Standard Tibetan
Standard Tibetan
Standard Tibetan is the most widely used spoken form of the Tibetan languages. It is based on the speech of Lhasa, an Ü-Tsang dialect belonging to the Central Tibetan languages. For this reason, Standard Tibetan is often called Central Tibetan...
and reflects the pronunciation
Pronunciation
Pronunciation refers to the way a word or a language is spoken, or the manner in which someone utters a word. If one is said to have "correct pronunciation", then it refers to both within a particular dialect....
very accurately, except that it doesn't mark tone. It is used within China as an alternative to the Wylie transliteration
Wylie transliteration
The Wylie transliteration scheme is a method for transliterating Tibetan script using only the letters available on a typical English language typewriter. It bears the name of Turrell V. Wylie, who described the scheme in an article, A Standard System of Tibetan Transcription, published in 1959...
for writing Tibetan in the Latin script; for use within academic circles, Wylie transliteration is more commonly used.
Initials
The tone of a syllableSyllable
A syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds. For example, the word water is composed of two syllables: wa and ter. A syllable is typically made up of a syllable nucleus with optional initial and final margins .Syllables are often considered the phonological "building...
depends mostly on its initial consonant
Consonant
In articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the vocal tract. Examples are , pronounced with the lips; , pronounced with the front of the tongue; , pronounced with the back of the tongue; , pronounced in the throat; and ,...
. In this table, each initial is given in the International Phonetic Alphabet
International Phonetic Alphabet
The International Phonetic Alphabet "The acronym 'IPA' strictly refers [...] to the 'International Phonetic Association'. But it is now such a common practice to use the acronym also to refer to the alphabet itself that resistance seems pedantic...
(IPA) with the vowel a and a tone mark to present tone register (high/low).
| g | k | ng | j | q | ny | d | t | n | b | p | m | z | c | w | x | s | y | r | l | h | gy | ky | zh | ch | sh | lh |
| IPA International Phonetic Alphabet The International Phonetic Alphabet "The acronym 'IPA' strictly refers [...] to the 'International Phonetic Association'. But it is now such a common practice to use the acronym also to refer to the alphabet itself that resistance seems pedantic... | Wylie transliteration Wylie transliteration The Wylie transliteration scheme is a method for transliterating Tibetan script using only the letters available on a typical English language typewriter. It bears the name of Turrell V. Wylie, who described the scheme in an article, A Standard System of Tibetan Transcription, published in 1959... | Tibetan pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| pá | p, sp, dp, lp | b |
| pà | rb, sb, sbr | b |
| mpà | lb, ’b | b |
| pʰá | ph, ’ph | p |
| pʰà | b | p |
| má | rm, sm, dm, smr | m |
| mà | m, mr | m |
| wà | w, db, b | w |
| tá | t, rt, lt, st, tw, gt, bt, brt, blt, bst, bld | d |
| ntá | lth | d |
| tà | rd, sd, gd, bd, brd, bsd | d |
| ntà | zl, bzl, ld, md, ’d | d |
| tʰá | th, mth, ’th | t |
| tʰà | d, dw | t |
| ná | rn, sn, gn, brn, bsn, mn | n |
| nà | n | n |
| lá | kl, gl, bl, rl, sl, brl, bsl | l |
| là | l, lw | l |
| l̥á | lh | lh |
| tsá | ts, rts, sts, rtsw, stsw, gts, bts, brts, bsts | z |
| tsà | rdz, gdz, brdz | z |
| ntsà | mdz, ’dz | z |
| tsʰá | tsh, tshw, mtsh, ’tsh | c |
| tsʰà | dz | c |
| sá | s, sr, sw, gs, bs, bsr | s |
| sà | z, zw, gz, bz | s |
| ʈá | kr, rkr, lkr, skr, tr, pr, lpr, spr, dkr, dpr, bkr, bskr, bsr | zh |
| ʈà | rgr, lgr, sgr, dgr, dbr, bsgr, rbr, lbr, sbr | zh |
| ɳʈà | mgr, ’gr, ’dr, ’br | zh |
| ʈʰá | khr, thr, phr, mkhr, ’khr, ’phr | ch |
| ʈʰà | gr, dr, br, grw | ch |
| ʂá | hr | sh |
| rà | r, rw | r |
| cá | ky, rky, lky, sky, dky, bky, brky, bsky | gy |
| cà | rgy, lgy, sgy, dgy, bgy, brgy, bsgy | gy |
| ɲcà | mgy, ’gy | gy |
| cʰá | khy, mkhy, ’khy | ky |
| cʰà | gy | ky |
| tɕá | c, cw, gc, bc, lc, py, lpy, spy, dpy | j |
| tɕà | rby, lby, sby, rj, gj, brj, dby | j |
| ɲtɕà | lj, mj, ’j, ’by | j |
| tɕʰá | ch, mch, ’ch, phy, ’phy | q |
| tɕʰà | j, by | q |
| ɕá | sh, shw, gsh, bsh | x |
| ɕà | zh, zhw, gzh, bzh | x |
| ɲá | rny, sny, gny, brny, bsny, mny, nyw, rmy, smy | ny |
| ɲà | ny, my | ny |
| já | g.y | y |
| jà | y | y |
| ká | k, rk, lk, sk, kw, dk, bk, brk, bsk | g |
| kà | rg, lg, sg, dg, bg, brg, bsg | g |
| ŋkà | lg, mg, ’g | g |
| kʰá | kh, khw, mkh, ’kh | k |
| kʰà | g, gw | k |
| ŋá | rng, lng, sng, dng, brng, bsng, mng | ng |
| ŋà | ng | ng |
| ʔá | —, db | — |
| ʔà | ’ | — |
| há | h, hw | h |
Vowels and final consonants
| a | au | ag | ang | ab | am | ar | ai/ä | ai/ä | ain/än |
| i | iu | ig | i | ing | ib | im | ir | in | |
| u | ug | ung | ub | um | ur | ü | ü | ün | |
| ê | êg | ê | êng | êb | êm | êr | ên | ||
| o | og | ong | ob | om | or | oi/ö | oi/ö | oin/ön |
The seventeen vowel
Vowel
In phonetics, a vowel is a sound in spoken language, such as English ah! or oh! , pronounced with an open vocal tract so that there is no build-up of air pressure at any point above the glottis. This contrasts with consonants, such as English sh! , where there is a constriction or closure at some...
s of the Lhasa dialect are represented in Tibetan pinyin as follows:
| IPA | Tibetan pinyin | IPA | Tibetan pinyin |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | i | ĩ | in |
| e | ê | ẽ | en |
| ɛ | ai/ä | ɛ̃ | ain/än |
| a | a | ã | |
| u | u | ũ | un |
| o | o | õ | on |
| ɔ | o | ||
| y | ü | ün | |
| ø | oi/ö | ø̃ | oin/ön |
Syllable-final -r is usually not spoken, but lengthens the preceding vowel. Syllable-final -n of the written forms usually nasalises the preceding vowel. This is how syllable-final consonants are transcribed:
| IPA | Tibetan pinyin |
|---|---|
| p | b |
| ʔ | g/— |
| r | r |
| m | m |
| ŋ | ng |
Intersyllable influence
Sometimes there's intersyllable influence, e.g.:| Tibetan script Tibetan script The Tibetan alphabet is an abugida of Indic origin used to write the Tibetan language as well as the Dzongkha language, Denzongkha, Ladakhi language and sometimes the Balti language. The printed form of the alphabet is called uchen script while the hand-written cursive form used in everyday... | Tibetan pinyin Tibetan Pinyin The SASM/GNC/SRC romanization of Tibetan, commonly known as Tibetan pinyin, is the official transcription system for the Tibetan language in the People's Republic of China for personal name and place names. It is based on the Lhasa dialect of Standard Tibetan and reflects the pronunciation very... | Wylie Wylie Wylie may refer to:* Wylie * Wylie , mononymous Aboriginal companion of Edward John Eyre during his crossing of the Nullarbor Plain in Australia* Wylie, Wylie Qua, Access Diving, Gabriola Island, B.C... (EWTS) | Lhasa IPA | Expl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mapam Yumco | w=ma-pham g.yu-mtsho/ | 前加字提前 (How to tranlate Tibetan concept "前加字" in English?) | ||
| Changzhug Gönba | w=khra-’brug dgon-pa/ | ʈ͡ʂʰaŋʈ͡ʂ˭uk k˭ø̃p˭a |
Examples
| Tibetan Script | Wylie | Tibetan pinyin | Tournadre | other transcriptions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gzhis-ka-rtse | Xigazê Xigazê Prefecture Xigazê is a prefecture of Tibet Autonomous Region in China.The administrative center of the prefecture is the city of Shigatse .... |
Zhikatse | Shigatse Shigatse Shigatse is a county-level city and the second largest city in Tibet Autonomous Region , People's Republic of China, with a population of 92000, about southwest of Lhasa and northwest of Gyantse... , Shikatse |
|
| Bkra-shis-lhun-po | Zhaxilhünbo | Trashilhünpo | Tashilhunpo Tashilhunpo Tashilhunpo Monastery , founded in 1447 by Gendun Drup, the First Dalai Lama, is a historic and culturally important monastery next to Shigatse, the second-largest city in Tibet.... , Tashilhümpo, etc. |
|
| ’Bras-spung | Zhaibung | Dräpung | Drebung | |
| Chos-kyi Rgyal-mtshan | Qoigyi Gyaicain | Chökyi Gyältshän | Choekyi Gyaltsen | |
| Thub-bstan Rgya-mtsho | Tubdain Gyaco | Thuptän Gyatsho | Thubten Gyatso Thubten Gyatso, 13th Dalai Lama Thubten Gyatso was the 13th Dalai Lama of Tibet.During 1878 he was recognized as the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. He was escorted to Lhasa and given his pre-novice vows by the Panchen Lama, Tenpai Wangchuk, and named "Ngawang Lobsang Thupten Gyatso Jigdral Chokley Namgyal"... , Thubtan Gyatso, Thupten Gyatso |
See also
- Standard TibetanStandard TibetanStandard Tibetan is the most widely used spoken form of the Tibetan languages. It is based on the speech of Lhasa, an Ü-Tsang dialect belonging to the Central Tibetan languages. For this reason, Standard Tibetan is often called Central Tibetan...
- Tibetan alphabet
- Wylie transliterationWylie transliterationThe Wylie transliteration scheme is a method for transliterating Tibetan script using only the letters available on a typical English language typewriter. It bears the name of Turrell V. Wylie, who described the scheme in an article, A Standard System of Tibetan Transcription, published in 1959...
- THL Simplified Phonetic Transcription
- Hanyu pinyin