About Otto Rosenberg
Lived 1888 – 1919 (aged 31). Otto Rosenberg was a Russian linguist and buddhologist.
Otto Karl Julius Rosenberg (; Friedrichstadt (now Jaunjelgava, Latvia) – November 26, 1919) was a Russian scholar who created a system of organizing Chinese characters in a dictionary format, which eventually resulted in the Four Corner Method.
In 1910 he graduated from St Petersburg University, where he studied a host of Oriental languages (Chinese, Japanese, Tibetan, Sanskrit and Mongolian). Fyodor Shcherbatskoy, his teacher in Indian philosophy, raised his interest in Buddhism. In the course of Rosenberg's research stay in Japan from 1912 till 1917 he became one of the first Western researchers of the Zen school of Buddhism.
He facilitated contact with Chinese culture and institutions.
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Important facts
People in Otto Rosenberg's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Otto Rosenberg's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Otto Rosenberg?
Baltic German orientalist (1888-1919)
When was Otto Rosenberg born?
Otto Rosenberg was born on 7 June 1888 in Jaunjelgava.
When did Otto Rosenberg die?
Otto Rosenberg died on 26 November 1919 in Tallinn.
What was Otto Rosenberg's occupation?
Otto Rosenberg was a linguist and buddhologist.
What nationality was Otto Rosenberg?
Otto Rosenberg was Russian.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Otto Rosenberg. https://biography.guide/otto-rosenberg-linguist/
MLA: "Otto Rosenberg." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/otto-rosenberg-linguist/.
Chicago: "Otto Rosenberg." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/otto-rosenberg-linguist/.
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