Tibetan-Written One Way-Said Another-2-Pronunciation – Visual Learner
Introduction
Here’s a chart that breaks it down further. Tibetan can feel intimidating at first glance—especially when the way it’s written looks so different from how it’s spoken. Many letters remain silent, others combine in unexpected ways, and pronunciation can vary by region. That’s why visual learners need a clear, written guide that breaks things down step by step. This Tibetan pronunciation chart focuses on tricky letter combinations, silent letters, and real everyday words. It’s written in a simple, easy-to-follow format to help you learn faster and remember more.
Written One Way, Said Another
བཀྲ་ཤིས་ → tashi
Meaning: good fortune, also used as “hello”
Silent letter: བ
Note: The stacked “ཀྲ” creates the “ta” sound, not “kra”
ཨ་མ་ → ama
Meaning: mother
All letters are pronounced.
Note: Simple, common word for beginners
བོད་ → pö
Meaning: Tibet
Silent letters: བ and ད
Note: Common example of silent prefix and suffix
མི་ → mi
Meaning: person / human
Fully pronounced
Note: Simple and essential word in everyday conversation
དབང་ → wang
Meaning: power, authority
Silent letter: ད
Note: Shows how stacked prefixes become silent
ཁ་ལག་ → kha la
Meaning: food
Final ག is often dropped or softened in speech
Note: Useful word in daily life
ཕ་ཡུལ་ → payül
Meaning: homeland, native place
Fully pronounced
Note: Combines well with personal references (e.g. “my homeland”)
མཆོག་ → chok
Meaning: best, supreme
Silent letter: མ
Note: Common in honorific or spiritual contexts
ང་ → nga
Meaning: I / me
Fully pronounced
Note: First-person pronoun, important in speech
ཁྱེད་ → khyé
Meaning: you (formal)
Silent letter: ད
Note: Often followed by “rang” to form “khyé rang” (you)
ཚོད་ → tshö
Meaning: time, hour
Silent letter: ད
Note: Appears in time-related phrases
སྐད་ → ké
Meaning: voice / language
Silent letter: ས
Note: Found in “bod skad” (Tibetan language)
བུ་ → bu
Meaning: child / boy
Fully pronounced
Note: Everyday word for referring to children
མོ་ → mo
Meaning: female / she
Fully pronounced
Note: Used in feminine references and pronouns
གཟིགས་པ་ → zikpa
Meaning: to see (honorific)
Silent letter: ག
Note: Honorific form of “to see,” often used with respected individuals
Final Thoughts
Tibetan spelling might look complex, but it follows consistent patterns. Once you learn how to spot silent letters and stacked syllables, reading becomes much easier. This pronunciation guide gives you practical examples from daily vocabulary so you can start recognizing patterns right away. With regular practice, Tibetan pronunciation becomes more intuitive—even for beginners.
It’s very interesting and many people like to take on a challenge like this.
Bookmark this page and return often to reinforce your skills.