Quick Reference

Traditional Mongolian Script Cheat Sheet

One practical reference page with core letters, extended letters, positional forms, and the most useful beginner grammar and script rules in clear language.

Total Letters Listed35

Form ColumnsIsolate / Initial / Medial / Final

Main ReminderPosition changes shape

Best Reading ShortcutFind first vowel

How To Use This Sheet

Start with vowels, then core consonants, then extended letters.
Compare isolate vs initial vs medial vs final for each letter.
Use the note column for quick memory anchors.
If stuck while reading, identify first vowel and suffix first.

Harmony Mini-Guide

Back vowels: ᠠ ᠣ ᠤ Front vowels: ᠡ ᠥ ᠦ Neutral: ᠢ Letters connect in vertical flow Context resolves ambiguity

Section Vowels

Name	Isolate	Initial	Medial	Final	Sound / class	Quick note

Section Core consonants

Name	Isolate	Initial	Medial	Final	Sound / class	Quick note

Section Extended / loan letters

Name	Isolate	Initial	Medial	Final	Sound / class	Quick note

Main Script Rules

The script is vertical: top to bottom, columns go left to right.
Most letters connect inside words, and shape depends on position.
One letter can look different as isolate, initial, medial, and final.
Vowel harmony helps choose suffix forms and interpret ambiguous letters.
Ambiguity is normal in traditional script; context is part of reading.

Grammar Quick Notes

Common sentence order is Subject-Object-Verb.
A lot of meaning is added through suffixes.
Suffix vowels often match back/front harmony of the word.
Mongolian often uses postpositions after nouns.
Reading strategy: first vowel -> final form -> suffix.

High-Value Confusion Pairs

Pair	Why it is confusing	How to resolve quickly
ᠣ / ᠤ	Same shape family in position-based forms.	Use harmony class and known word spelling.
ᠥ / ᠦ	Same shape family in position-based forms.	Use front-vowel context and suffix patterns.
ᠲ / ᠳ	Can look visually close in fast reading.	Use expected word and surrounding morphology.
ᠨ / ᠩ	Both are nasal letters and often mixed early.	Train as a pair in real word chunks.
ᠺ / ᠻ	Both are k-family extended letters.	Memorize as a direct contrast in the extended set.