An idiom is a phrase you cannot translate word for word. Here are 12 of the most common Mongolian idioms, each with its literal translation, real meaning, and an example sentence, so you know what natives actually mean.
Common Mongolian idioms are everyday expressions whose meaning cannot be guessed from the individual words. For example, нэг сумаар хоёр туулай буудах literally means "to shoot two hares with one arrow" but is used to mean to kill two birds with one stone, to achieve two goals with a single action. This free tool lists 12 real Mongolian idioms, each with its literal translation, meaning, and an example sentence.
All 12 Mongolian idioms, with meanings and examples.
Guess the meaning, then tap a card to check.
Idiom list verified as of July 2026.
нэг сумаар хоёр туулай буудах
Literally to shoot two hares with one arrow
Means to kill two birds with one stone, to achieve two goals with a single action
Example Тэр хотод ажлын хэрэгтэй очоод, замдаа найзтайгаа ч уулзаж, нэг сумаар хоёр туулай буудлаа.
ам алдах
Literally to let the mouth slip
Means to blurt something out, to let a secret slip by accident
Example Нууцыг хэлэхгүй гэж амласан ч тэр амаа алдаж, бүгдийг ярьчихсан.
нүүр улайх
Literally the face reddens
Means to feel ashamed or embarrassed
Example Тэр багшийн асуултад хариулж чадаагүйдээ нүүр улайв.
хөл газар хүрэхгүй байх
Literally for the feet not to touch the ground
Means to be overjoyed, walking on air
Example Шалгалтандаа тэнцсэн мэдээ сонсоод тэр хөл нь газар хүрэхгүй байв.
гар сунгах
Literally to extend a hand
Means to lend a hand, to help one another
Example Хүнд байдалд орсон найздаа гараа сунгаж туслав.
гар татах
Literally to pull back the hand
Means to be stingy, to withhold help or support
Example Мөнгө хэрэгтэй үед ах нь гараа татчихдаг.
сэтгэл нийлэх
Literally for the hearts to merge
Means to click with someone, to be compatible, to be of one mind
Example Тэд хоёр анх танилцсан цагаасаа сэтгэл нийлж, дотны найз болсон.
нүд бүлтийх
Literally the eyes bulge
Means to be utterly astonished, wide eyed with shock
Example Үнийг сонсоод түүний нүд бүлтийв.
чихэнд хүрэх
Literally to reach the ear
Means for news or a rumor to reach someone's attention
Example Тэдний хоорондын маргаан удалгүй бага даргын чихэнд хүрчээ.
гартаа атгах
Literally to grip in one's own hand
Means to keep firm personal control or authority over something
Example Компанийн бүх шийдвэрийг тэрээр гартаа атгадаг.
гар хоосон байх
Literally to have an empty hand
Means to be poor, or to come away with nothing
Example Ажлаас халагдаад тэр гар хоосон гэртээ харив.
нүд булаах
Literally to seize the eyes
Means to be visually striking, to catch everyone's attention
Example Дэлгүүрийн цонхон дахь шинэ хувцас хүн бүрийн нүдийг булаав.
Idioms stick when you see them in context, not on a list. Lingo7 lets you read real Mongolian books with sentence-aligned translation and native-narrated audio, so you meet idioms in the wild and tap any line you do not get. Save them and review later. Free to start.
An idiom is a phrase whose meaning is fixed by convention, not built from its words. That is why a word-for-word translation fails: Нэг сумаар хоёр туулай буудах comes out as "to shoot two hares with one arrow", which makes no sense until you know it means to kill two birds with one stone, to achieve two goals with a single action.
Learn a few at a time, not a whole list. Pick the ones you keep running into, say them out loud in a real sentence, and you will remember them far longer than by drilling flashcards.
The most reliable way to absorb idioms is to meet them in context, again and again, in things you actually read. Parallel text and audio let you catch an idiom in a real Mongolian sentence and check what it means without breaking your reading. That is what reading in Lingo7 is built for.
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Some of the most common Mongolian idioms are нэг сумаар хоёр туулай буудах, ам алдах, нүүр улайх, хөл газар хүрэхгүй байх. Each one means something you could not guess from the words alone, which is exactly why learners have to meet them in context. This tool lists 12 of them with their meaning and an example sentence.
In Mongolian, "нэг сумаар хоёр туулай буудах" translates literally as "to shoot two hares with one arrow", but it actually means to kill two birds with one stone, to achieve two goals with a single action. You would use it like this: Тэр хотод ажлын хэрэгтэй очоод, замдаа найзтайгаа ч уулзаж, нэг сумаар хоёр туулай буудлаа.
Idioms are non-compositional: their meaning is fixed by convention, not built from the individual words. Нэг сумаар хоёр туулай буудах translates literally as "to shoot two hares with one arrow", yet it means to kill two birds with one stone, to achieve two goals with a single action. Translate word for word and you get nonsense, so idioms have to be learned as whole units.
The fastest way is to meet them in context and reuse them, not to memorize a list. Learn a handful at a time, notice them while reading and listening, and try them in your own sentences. Reading real Mongolian with tap-to-translate, the way Lingo7 works, turns every page into idiom practice.