writing system of the Mongolian people of north-central Asia, derived from the Uighur alphabet c. 1310 (see Uighur language), and somewhat influenced by the Tibetan script. Both the Uighur and the Tibetan scripts had been in use by the Mongolians prior to the development of the Mongolian alphabet, Uighur before 1272 and Tibetan Pa-sse-pa or 'Phags-pa from 1272 to c. 1310. The Mongolian alphabet has 26 letters—7 vowels, 2 diphthongs, and 17 consonants—and is written vertically and left to right. The letters have different forms depending on their position (initial, medial, final) in a word. During the 14th century the Mongolian script was used to write Mongolian translations of Buddhist religious works in Sanskrit and Tibetan. It is still in use today.