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Tata-tonga

1150 – 1300

Yigur scribe who served Genghis Khan

Scribe
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About Tata-tonga

Lived 1150 – 1300. Tata-tonga was a Mongolian and Chinese scribe.

Tata-tonga or Tatatunga (; ) was a 13th-century Uyghur scribe captured by Genghis Khan from the Naimans. He was involved in bringing the Old Uyghur alphabet to the Mongolian Plateau and adapting it to the form of the Mongolian script (Mongol bichig or hudum bichig). After his capture, he was invited to teach the Old Uyghur alphabet to members of the court, including the Khan's sons.

The Uyghur script was used until 1946, when Cyrillic script was introduced to replace it. It is still used mainly in Inner Mongolia, China. In present-day Mongolia, Cyrillic is one of the two official scripts for the Mongolian language; the other one is the traditional script, which is referred to as the old Mongol script . Today, an estimated six million Mongol people in China can still read the traditional Mongolian script.

The Manchu alphabet was derived since the very end of the 16th century from this Mongolian script.

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Important facts

Born
1150
Birth century
Died
1300
Occupation
Scribe
Positions held
Darughachi
Also known as
Tata Tonga, tha-tha-toung-'o, Tatatonga, Tatatungga

People in Tata-tonga's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Tata-tonga's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Tata-tonga?

Yigur scribe who served Genghis Khan

When was Tata-tonga born?

Tata-tonga was born in 1150.

When did Tata-tonga die?

Tata-tonga died in 1300.

What was Tata-tonga's occupation?

Tata-tonga was a scribe.

What nationality was Tata-tonga?

Tata-tonga was Mongolian and Chinese.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Tata-tonga

· Wikidata: Q7687783

· DBpedia: Tata-tonga

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Tata-tonga. https://biography.guide/tata-tonga/

MLA: "Tata-tonga." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/tata-tonga/.

Chicago: "Tata-tonga." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/tata-tonga/.

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