Bhutan — how to identify

Name: Dzongkha (Bhutanese)

Script: Tibetan script (Uchen style)

Dzongkha is the sole official language. English is also widely used in schools and government

Description: Angular and structured with clear horizontal headline across the top of letters (similar to Devanagari but straighter and more rigid). The printed Uchen style formal and geometric, while handwritten forms can be more flowing.

Unique symbols: ཀ, ཁ, ག, ང, ར, ཨ

Similar scripts & distinctions:

vs Devanagari: both have a top line, but Tibetan letters are more square and often stacked vertically

vs Bengali / Assamese: Bengali has a headline but letters are softer and more curved; Tibetan is sharper and more block-like

Stone blocks instead of metal guardrails or bollards

It looks like more guardrail but also works as bollard

Standard kilometre milestones in Bhutan have a yellow upper half and a white lower half, with the top face displaying the highway number

All coverage was captured using a grey Generation-3 Google car without a roof antenna;

Bhutan is the only left-hand-driving country where this specific grey car is used (though a similar white version is seen in other regions)

Strings of multicolored Buddhist prayer flags often line mountain roads and bridges, creating one of the most iconic sights in Bhutanese landscapes.

Bhutanese houses are characterized by corrugated tin roofs and brightly painted wooden window frames, giving towns and villages a distinctive appearance unlike that of neighbouring Himalayan regions

Type: Private

Shape: Long

Background: Red

Text: White

Additional details: Red background used in Asia only in Bhutan

In Bhutan freestanding red or blue signs are common, usually displaying business names or the name of the town in large letters

Shape: Thin cylinder

Material: Metal

Color: Black, white or brown painted at the bottom

Bhutanese taxis are easily recognized by their yellow license plates and matching yellow roof panels

Octagonal stop signs with a white border are rare in Bhutan and only occasionally appear along the roads