Mongolian Phrases
How to Say Sorry in Mongolian
Уучлаарай covers both "sorry" and "excuse me". It is short and useful in almost every situation.
Уучлаарай.
Uuchlaarai.
Sorry. / Excuse me.
How to Pronounce It
- Stress the first syllable: UUCH-laa-rai.
- Уу is a long "oo", and аа in the middle is also long.
- The чл in the middle is a quick "chl" cluster; do not add a vowel between them.
- End with рай, like English "rye".
Romanization is simplified to help you read along; it is not an official standard.
Formal vs Informal Versions
| Use | Mongolian | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Casual | Уучлаарай. Uuchlaarai. | Sorry / Excuse me. |
| Formal | Таны санаа зовоосонд уучлаарай. Tany sanaa zovoosond uuchlaarai. | Sorry for worrying you. |
| Apologising for lateness | Хоцорсонд уучлаарай. Khotsorsond uuchlaarai. | Sorry I'm late. |
| Replying | Зүгээр ээ. Zügeer ee. | It's fine. |
Example Dialogues
Bumping into someone
- Бат Уучлаарай! Uuchlaarai! Sorry!
- Сараа Зүгээр ээ. Zügeer ee. It's fine.
Arriving late
- Оюна Хоцорсонд уучлаарай. Khotsorsond uuchlaarai. Sorry I'm late.
- Багш Зүгээр, суугаарай. Zügeer, suugaarai. It's fine, take a seat.
Excuse me
- Жуулчин Уучлаарай, буудал хаана вэ? Uuchlaarai, buudal khaana ve? Excuse me, where is the station?
- Хүн Тэнд байна. Tend baina. It's over there.
Formal apology
- Бат Таны санаа зовоосонд уучлаарай. Tany sanaa zovoosond uuchlaarai. Sorry for worrying you.
- Багш Зүгээр, санаа зоволтгүй. Zügeer, sanaa zovoltgüi. It's fine, don't worry.
When to Use It
Use Уучлаарай to apologise after a mistake, and also to get someone’s attention politely, for example before asking for directions. Add the reason with -д: Хоцорсонд уучлаарай (“sorry for being late”).
Уучлаарай is the casual, everyday form. For a more formal apology, state the reason in a respectful sentence such as Таны санаа зовоосонд уучлаарай (“sorry for worrying you”). The usual reply is Зүгээр ээ, meaning “it’s fine”.
Practice "Sorry" and More
Say it out loud and use it in real conversations with interactive lessons inside Lingolab MN.
Practice this phrase in Lingolab MN