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Welcome to བོད་སྐད་སྙིང་པོ།, The Heart of Tibetan Language.

This is a place where you'll learn Tibetan in a way that feels natural, supportive, and joyful. Whether you're learning for travel, Dharma, research, or pure love of language, you'll be supported at every stage.

If you've never seen the Tibetan script before, you can start with the alphabet and learning to read. If you already know the basics, you can step into lively conversations about food, family, and daily life. And if your dream is to understand Dharma teachings in Tibetan, our advanced courses guide you there, one clear step at a time.

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How Can We Help You?

Live learning with students

I Want to Learn Tibetan with Fellow Students

Experience the magic of community learning with students worldwide.

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Self-study at own pace

I Prefer to Learn at my Own Pace

Check out our self-study courses for independent learners.

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Overwhelmed with learning materials

I Don't Know Where to Start

We got it, learning a language can feel overwhelming. That's why we crafted this step by step guide.

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Start Your Tibetan Journey Today,
No Matter Where You Are

Follow the path from beginner to advanced mastery

1

Beginner

New to Tibetan? With these courses, you'll build the foundations of speaking and reading while discovering that language learning can be joyful, practical, and shared with new friends.

LIVE COURSES
Beginner 101
Beginner 102

🗓️ Starts January 2026

SELF-STUDY OPTIONS
Complete Beginner Package Webinars Only
2

Intermediate

Ready to expand your skills? These courses help you grow from simple conversations into richer, more confident communication, while deepening your cultural connection.

LIVE COURSES
Intermediate 201
Intermediate 202

🗓️ Starts January 2026

SELF-STUDY OPTIONS
Complete Intermediate Package Webinars Only
3

Advanced

The Advanced courses bring you into the world of dharma vocabulary and refined grammar.

LIVE COURSES
Advanced 301
Advanced 302

🗓️ Starts January 2026

SELF-STUDY OPTIONS
Complete Advanced Package Webinars Only

What Makes Us Different

Student-centered learning

Courses are built around your pace. Whether you need extra time on reading practice or want to move quickly through grammar, you'll have space to learn in the way that fits you best.

Joyful methodology

Alongside your human teachers, you'll be guided by a cast of non-human classmates like Ms. Giraffe, Mr. Sloth, and Ms. Ostrich. They bring Tibetan grammar and cultural concepts to life in surprising ways, making difficult ideas easier to remember.

Community and connection

Small learning groups, live sessions, and one-on-one practice with native speakers give you real conversation experience and a supportive circle of classmates.

Flexible format

You don't need to rearrange your life to learn Tibetan. Live classes are offered in two time zones, and recordings are always available if you miss a session. All the levels are also offer in a self-paced way.

We've helped over 300 people get started on their learning journey

Who's Behind those Courses?

Franziska Oertle - Tibetan Language Teacher

Franziska Oertle is known by her students as "the one who cracked the code." She's taught Tibetan for more than a decade at places like the University of Virginia, Emory University, SIT in Nepal, the Rangjung Yeshe Institute, and many Dharma centers across the world.

Her path began with a dream: to one day understand His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Tibetan. She left her home country, her job, her family, and her friends to study in Nepal. Fourteen years later, she's helped thousands of students go from zero to holding conversations, reading Dharma texts, and even interpreting.

What sets Franziska apart is her ability to make a complex language feel approachable. She blends indigenous Tibetan grammar with contemporary teaching, turning abstract concepts into playful, memorable lessons. Students describe her classes as joyful, practical, and surprisingly fun.

Her four-volume textbook series, བོད་སྐད་སྙིང་པོ། The Heart of Tibetan Language, is the foundation of this program. It's a living resource, full of dialogues, cultural notes, Dharma vocabulary, grammar explanations, and even songs. With the help of her "non-human colleagues", Gen Sengey la and Gen Christabella, she invites students into a learning experience that's warm, creative, and deeply rooted in Tibetan tradition.

Franziska's mission is simple: to share the beauty of Tibetan with anyone willing to learn. Her teaching is driven by gratitude for what she's received, and by a commitment to keeping the Tibetan language alive and flourishing.

Juan-Felipe Garcia-Peña - Learning Development and Tech

Juan Felipe Garcia-Peña grew up in Colombia, studied in Costa Rica, and has long been passionate about learning technologies. He has developed medical software and learning systems by blending philosophy, language, media, engineering, and biopedagogy. At SINI, he treats education as a creative, ongoing process for testing and improving new ideas in online learning.

Juan Felipe Garcia-Peña has always been fascinated by learning technologies, even as a child growing up in Colombia and attending college in Costa Rica. Through his experiences in university-level teaching, government contracting, and private institutions, he understands the importance of evidence-based, collaborative research in solving problems and reaching goals. He has worked to develop medical software and learning systems, integrating philosophy, language, media tools, engineering, and biopedagogy. At SINI, he brings to his work a recognition of education as a vibrant, creative, self-sustaining process where new ideas for making online learning more effective can be tested and improved. He is excited to work on Tarthang Rinpoche's projects through SINI, where higher education is a never-ending journey.

Meet the Team

Our courses are the work of an entire team. Teachers, tutors, IT admins, and coordinators all contribute. Many hands and minds shape the lessons you see here. Each person adds a voice, an image, or a detail that makes the courses come alive!

Nat Thammamitr

Nat Thammamitr

Assistant Teacher

Dedicated to sharing the beauty of Tibetan language and culture.

Lhakpa Tsering

Lhakpa Tsering

Teacher

Nepal-born Buddhist scholar with a Shastri in Buddhist philosophy and an Acharya in Tibetan linguistics.

Bhargavi

Bhargavi

Teacher

Holds a master's in Tibetan history from Columbia and has studied Tibetan at Esukhia, Tibet University, and Rangjung Yeshe.

Ania Samborska

Ania Samborska

Assistant Teacher

Polish teacher and translator in Dharamshala who studies Tibetan language and Dharma, teaches Classical Tibetan at SINI, and supports Colloquial Tibetan courses.

Melissa Katz

Melissa Katz

Assistant Teacher

U.S.-born student of Tibetan language and medicine in Dharamshala who studies at Sarah College, writes guides on India, and helps share SINI's learning materials worldwide.

Pema Woeser

Pema Woeser

Assistant Teacher

Native speaker holding a master's degree in Tibetan literature and committed to online Tibetan language education.

Tzoe Wong

Tzoe Wong

Admin & IT Support

Tibetan language enthusiast who began as a student at SINI in 2021 and now supports the team with video production, webinars, and IT, often in the company of Mr. Sloth.

Got questions?

We'd love to hear from you. Write to us anytime at tibetanatsini@gmail.com.