Self-Paced · Learn to Read · Start Anytime

Learn to read Tibetan script, on your own schedule

Master the U-chen alphabet and Wylie transliteration step by step, with clear video lessons, guided practice, and eight hours of one-on-one time with a native Tibetan tutor who reads with you, out loud.

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Join 300+ students, guided since 2021
A learner reading Tibetan script aloud

What you'll learn

What You'll Learn

Reading is where Tibetan opens up. Before you can build vocabulary or hold a conversation, you need to decode the script, and the Tibetan alphabet, with its stacked letters, silent prefixes and suffixes, and handful of exceptions, rewards a patient, step-by-step approach. This self-paced course walks you through all of it: the thirty letters and their sounds, the rules that govern how they combine, and the U-chen script and Wylie transliteration you'll meet everywhere in your studies. Clear video lessons and written explanations do the teaching; your eight hours with a native Tibetan tutor are where it becomes real, reading aloud and being corrected as you go.

By the end of the course, you'll be able to:

A learner practising the Tibetan letters

Recognize and pronounce all 30 Tibetan letters correctly

A learner working through the Tibetan reading rules

Apply the reading rules, including suffixes, prefixes, and stacked letters

A learner studying Wylie transliteration

Understand common exceptions and read Wylie transliteration with confidence

A learner reading a Tibetan text aloud

Slowly read and spell aloud any Tibetan text in U-chen script or Wylie

What's included

What You'll Get in This Course

A learner reading one-on-one with a native Tibetan tutor

One-on-One Tutoring

The heart of the course. Everything else teaches you the rules; this is where you read for real.

Eight hours with a native Tibetan tutor Reading aloud, corrected in the moment, until the letters click.
  • Scheduled around you, whenever you're ready to start
  • Reading practice out loud, one-on-one
  • A patient native speaker who does this every day

Video Lessons
  • Engaging webinars on Tibetan sounds and pronunciation
  • Animated key-point videos that break down each unit
  • Watch, pause, and go back over anything, anytime

Practice & Self-Assessment
  • Quizzes and self-assessment exercises
  • Step-by-step instructional guidance
  • Practice sets for each of the five units
Written Tibetan reading-rule references open on a desk

Reading Rules, Explained
  • Written explanations of the reading rules
  • The common exceptions, laid out clearly
  • Wylie transliteration reference

Before you enroll

Important to Know

The tutoring is the course

Your eight hours with a native Tibetan tutor aren't an add-on. Reading is a skill you build out loud, with someone correcting you, and that's exactly what the tutoring is for.

What it covers

The focus is decoding the script: pronunciation, spelling aloud, and transliteration. Reading comprehension and vocabulary come later, in the Beginner course, once you can read.

Time and pace

Five units over about four to eight weeks, around four to six hours a week including tutor prep. Start any time of year and go at your own pace.

Who it's for

Who It's For

This course is for anyone at the very start of their Tibetan journey, or anyone who wants a solid, unhurried foundation in reading the script. No prior Tibetan is needed; this is where the path begins.

It's also the natural first step if you're planning to join one of our live Beginner courses, which assume you can already read and pronounce the script.

A learner beginning to read Tibetan at her own pace

Ready to begin

Ready to Learn to Read Tibetan?

Start with the alphabet, work at your own pace, and read with a native tutor beside you. Enrollment is $130, or $108 for monastics, and you can begin any time of year.

Enroll in the Reading Course

Before you start

Self-Paced Learn to Read FAQ

The questions we hear most, answered.

Do I need to know any Tibetan already?
No. This is the very first step. The course starts from the thirty letters of the alphabet and builds up from there, so you can begin with no prior Tibetan at all.
What will I be able to do by the end?
Read and pronounce the thirty Tibetan letters, apply the reading rules, handle the common exceptions, and slowly read and spell aloud any text written in U-chen script or Wylie transliteration. The course focuses on decoding the script, not yet on reading comprehension or vocabulary.
How do the tutor sessions work?
You get eight hours one-on-one with a native Tibetan tutor, focused on reading aloud and being corrected as you go. They're scheduled around you, and they're the core of the course, not an optional extra.
How much time should I plan each week?
There's no fixed pace. We suggest taking the five units over about four to eight weeks, at roughly four to six hours a week including prep for your tutor sessions. You can start any time of year and go faster or slower as suits you.
How much does it cost?
$130, or $108 for monastics. You enroll through our registration page.
What do I need to take the course?
A PC or Mac, a Gmail address, WhatsApp on desktop, and a PDF viewer.
Is this the same as your live Learn to Read course?
No. This is the self-paced version: you work through the videos and materials on your own schedule, with your tutor hours booked around you, rather than following a live class on a fixed timetable.
What comes after this?
Once you can read the script, our Beginner course is the natural next step. It builds on reading to take you into grammar, vocabulary, and your first conversations.