Lhasa

American  

[lah-suh, -sah, las-uh] / ˈlɑ sə, -sɑ, ˈlæs ə /

Or Lasa,

noun

1. a city in and the capital of Tibet, in the SE part: sacred city of Lamaism. About 12,000 feet (3,650 meters) above sea level.

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Lhasa British  

/ ˈlɑːsə /

noun

1. a city in SW China, capital of Tibet, at an altitude of 3606 m (11 830 ft): for centuries the sacred city of Lamaism and residence of the Dalai Lamas from the 17th century until 1950; known as the Forbidden City because it was closed to Westerners until the beginning of the 20th century; annexed by China in 1951. The Dalai Lama fled after an unsuccessful revolt against Chinese rule in 1959. Pop: 131 000 (2005 est)

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Example Sentences

The Dalai Lama was just 23 when he fled the Tibetan capital Lhasa in fear for his life after Chinese troops crushed an uprising in 1959.

From Barron's • Feb. 2, 2026

The Chinese president's surprise visit was the lead story in every state media newspaper and TV bulletin on Thursday, where Xi's tour of the Tibetan capital of Lhasa was portrayed as a celebration.

From BBC • Aug. 21, 2025

Ballinger cuts nearly two weeks from his trips by driving his bedroom-acclimatized clients from the airport in Lhasa, Tibet, straight up to the northern route’s base camp, which is also at about 18,000 feet.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2024

Yet Bailey lived in a compound surrounded by animals and, with his wife, introduced the Lhasa apso terrier into Britain.

From Washington Post • Jan. 12, 2023

By the middle of the seventeenth century, after a series of reincarnations, Nawang Lobsang had made himself master of Tibet and transferred his capital to Lhasa.

From Mount Everest the Reconnaissance, 1921 by Howard-Bury, Charles Kenneth