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Institute for Mongolian Studies Compiles the World’s Largest Mongolian dictionary, The Great Mongolian-Korean Dictionary (蒙韓大辭典)
Writer 국제교류팀 최지영
Date 2023.04.24
View Count 475
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Covering more than 85,000 words, including from traditional and modern Mongolian, as well as idioms


The Institute for Mongolian Studies at Dankook University, which set up the first department for Mongolian studies in Korea in 1993, compiled the world’s largest Mongolian dictionary, The Great Mongolian Korean Dictionary (蒙韓大辭典) (Dankook University Publishing, 2023). Composed of two volumes, the dictionary runs 3,090 pages and covers over 85,000 words. This was a feat accomplished nearly 700 years after Korea, under the Goryeo dynasty, first started interacting with Yuan dynasty and 15 years since embarking on the mammoth task to compile the dictionary in 2009.



Until now, Korean researchers studying Mongolian relied on Mongolian dictionaries in English, Japanese, or Chinese. The institute addressed this inconvenience by translating, editing, and supplementing the Mongolian Language Detailed Dictionary (2008), the so-called ‘Mongolian dictionary for Mongolians,’ published by the Institute of Language and Literature at the Mongolian Academy of Sciences. This effort resulted in adding 5,000 more entries than before.

The new dictionary contains idioms, proverbs, riddles, and archaism extracted from all Mongolian literature since Genghis Khan established the Mongol Empire in the 12th~13th century. Headwords are introduced in the order of Cyrillic (modern Mongolian), traditional Mongolian (Uighur), the corresponding Korean word, example sentences in Cyrillic, and a Korean translation of the Cyrillic example sentences. In addition, Russian and Tibetan loanwords, dialects, archaic words, and newly coined words are set forth in the order of consonants in the Mongolian alphabet to enhance understanding language used in all parts of Mongolia, including Inner and Outer Mongolia.



The dictionary will not only be helpful for those studying Mongolian in Korea, but also to those studying Korean in Mongolia and students preparing to study in each other’s countries. The appendix contains a brief look at Mongolian grammar to make it easier for the public to learn the language, as well. Rather than providing extensive descriptions like an encyclopedia, the dictionary focuses on offering the exact corresponding Korean terms. The Korean definitions of Mongolian words are based on pure Korean, while observing Korean language norms for Korean descriptions and the loanword orthography standard set forth by the National Institute of Korean Language. Loanwords from Chinese are indicated using simplified Chinese characters to show relevancy to the original Chinese word.

“Mongolian dictionaries previously published in Korea did not have many entries and lacked sufficient example sentences, mostly serving beginners or those traveling to Mongolia. However, this dictionary will open doors to more active research on Mongolian language and culture, as well as enabling comparative studies with the Korean language,” explained Honorary Professor Seong-gyu Lee, who also commented that “it is a very meaningful step in the field of humanities.”

The Institute for Mongolian Studies also previously published the Dictionary of Nomadic Culture in Northeast Asia in 2017, introducing rich nomadic culture, including that of Mongolia, to Korea.