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Tibetan language facts for kids

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Standard Tibetan
ལྷ་སའི་སྐད་
lha-sa'i skad
Native to China (Tibet), Nepal, India
Native speakers (1.3 million cited 1990 census)
ca. 5 million of broader Tibetan
Language family
Sino-Tibetan
  • (Tibeto-Burman)
    • Tibeto-Kanauri
      • Bodish
        • Tibetic
          • Central Tibetan
            • Standard Tibetan
Early forms:
Old Tibetan
  • Classical Tibetan
    • Standard Tibetan
Writing system Tibetan alphabet
Tibetan Braille
Official status
Official language in Tibet Autonomous Region
Regulated by Committee for the Standardisation of the Tibetan Language

The Tibetan language is a language spoken in Tibet, a region of China. It is one of the main Han–Tibetan languages.

It is also spoken in other parts of the Himalaya region, including northern Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, and India (Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal and Ladakh).

It has been spoken for many centuries (since at least the 6th century, possibly earlier).

Tibetan has many dialects. People who speak different dialects often cannot easily communicate with each other orally.

The Tibetan written language is not known by most Tibetans and is not taught in many Tibetan areas.

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