How To Read Mongolian Addresses: #1 Comprehensive Guide

Have you ever found yourself in a foreign country desperately trying to navigate to a specific location with just an address in hand? And to top it off, your phone battery is as dead as the dodo? It’s a situation all too familiar to many of us. I mean, who hasn’t been there before, am I right?

Well, let me tell you, my fellow adventurer, that I, too, have been there. And it wasn’t pretty. I was in Mongolia for my dear friend’s wedding, and I thought I had everything under control. I had searched for the location on Google Maps the day before and saw that it was a 30-minute drive from where I was staying. Easy-peasy, right? But alas, the next morning, my phone was as lifeless as a zombie. I hadn’t inserted the cable correctly, and it didn’t charge at all. Tam Tam Taaaaaam. Disaster!

But wait, it gets worse. I forgot to mention that I didn’t know how to read Mongolian addresses. That’s right. I was clueless. So there I was, with only the address in my hand, wandering aimlessly around the city, looking for the church where the wedding was taking place. I was lost and frustrated, and I had to ask a local for help, which only made me feel like a helpless tourist. I ended up being fashionably late to the ceremony, missing almost half of it. Not exactly the way I had envisioned my friend’s special day.

So, let me tell you that understanding how to read Mongolian addresses may not seem like a big deal now, but it can be a lifesaver if you’re heading to this country. You don’t want to go through what I did. Trust me, it’s not fun.

That’s why today’s article is so important, it can save you from getting lost and missing important events. So, take the time to learn and be prepared for your next trip to Mongolia.

P.S. Don’t forget to check out our blog for more information about the Mongolian language. Here are some articles that you might find interesting:

1. “6 Best Ways To Say Thank You In Mongolian“
2. “#1 Guide To Mongolian Food Vocabulary: Mouth-Watering World“
3. “30+ Common Animal Names In Mongolian You Should Know“

Mongolian Address System

First things first, let’s talk about the basics. The Mongolian addressing system is usually written in the traditional Mongolian alphabet, or Cyrillic alphabet, which is the same alphabet used in Russian. So, if you’re familiar with Russian, you’re off to a good start. But if not, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.

Mongolian addresses are typically written in the following order: city, district, sub-district, street name, house number, and apartment number (if applicable).

But let’s take a step back and learn how to write each element and slowly build our street addresses.

City

This is the first part of the address, and it tells you the name of the city or region where the location is. Mongolia is divided into 21 provinces, or аймаг (aimags), and one provincial municipality. We’ll explore the list of provinces while talking about the post-code in Mongolia. For now, for example, if your address is located in the capital city of Mongolia, the address would start like this: 

Улаанбаатар хот (Ulaanbaatar city)

Here is a list of the most common cities you might encounter in Mongolia:

1. Улаанбаатар (Ulaanbaatar) – the capital city of Mongolia and the largest city in the country.
2. Эрдэнэт (Erdenet) – the second-largest city in Mongolia, known for its mining industry.
3. Дархан (Darkhan) – the third-largest city in Mongolia, located in the north.
4. Чойбалсан (Choibalsan) – the fifth-largest city in Mongolia and the capital of the eastern province of Дорнод (Dornod).
5. Ховд (Khovd) – a city in western Mongolia known for its ethnic and cultural diversity.
6. Өлгий (Ölgii) – a city in western Mongolia known for its Kazakh population and the starting point for expeditions to the Altai Mountains.
7. Улиастай (Uliastai) – a city in western Mongolia and the capital of the province of Завхан (Zavkhan).
8. Баянхонгор (Bayankhongor) – a city in central Mongolia known for its natural beauty and nomadic lifestyle.
9. Цэцэрлэг (Tsetserleg) – a city in central Mongolia and the capital of the province of Архангай (Arkhangai).
10. Арвайхээр (Arvaikheer) – a city in central Mongolia and the capital of the province of Өвөрхангай (Uvurkhangai).
11. Зуунмод (Zuunmod) – a city located close to Ulaanbaatar and known for its agricultural products.
12. Мандалговь (Mandalgovi) – a city in the central province of Дундговь (Dundgovi) known for its camel festivals.
13. Сайншанд (Sainshand) – a city in the Gobi Desert and the capital of the province of Дорноговь (Dornogovi).
14. Баруун-Урт (Baruun-Urt) – a city in the eastern province of Сүхбаатар (Sükhbaatar) known for its coal mining industry.
15. Алтай (Altai) – a city in western Mongolia known for its scenic beauty and cultural festivals.

District And Sub-District

The division of regions/provinces is then different depending on if you’re located inside or outside the capital Ulaanbaatar. While the capital is divided into districts, or Дүүргүүд (Düüregs), secondary subdivisions outside Ulaanbaatar are called “sum” (сум, often transcribed as soum).

Consequently, each district is divided into sub-districts. Ulaanbaatar is divided into nine дүүрэг (düüregs), which are further subdivided into хороо (khoroos), while outside the capital сум (soum) are further subdivided into баг (bags).

The following table shows these divisions inside and outside the capital of Mongolia.

Here’s an example. We know the city of Ulaanbaatar is divided into nine Düüregs. If, for example, our address is located in the Сүхбаатар дүүрэг (Sukhbaatar district) and in the 4-р хороо (4th sub-district) our address would start to look like this:

Улаанбаатар хот, Сүхбаатар дүүрэг, 4-р хороо

Ulaanbaatar city, Sukhbaatar district, 4th sub-district

Street Address

Now we’re starting to get really personal! The street names exactly locate the street in the sub-district you’re trying to get to. Although the street is very important to narrow down to your location, saying it without the previous district and sub-district can be misleading, as there are several streets with the same name in different regions of the country. But let’s forget about that for now.

Another important thing to have in mind is the type of street, so here is a list of some vocabulary that can help you understand what type of street we’re talking about. Sometimes these words are not used in the address, but it’s important to keep them in mind anyway.

If, for example, our address is located in the street named Бага тойруу-4 (Baga Toiruu-4), our address would be:

Улаанбаатар хот, Сүхбаатар дүүрэг, 4-р хороо, Бага тойруу-4

Ulaanbaatar city, Sukhbaatar district, 4th sub-district, Baga Toiruu-4

House And Apartment

One of the last steps in our address is the house number and apartment. There’s nothing scientific or complicated here. Imagine you live in the building with the number 12 and your apartment number is 15, then your address would be:

Улаанбаатар хот, Сүхбаатар дүүрэг, 4-р хороо, Бага тойруу-4, 12-15 тоот

Ulaanbaatar city, Sukhbaatar district, 4th sub-district, Baga Toiruu-4, building 12, apartment 15

Postal Code

Last but not least, the postal system is associated with the region, province, and block of your address. Let’s look at an example:

15120

This is an example from the capital. In this case, the first number – 1 – is associated with the region/zone, the second number – 5 – is related to the province/district, and the last 3 numbers – 120 – are associated with the locality/delivery block.

Following is the list of Mongolian postcodes by region:

How To Write A Mongolian Address

In sum, a Mongolian address is written like this:

city (or region) + district + sub-district + street name + house number + apartment number (if applicable) + postal code + country

Let’s use as an example the address for the State Opera and Ballet Academic Theatre in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar.

Street: Сүхбаатарын талбайн гудамж (Sukhbaatar Square Street)

House Number: N/a

Apartment Number: N/a

Postal Code: 14200

City: Улаанбаатар (Ulaanbaatar)

District: Сүхбаатар (Sukhbaatar)

Sub-District: 11-р хороо (11-r khoroo)

With this information, the address can be written as 

Улаанбаатар, Сүхбаатар, 11-р хороо, Сүхбаатарын талбайн гудамж, 14200 Монгол

(Ulaanbaatar, Sükhbaatar, 11-r khoroo, Sükhbaataryn talbain gudamj, 14200 Mongol)

Ulaanbaatar, Sukhbaatar, District 11, Sukhbaatar Square Street, 14200 Mongolia

Learn How To Read Mongolian Addresses With Ling App

Now that you know how to read and write an address in the Mongolian script, it’s time to start learning more about the country and its culture. And what better way to do that than by downloading Ling App and learning Mongolian? 

Whether you’re planning a trip to Mongolia or just interested in the language, Ling App has got you covered. So don’t wait any longer, hop on the app and let’s start learning some Mongolian!