ལ

See also: ལི and ལོ

ལ U+0F63, ལ TIBETAN LETTER LA ← ར [U+0F62] Tibetan ཤ → [U+0F64]

Translingual

Letter

ལ

1. Tibetan letter la

Balti

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lɑ/, [lɑ]

Letter

ལ (la)

1. The thirty-third letter of the Balti alphabet, written in the Tibetan script

Dzongkha

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lɑ˥/, [lɑ˥]

Letter

ལ (la)

1. The twenty-sixth letter of the Dzongkha letter

Etymology 2

From Old Tibetan ལ, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *la (“wilderness”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lɑ˩/

Noun

ལ (la)

1. mountain pass

Kurtöp

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lə̀/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *la. Cognates include Dzongkha ལ (la) and Tibetan ལ (la).

Noun

ལ (la) (locative ལ་ན)

1. mountain

Derived terms

• ལ་ཝམ (lawam)

 

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

ལ (la)

1. spider

References

• G. Hyslop, K. Tshering, K. Lhendrup, P. Chhophyel (2016) Kurtöp-English-Dzongkha dictionary (draft), page 206

Ladakhi

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lə/, [lə]

Letter

ལ (la)

1. The twenty-sixth letter of the Ladakhi alphabet

Sherpa

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /l̪a/, [l̪a]

Letter

ལ (la)

1. The twenty-ninth letter of the Sherpa alphabet, written in the Tibetan script

Sikkimese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lɐ/, [lɐ]

Letter

ལ (la)

1. The twenty-ninth letter of the Sikkimese alphabet

Tibetan

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• Old Tibetan: /*la/
• Lhasa: /la˥˥/

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• Old Tibetan:
  • IPA^(key): /*la/ (reconstructed)
• Ü-Tsang
  • Tibetan pinyin: la^f
  • (Lhasa) IPA^(key): /la˥˥/

Letter

ལ • (la)

1. The twenty-sixth letter of the Tibetan alphabet

Etymology 2

Perhaps from Sino-Tibetan *la (“area far from settlements; wilderness”); compare Chinese 野 (OC *laːʔ, *ɦljaʔ, “countryside; field”).

Pronunciation

• Old Tibetan: /*la/
• Lhasa: /la˩˨/

---

• Old Tibetan:
  • IPA^(key): /*la/ (reconstructed)
• Ü-Tsang
  • Tibetan pinyin: la^v
  • (Lhasa) IPA^(key): /la˩˨/

Noun

ལ • (la)

1. hillside, mountain pass

Derived terms

• ལ་དུག (la dug, “altitude sickness”)

Etymology 3

Schuessler (2007) connects it to Old Chinese particle 也 (OC *laːlʔ), which is possibly of Sino-Tibetan origin.

Pronunciation

• Old Tibetan: /*la/
• Lhasa: /laˑ/

---

• Old Tibetan:
  • IPA^(key): /*la/ (reconstructed)
• Ü-Tsang
  • Tibetan pinyin: la
  • (Lhasa) IPA^(key): /laˑ/

Postposition

ལ • (la)

1. Marks oblique locatives.
2. Marks the dative (a recipient in a trivalent construction).
   1. Marks the possessor in have-constructions which use a copular verb.
3. Marks the subject of verbs such as "like" and "need".
4. Marks the direct object of verbs which involve contact but no change of state.

Usage notes

When the preceding syllable ends in a vowel, la becomes r and goes in the coda of the preceding syllable. For example, "in Lhasa" is ལྷ་སར (lha sar).