уучлаарай
uučlaaraj/ˈʊːt͡ɕʰɮaːrɛː/Cyrillic
The Mongolian word for sorry is уучлаарай (uučlaaraj).
In Mongolian, 'sorry' is expressed as a request for forgiveness rather than a statement of one's own feeling of sorrow. It can be used both to mean 'sorry' and 'excuse me'.
Meaning: expression of regret or sorrow (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
уучлаарай is the imperative form of the verb уучлах, meaning 'to forgive'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form уучлаарай is the polite/standard version, while уучлаа is the informal version used with friends or younger people.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is uučlaaraj and the IPA is /ˈʊːtɕʰɮaːrɛː/.
Did you know?
- The root verb уучлах is used in much more serious contexts than 'sorry' in English, such as in legal or formal settings regarding the granting of amnesty or pardon.
- In very traditional settings, a person might avoid direct eye contact while saying уучлаарай to show respect to an elder.
- If you are apologizing for a very large mistake, you might use the more intense харамсхийх to express deep regret, as уучлаарай can sometimes feel too light for major transgressions.
Examples in context
- Намайг хүлээх болсонд уучлаарай.I am sorry to have made you wait.This sentence is useful for expressing regret about making someone wait using уучлаарай.Tatoeba #9856254 by Alkrasnov, translation #619807 by ulyssemc1
- Удаан хүлээлгэсэнд намайг уучлаарай.I'm sorry I've kept you waiting so long.This sentence is useful for expressing regret about keeping someone waiting for a long time using уучлаарай.Tatoeba #9856207 by Alkrasnov, translation #68822 by CK
- Удаан хугацаанд хүлээлгэсэнд намайг уучлаарай.I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for so long.This sentence is useful for expressing regret about a long waiting period using уучлаарай.Tatoeba #9814958 by Alkrasnov, translation #1349563 by Chrikaru
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Erdenegombo accidentally bumps into Bat in a hallway.
- Эрдэнэгомбо ErdenegomboУучлаарай, би таныг хараагүй.Uuchlaarai, bi tanyig kharaagui.Sorry, I didn't see you.
- Бат BatЗүгээр дээ, зүгээр.Zugeer dee, zugeer.It's okay, it's okay.
- Эрдэнэгомбо ErdenegomboУучлаарай, би яарлаа.Uuchlaarai, bi yaarlaa.Sorry, I was in a hurry.
- Бат BatЗүгээр ээ, Эрдэнэгомбо.Zugeer ee, Erdenegombo.It's fine, Erdenegombo.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sorry” translations and entries уучлаарай, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
