Kazakh Alphabet: 42 Cyrillic Letters and the Latin Switch Status

Kazakh is written today in a Cyrillic alphabet of 42 letters. A switch to a Latin-based alphabet was ordered in 2017, but as of September 2026 the government says there is no set deadline for it: the Latin alphabet and its spelling rules are still being revised. In practice, a visitor reads and writes Kazakh in Cyrillic.

This page lists the letters Kazakh adds to the Russian alphabet, summarises how the script has changed, and explains where the Latin switch stands. For learning the language itself, start with our Kazakh language basics and the overview of what language is spoken in Kazakhstan.

Which letters does Kazakh add to the Russian alphabet?

The 42-letter Kazakh alphabet contains the 33 letters of the Russian alphabet plus nine letters for sounds Russian does not have. The total of 42 letters is given by the Kazakh language resource Emle; the nine extra letters are the difference between the two alphabets.

Letter	Example word	Meaning
Ә ә	әке	father
Ғ ғ	ғалым	scientist
Қ қ	қала	city
Ң ң	мың	thousand
Ө ө	өзен	river
Ұ ұ	ұл	son
Ү ү	үй	house
Һ һ	қаһарман	hero
І і	іні	younger brother

Two of these matter most when you read signs and addresses. Қ is the letter at the start of Қазақстан and қала; written in Latin letters it becomes q, which is why the country’s Kazakh name appears as Qazaqstan. Ң is the “ng” sound at the end of мың.

Do not rely on a Latin spelling of a street or a business to find it on a map. Save the Cyrillic form of every address, as our language basics guide recommends.

How has the Kazakh script changed?

Kazakh has been written in three scripts in little more than a century: Arabic-based, Latin-based and Cyrillic.

Period	Script	Source
1912–1930	Arabic-based script reformed by Akhmet Baitursynov	Emle
From about 1930	Latin-based alphabet	Emle
Current	Cyrillic alphabet of 42 letters	Emle
2017	Decree ordering a move to a Latin alphabet	Decree No. 569
2018	Latin alphabet table replaced	Decree No. 637

Emle describes Baitursynov’s Arabic-based alphabet as giving every Kazakh sound its own letter. It cites the linguist Qudaibergen Zhubanov, who counted about 18 years, from 1912 to 1930, of Kazakh written in that script and saw the move to Latin that followed as the result of pressure from above. Emle’s reference list also includes Sarsen Amanzholov’s 1939 draft of a new Kazakh alphabet based on Russian script.

Is Kazakhstan switching to the Latin alphabet?

A switch was decided in 2017, but there is currently no deadline and no approved final alphabet.

• 2017. Presidential Decree No. 569 of 26 October 2017 ordered the transfer of the Kazakh alphabet from Cyrillic to Latin script and approved a Latin alphabet.
• 2018. Decree No. 637 of 19 February 2018 replaced that alphabet with a new version.
• 2021. At a meeting of the National Commission on 28 January 2021, the government presented an improved alphabet of 31 basic Latin characters covering the 28 sounds of Kazakh, and planned a phased transition from 2023 to 2031, according to the Prime Minister’s office.
• 2022. Linguists submitted a new draft alphabet to the National Commission, which sent it back for further work.
• September 2026. A deputy chair of the Language Policy Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education said at a government briefing that there are no specific deadlines, that the alphabet and spelling rules are still being revised, and that using Latin script in various versions before they are approved is unjustified, Tengrinews reported on 8 September 2026.

The 2023–2031 schedule from 2021 is therefore no longer the government’s stated plan. Latin letters you see on brand names, souvenirs or some signs are not a single official standard; the same word can be spelled differently from one sign to the next.

What does this mean for a visitor?

• Learn to recognise Cyrillic. Menus, street signs, train tickets and addresses are in Cyrillic, in Kazakh, Russian or both.
• Learn the nine extra letters by sight. They are what makes a Kazakh word look unfamiliar to someone who reads Russian.
• Treat Latin spellings as approximate. Qazaqstan and Kazakhstan are the same country; our note on the two spellings explains why.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many letters are in the Kazakh alphabet?

The Kazakh Cyrillic alphabet in use today has 42 letters: the 33 letters of the Russian alphabet plus nine letters for Kazakh sounds, Ә, Ғ, Қ, Ң, Ө, Ұ, Ү, Һ and І.

Does Kazakh use the Latin or Cyrillic alphabet?

Kazakh is written in Cyrillic. A move to a Latin alphabet was ordered in 2017, but in September 2026 the Ministry of Science and Higher Education said there were no set deadlines and the Latin alphabet was still being revised.

When will Kazakhstan switch to the Latin alphabet?

There is no current deadline. A 2021 plan set a phased transition for 2023 to 2031, but in September 2026 officials said no specific deadlines exist until the government issues a new instruction.

Why is Kazakhstan sometimes spelled Qazaqstan?

In Latin-script Kazakh the letter Қ is written q, so Қазақстан becomes Qazaqstan. In English the country is Kazakhstan.

Sources

• Emle: “Қазақ әліпбиі мен орфографиясы туралы”, in Kazakh: the 42-letter alphabet and the history of Kazakh scripts.
• Presidential Decree No. 569 of 26 October 2017 and Decree No. 637 of 19 February 2018, Adilet legal database.
• Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, 28 January 2021: the improved alphabet and the 2023–2031 plan.
• Tengrinews, 8 September 2026: the Ministry of Science and Higher Education on the absence of deadlines.

Last reviewed: 10 November 2026. All sources were read on that date. The example words are common vocabulary chosen to show each letter; they were not taken from a source.