Hmong (lus Hmoob)

travel phpto to inspire Hmong language study
A Flower Hmong woman in Vietnam. Photo by Christophe Meneboeuf, CC BY-SA 3.0,

ALPHABET MATCHING GAME VOCABULARY FLASHCARDS

Why learn Hmong?

International travel is made easier and more pleasant when you know Hmong. Knowing Hmong provides a competitive edge in career choices Analytical skills improve when you study Hmong. Hmong expand one's world view and limit the barriers between people: barriers cause distrust and fear.

Hmong is a dialect continuum of the West Hmongic branch of the Hmongic languages spoken by about 3.7 million Hmong of Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Hainan, northern Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos, including over 280,000 Hmong Americans as of 2013.

How Long Does it Take to Learn Hmong?

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Hmong Alphabet & Pronunciation

Hmong is a tone language and makes use of seven (Hmong Daw and Mong Njua) or eight (Dananshan) distinct tones. The following chart is based on Dananshan romanization. Hmong is also written in Chinese characers (in China) and the Thai alphabet (in Thailand).

a
ang
ai
au
e
eng
eu
i
o
ong
ou
u
ua
j
q
nj
nq
dl
tl
f
h
g
ng
nk
l
hl
m
hm
n
hn
ngg
ni
hni
b
p
nb
np
bl
pl
nbl
npl
gh
kh
ngh
nkh
dr
tr
ndr
ntr
sh
d
t
nd
nt
zh
ch
nzh
nch
z
c
nz
nc
v
w
s
x
y
r
b
(high falling tone)
[˦˧]
d
(top tone)
[˥]
t
(high tone)
[˦]
k
(mid tone)
[˧]
x
(mid falling tone)
[˧˩]
l
(low falling (breathy) tone)
[˨˩̤]
s
(low rising (breathy) tone)
[˩˧̤]
f
(mid rising tone)
[˨˦]

Basic Phrases in Hmong

HelloNyob zoo
GoodbyeSib ntsib dua
YesYog
NoTsis muaj
Excuse meThov txim os
PleaseThov
Thank youUa tsaug
You are welcomeTsis ua cas
Do you speak englishKoj puas paub lus Mis Kas?
Do you understandKoj puas nkag siab?
I understandKuv nkag siab
I do not understandKuv tsis nkag siab
How are youKoj li cas?
Fine thanksLus hauv no teb Zoo, tsaug!
What is your nameKoj lub npe hu li cas?
My name isKuv npe
Pleased to meet youZoo siab tau ntsib koj

Hmong Grammar

Hmong Nouns

ManTus txiv neej
WomanPoj niam
BoyTub
GirlNtxhais
CatTus miv
DogDev
FishNtses
WaterDej
MilkMis nyuj
EggQe
HouseLub tsev
FlowerPaj
TreeNtoo
ShirtLub tsho
PantsRis

Hmong Adjectives

Colors in Hmong

BlackDub
WhiteDawb
RedXim liab
OrangeTxiv kab ntxwv
YellowDaj
GreenNtsuab
BlueXiav
PurpleNtshav
PinkLiab dawb
GrayTxho
BrownXim av

Numbers in Hmong

ZeroXoom
OneIb tug
TwoOb tug
ThreePeb
FourPlaub
FiveTsib
SixThib rau
SevenXya
EightYim
NineCuaj
TenKaum
ElevenKaum ib
TwelveKaum ob
TwentyNees nkaum
ThirtyPeb caug
FortyPlaub caug
FiftyTsib caug
SixtyRau caum
SeventyXya caum
EightyYim caum
NinetyCuaj caum
HundredIb puas
ThousandIb txhiab

Hmong Verbs

To beYuav tsum tau
To haveLos muaj
To wantXav
To needXav tau
To helpLos pab
To goMus
To comeTuaj
To eatMus noj
To drinkMus haus
To speakMus hais lus

Building Simple Sentences

More Complex Hmong Sentences

AndThiab
OrLossis
ButTab sis
BecauseVim
WithNrog
AlsoThiab
HoweverTxawm li cas los xij
NeitherThiab
NorTsis
IfYog
ThenNtawd

Useful Hmong Vocabulary

Hmong Questions

WhoLeej twg
WhatDab tsi
WhenThaum
WhereQhov twg
WhyVim li cas
HowLi cas
How manyPes tsawg
How muchPes tsawg

Days of the Week in Hmong

MondayHnub ib
TuesdayHnub ob
WednesdayHnub peb
ThursdayHnub plaub
FridayHnub tsib
SaturdayHnub rau
SundayHnub caiv
YesterdayNag hmo
TodayHnub no
TomorrowTag kis

Months in Hmong

JanuaryLub Ib Hlis
FebruaryLub ob hlis ntuj
MarchLub peb hlis ntuj
AprilPlaub Hlis Ntuj
MayLub tsib hli ntuj
JuneLub Rau Hli
JulyLub Xya Hli
AugustLub yim hli ntuj
SeptemberLub Cuaj Hli
OctoberLub kaum hli ntuj
NovemberKaum ib hlis
DecemberLub Kaum Ob Hlis (PLub Kaum Ob Hlis)

Seasons in Hmong

WinterLub caij no
SpringCaij nplooj ntoo hlav
SummerLub caij ntuj sov
AutumnCaij nplooj zeeg

Telling Time in Hmong

What time is itLub sijhawm twg?
HoursTeev
MinutesFeeb
SecondsLub vib nas this
O clockTeev
HalfIb nrab
Quarter pastPeb lub hlis twg dhau los
BeforeUa ntej
AfterTom qab