Dictionaries & Encyclopedias


The listing of dictionaries in this section is divided by language (Tibetan and Chinese), and by type. Encyclopedic works are listed in a single section, regardless of language.

Tibetan Online Dictionaries

THL Tibetan Historical Dictionary

THL Tibetan to English Translation Tool

Note: the two resources above draw primarily from early and doctrinal texts. They also include terms (though not complete) from the dictionaries of Das and Jaschke (see Print Dictionaries below).

Rangjung Yeshe Wiki : Dharma Dictionary

Duff, Tony, and the Padma Karpo Translation Committee: The Illuminator

Encyclopaedic dictionary carefully compiled and still updated by Tony Duff (a translator and teacher primarily associated with the Nyingma lineage) and others at PKTC. It is an excellent source for specific definitions of Buddhist terminology, attention to parts of speech, and verbs; often with Sanskrit equivalents. Several valuable sources have been incorporated, such as the House of Cloves (Lishi gur khang), which lists old terms and their newer equivalents. PKTC also has edited and made available electronically several other important Tibetan dictionaries: (see site for specific). Digital dictionaries may be purchased through the site. 

THL Tibetan Dictionaries Bibliography

Dictionary of Tibetan Pastoralism (Tibetan-Japanese-English-Chinese)

On the portal チベット牧畜文化ポータル / འབྲོག་པའི་པོ་ཏི།, from Team NomaDic of ILCAA, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. Based on fieldwork in Tsekhok (Zeku) County, Qinghai Province; includes local terminology and pronunciation, as well as photos to illustrate certain terms. Search either by Tibetan script or Wylie transliteration. Editor-in-Chief: Izumi Hoshi. Released in 2018.
TIP: To access the English-language definitions, use the PDF version.

Tibetan Dictionaries for Mobile Devices

Tibetan Dictionary: App for iPhone and iPad only. 

Available for free on the App Store from Phurba, this app combines several dictionaries into a single app. Searchable in English and Tibetan. The same web developed also offers the Dungkar Dictionary and Dzongkha Dictionary apps.      

Digital Tibetan offers support for using Tibetan on mobile devices


Visit dedicated pages for the following: 

Tibetan Print Dictionaries

Chinese Online Dictionaries & Related Resources

Encyclopedias