The spelling of the word "Lhasa" can cause confusion for English speakers due to its non-phonetic nature. Lhasa is the capital city of Tibet, which is situated on the Tibetan Plateau. The pronunciation of "Lhasa" can be accurately represented by the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as [ˈlɑːsə]. This means that the word is pronounced with an open back unrounded vowel followed by an "s" sound and a schwa. Despite its spelling, the pronunciation of "Lhasa" is straightforward using the above phonetic transcription.
Lhasa is a noun that refers to the capital city of Tibet, an autonomous region located in the southwestern part of China. It is situated at an altitude of about 3,656 meters (11,975 feet) above sea level, making it one of the highest cities in the world. Lhasa holds great religious and cultural significance as it is the traditional seat of the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism.
The name "Lhasa" is derived from the Tibetan language, where "lha" means "deity" or "god," and "sa" translates to "land" or "earth." Hence, Lhasa can be interpreted as "Land of the Gods" or "Holy Land." The city is known for its numerous Buddhist monasteries, most notably the Potala Palace, which served as the chief residence of the Dalai Lama until the 14th Dalai Lama fled to India following the Tibetan uprising in 1959.
Lhasa represents an important pilgrimage site for Tibetan Buddhists and attracts a significant number of tourists each year interested in exploring its rich heritage and spiritual sites. The city is also renowned for its distinctive Tibetan architecture and the Jokhang Temple, a sacred Buddhist shrine considered one of the holiest sites in Tibet.
Furthermore, with its unique blend of Tibetan, Han Chinese, and other ethnic cultures, Lhasa serves as a multicultural hub within the region, fostering social, economic, and political activities.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word Lhasa originates from the Tibetan language. It comes from the Tibetan word lha sa, which translates to Place of the Gods or Holy Land. This name was given to the city due to its significance as the religious and administrative center of Tibet. Lha signifies god or divine, and sa means earth or place. Hence, Lhasa is commonly referred to as the City of the Gods.