'''Józef Kowalewski''' ({{lang-ru|Иосиф Михайлович Ковалевский}}) (1801- – 1878) was a Polish [[orientalist]]. Founder of the [[Philomatic Association]], in 1824 convicted by the [[Russian Empire]] activity for pro-Polish activity and exiled into Russia. Allowed to study at the [[Kazan State University]]. He studied [[Mongolia]], particularly [[Mongolian language]] and [[Tibetan Buddhism]]; in 1833 he founded a Department of Mongolian Studies at Kazan University - the first such Department in the world. In the years 1844 - 1849 he published his major work - a Russian - Mongolian - French [[dictionary]]. In 1862 he was allowed to return to Poland (then a part of Russian Empire); he refused to support the [[January Uprising]] and did not oppose [[russification]] of Polish education, for which he became the [[deacon]] of the [[Warsaw University]].