Tengrianism is a reflection of the Russian term, Тенгрианство ('Tengriánstvo'). The term was introduced into a wide scientific circulation in 1956 by Jean-Paul Roux and later in the 1960s as a general term of English-language papers.

The spelling Tengrism for the religion of the ancient Turks is found in the works of the 19th century Kazakh Russophone ethnographer Shoqan Walikhanov. The word 'Tengrism' is a fairly new term. According to some scholars, the name of the important deity Dangun (also Tangol) (God of the Mountains) of the Korean folk religion is related to the Siberian Tengri ('Heaven'), while the bear is a symbol of the Big Dipper (Ursa Major). Mongolia is sometimes poetically called the 'Land of Eternal Blue Sky' ( Mönkh Khökh Tengeriin Oron) by its inhabitants.

Meanwhile, Stefan Georg proposed that the Turkic Tengri ultimately originates as a loanword from Proto-Yeniseian *tɨŋgɨr- 'high'. The name Tengri ('the Sky') is derived from Old Turkic: Tenk ('daybreak') or Tan ('dawn'). The forms of the name Tengri ( Old Turkic: Täŋri) among the ancient and modern Turks and Mongols are Tengeri, Tangara, Tangri, Tanri, Tangre, Tegri, Tingir, Tenkri, Tangra, Teri, Ter, and Ture. See also: Tengri, Mongolian shamanism, and Shamanism in Siberia In the Mongolian folk religion, Genghis Khan is considered one of the embodiments, if not the main embodiment, of Tengri's will. Tengrism is centered on the worship of the tngri (gods), with Tengri (Heaven, God of Heaven) being one of them. Tengri can either refer to the sky deity or refer also to other deities (compare this with the concept of Kami). Altaian Burkhanism and Chuvash Vattisen Yaly are movements similar to Tengrism.

Still practiced, it is undergoing an organized revival in Buryatia, Sakha (Yakutia), Khakassia, Tuva and other Turkic nations in Siberia. Tengrism has been advocated in intellectual circles of the Turkic nations of Central Asia ( Kyrgyzstan with Kazakhstan) and Russia ( Tatarstan, Bashkortostan) since the dissolution of the Soviet Union during the 1990s. All modern adherents of 'political' Tengrism are monotheists. The term also describes several contemporary Turko-Mongolic native religious movements and teachings. Abdulkadir Inan argues that Yakut and Altai shamanism are not entirely equal to the ancient Turkic religion. According to many academics, Tengrism was a predominantly polytheistic religion based on shamanistic concept of animism, and during the imperial period, especially by the 12th–13th centuries, Tengrism was mostly monotheistic. In Irk Bitig, a ninth century manuscript on divination, Tengri is mentioned as Türük Tängrisi (God of Turks). To view more information about leveling up symbols, click any of the area-themed symbols.It was the prevailing religion of the Turks, Mongols, Bulgars, Xiongnu, Huns and possibly the Hungarians, and the state religion of several medieval states: First Turkic Khaganate, Western Turkic Khaganate, Eastern Turkic Khaganate, Old Great Bulgaria, First Bulgarian Empire, Volga Bulgaria, and Eastern Tourkia (Khazaria), Mongol Empire. Each symbol will start by giving 30 Arcane Power, as well as 300 of your main stat, or equivalent. Arcane Symbols are a special Equipment given to 5th Job players, required to deal damage on monsters in Arcane River.

Tengami count symbols on shrine