ལ

See also: ལི and ལོ

Translingual

Letter

ལ

1. Tibetan letter la

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Dzongkha

Etymology

From Old Tibetan ལ, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *la (“wilderness”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lɑ˩/

Noun

ལ (la)

1. mountain pass

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Tibetan

Etymology 1

Perhaps from Sino-Tibetan *la (“area far from settlements; wilderness”); compare Chinese 野 (OC *laːʔ, *ɦljaʔ, “countryside; field”).

Noun

1. hillside, mountain pass

Derived terms

• ལ་དུག (la dug, “altitude sickness”)

Etymology 2

Postposition

ལ • (la)

1. Marks oblique locatives.
2. Marks the dative (a recipient in a trivalent construction).
   1. Marks the possessor in have-constructions which use a copular verb.
3. Marks the subject of verbs such as "like" and "need".
4. Marks the direct object of verbs which involve contact but no change of state.

Usage notes

When the preceding syllable ends in a vowel, la becomes r and goes in the coda of the preceding syllable. For example, "in Lhasa" is ལྷ་སར (lha sar).