Learn Tuvan Online with the Vocabo Chrome Extension
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Master Tuvan vocabulary while browsing the web. Free Chrome extension for language learners. Tuvan is spoken by around 250,000 people. Tuvan gives access to the culture behind throat singing and to a Siberian Turkic-speaking society with nomadic herding and shamanic traditions still practiced today.
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About Tuvan
Tuvan throat singing, khöömei, in which a single singer produces two or more distinct pitches at once, is recognised by UNESCO as an element of Intangible Cultural Heritage. It is famous enough that physicist Richard Feynman spent years trying, unsuccessfully, to obtain a visa to visit Tuva before his death.
Also known as: Tyvan, Tuvinian
Speakers
around 250,000
Language Family
Turkic (Siberian)
Writing System
Cyrillic alphabet, with extra letters Ң ң and Ө ө for sounds not found in Russian
Difficulty
Hard
Spoken in
Why Learn Tuvan?
Tuvan gives access to the culture behind throat singing and to a Siberian Turkic-speaking society with nomadic herding and shamanic traditions still practiced today.
Common Tuvan Words
Start your Tuvan journey with these essential words and phrases.
тыва дыл
The Tuvan language (self-name)
tuh-VAH duhl
суг
Water
soog
хүн
Sun (the same word also means "day")
khyun
бажың
House
ba-ZHUHNG
өг
Yurt, traditional felt dwelling
uhg
өңнүк
Friend
UHNG-nyuk
ынакшыл
Love
uh-nak-SHUHL
чок
No
chok
ийе
Yes
ee-YEH
экии
Hello
eh-KEE
улуг өөрдүм
Thank you
oo-LOOG UHR-duhm
хөөмей
Throat singing
KHUH-may
History of Tuvan
From 1921 to 1944 the Tuvan homeland existed as the nominally independent Tuvan People's Republic, known as Tannu Tuva, closely aligned with but formally separate from the Soviet Union. It was annexed into the USSR in 1944 and became an autonomous republic, later a republic of the Russian Federation. Because of this long isolation, Tuvan absorbed heavy Mongolian influence in its vocabulary while keeping a core Turkic grammar. Traditional nomadic herding and the khöömei throat-singing tradition remain closely tied to Tuvan cultural identity today.
Is Tuvan Hard to Learn?
Tuvan is an agglutinative Turkic language with vowel harmony and a suffix-based case system typical of the family. It also has pharyngealized vowels and vowel length distinctions that do not exist in English or in most other Turkic languages, plus extra Cyrillic letters, Ң ң and Ө ө, for sounds absent from Russian. Centuries of contact with Mongolian have also left a heavy layer of Mongolian vocabulary inside an otherwise Turkic grammar.
Learning Tuvan Online: FAQ
Can I learn Tuvan online for free?
Yes — Vocabo is a free Chrome extension that teaches you Tuvan vocabulary while you browse the web. It replaces words and short phrases on pages you already read with their Tuvan equivalents, so you pick up vocabulary passively — no sign-up, no ads, and no daily lesson grind.
Is Tuvan on Duolingo?
No — Duolingo doesn't currently offer a Tuvan course for English speakers. You can still learn Tuvan online for free: Vocabo supports Tuvan and builds your vocabulary naturally while you browse.
Similar Languages to Tuvan
If you're interested in Tuvan, you might also want to explore these related languages:
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