Kazakh Language Basics: Essential Phrases for Travelers

Language question	Quick answer
What should travelers learn first?	A polite hello, thank you, yes, no, prices, directions, and a request to speak slowly.
Kazakh or Russian?	Kazakh is the state language. Russian is also widely used, but the language people prefer can vary.
Best approach	Learn the Kazakh phrases below and keep addresses saved in Cyrillic for translation or navigation.

Start with Сәлеметсіз бе? (polite hello), Рақмет (thank you), Иә (yes), Жоқ (no), and Бұл қанша тұрады? (how much does this cost?). These phrases are useful without forcing a long conversation, and they show respect for the state language of Kazakhstan.

The Kazakh column below uses standard Cyrillic spelling. The Latin column is only an approximate reading aid for English speakers; it is not a replacement alphabet or an exact phonetic transcription. One important example is шай: standard spelling keeps а, while natural pronunciation is closer to шәй. Kazakhstan’s Emle language resource explains this difference between spelling and pronunciation.

Kazakh is the state language, while Russian is officially used alongside it in state organizations and local self-government. Article 9 of Kazakhstan’s current Constitution, in force since July 1, 2026, defines that legal distinction. Daily use still differs by person, region, and setting. Begin politely in Kazakh, then follow the other person’s language choice or use a translation app. For more context, see what language is spoken in Kazakhstan, and set up translation access before arrival with the Kazakhstan eSIM guide.

A Simple Pronunciation Key

Kazakh has sounds that English spelling cannot reproduce exactly. In the reading aids below, q marks a deeper k sound, gh represents ғ, kh represents х, ng represents ң, zh sounds like the s in measure, and sh represents ш. The letters ä, ö, and ü mark the front vowels ә, ө, and ү. The letter y in words such as zhaqsy represents ы, which has no exact English equivalent.

Kazakh letter	Approximate sound
Ә ә	a in cat, but often slightly more open
Ғ ғ	A voiced sound made at the back of the throat
Қ қ	A deep k made farther back in the mouth
Ң ң	ng in sing
Ө ө	German ö or French eu
Ұ ұ	A short back vowel between English u and oo
Ү ү	German ü: say ee with rounded lips
І і	A short front vowel, near the i in bit
Һ һ	An h sound, used in a limited set of words
Ы ы	A short back vowel with no exact English equivalent

Do not depend on capital letters in a phrasebook to show stress: Kazakh stress and fluent pronunciation are more nuanced than “always stress the last syllable.” Use the Latin guide to recognize a phrase, then listen to a native audio example before relying on it in a longer conversation.

Essential Greetings

Kazakh	Say it roughly	Natural English meaning
Сәлем	sä-LEM	Hi / Hello (casual)
Сәлеметсіз бе?	sä-le-met-SIZ be?	Hello (polite)
Қалайсыз?	qa-LAI-syz?	How are you? (polite)
Қалайсың?	qa-LAI-syng?	How are you? (casual)
Жақсы, рақмет	zhaq-SY, raq-MET	Fine, thank you
Қайырлы таң	qai-YR-ly tang	Good morning
Қайырлы кеш	qai-YR-ly kesh	Good evening
Қайырлы түн	qai-YR-ly tün	Good night
Сау бол	sau BOL	Bye (casual)
Сау болыңыз	sau bo-LY-ngyz	Goodbye (polite)

Жақсымын is grammatically correct and means “I am fine,” but it is only one possible reply to Қалайсыз? It is not a general greeting. For a short, natural travel response, Жақсы, рақмет (“Fine, thank you”) is easier to use.

You may also hear Ассалаумағалейкүм, especially between men and in more traditional settings. The conventional reply is Уағалейкүмассалам. It is a context-specific greeting, not a universal substitute for Сәлеметсіз бе?

Polite Expressions

Kazakh	Say it roughly	Natural English meaning
Рақмет	raq-MET	Thank you
Көп рақмет	köp raq-MET	Thank you very much
Өтінемін	ö-ti-ne-MIN	Please
Оқасы жоқ	o-qa-SY zhoq	You’re welcome / No problem
Кешіріңіз	ke-shi-ri-NIZ	Excuse me / Sorry (polite)
Иә	i-Ä	Yes
Жоқ	ZHOQ	No
Жарайды	zha-RAI-dy	All right / Okay
Тамаша	ta-ma-SHA	Wonderful / Excellent

Болды literally signals that something is done, enough, or finished. It can be useful, but it is not a universal translation of “OK” and may sound abrupt in the wrong context. Use Жарайды for a neutral “all right.”

Getting Around and Asking for Help

Kazakh	Say it roughly	Natural English meaning
Бұл қанша тұрады?	būl qan-SHA tū-ra-DY?	How much does this cost?
Дәретхана қайда?	dä-ret-kha-NA qai-DA?	Where is the toilet?
Мейрамхана қайда?	mei-ram-kha-NA qai-DA?	Where is the restaurant?
… қалай барамын?	… qa-LAI ba-ra-MYN?	How do I get to …?
Мен … іздеп жүрмін	men … iz-DEP zhür-MIN	I am looking for …
Маған … керек	ma-GHAN … ke-REK	I need …
Мұнда … бар ма?	mūn-DA … bar MA?	Is there … here?
Ағылшынша сөйлейсіз бе?	a-ghyl-shyn-SHA söi-lei-SIZ be?	Do you speak English?
Мен қазақша сөйлей алмаймын	men qa-zaq-SHA söi-lei al-MAI-myn	I cannot speak Kazakh
Түсінбедім	tü-sin-be-DIM	I did not understand
Қайталаңызшы	qai-ta-la-NYZ-shy	Please repeat that
Ақырын сөйлеңізші	a-qy-RYN söi-le-NIZ-shi	Please speak slowly
Мен Қазақстанды жақсы көремін	men qa-zaq-STAN-dy zhaq-SY kö-re-MIN	I love Kazakhstan
Солға / Оңға / Тура	sol-GHA / ong-GHA / tu-RA	Left / Right / Straight

The earlier phrase Ас үйі қайда? does not mean “Where is the restaurant?” It asks where the kitchen is. The correct everyday word for a restaurant is мейрамхана.

The ending -шы / -ші softens a command into a polite request. That is why Қайталаңызшы and Сөйлеңізші are safer travel phrases than bare imperatives.

Numbers

Number	Kazakh	Say it roughly
1	Бір	bir
2	Екі	e-KI
3	Үш	üsh
4	Төрт	tört
5	Бес	bes
6	Алты	al-TY
7	Жеті	zhe-TI
8	Сегіз	se-GIZ
9	Тоғыз	to-GHYZ
10	Он	on
20	Жиырма	zhi-YR-ma
50	Елу	e-LU
100	Жүз	zhüz
1,000	Мың	myng

Larger numbers combine regular units: он бір is 11, жиырма бес is 25, and үш жүз is 300. In a busy market, saying Бұл қанша тұрады? and asking the seller to show the amount on a calculator is often clearer than trying to catch a long spoken number.

Food and Restaurant Phrases

Kazakh	Say it roughly	Natural English meaning
Нан	nan	Bread
Су	su	Water
Шай	shäi	Tea; written шай, pronounced шәй
Ет	et	Meat
Жылқы еті	zhyl-QY e-TI	Horse meat
Қой еті	qoi e-TI	Lamb / Mutton
Сиыр еті	sy-YR e-TI	Beef
Тауық еті	ta-UYQ e-TI	Chicken
Бесбармақ	bes-bar-MAQ	A traditional meat-and-noodle dish
Мәнті	män-TI	Steamed filled dumplings
Самса	sam-SA	Baked filled pastry
Бауырсақ	bau-yr-SAQ	Fried dough
Қымыз	qy-MYZ	Fermented mare’s milk
Мәзір	mä-ZIR	Menu
Шот	shot	Bill / Check
Дәмді екен!	däm-DI e-KEN	This is delicious!
Мәзірді беріңізші	mä-zir-DI be-ri-NIZ-shi	The menu, please
Шотты беріңізші	shot-TY be-ri-NIZ-shi	The bill, please
Бір шай беріңізші	bir shäi be-ri-NIZ-shi	One tea, please
Етсіз тағам бар ма?	et-SIZ ta-GHAM bar ma?	Is there a dish without meat?
Тағы да беріңізші	ta-GHY da be-ri-NIZ-shi	Some more, please
Тойдым, рақмет	toi-DYM, raq-MET	I am full, thank you

Тоқтым is not the natural phrase to memorize for “I am full,” and Тағы бер is a blunt command meaning “Give more.” The table uses the more natural Тойдым, рақмет and the polite request Тағы да беріңізші.

Emergency Phrases

Kazakh	Say it roughly	Natural English meaning
Көмектесіңізші!	kö-mek-te-SI-niz-shi!	Please help!
Маған дәрігер керек	ma-GHAN dä-ri-GER ke-REK	I need a doctor
Жедел жәрдем шақырыңызшы	zhe-DEL zhär-DEM sha-qy-RY-ngyz-shy	Please call an ambulance
Полиция шақырыңызшы	po-li-TSI-ya sha-qy-RY-ngyz-shy	Please call the police
Мен ауырып тұрмын	men au-y-RYP tūr-MYN	I am ill
Паспортымды жоғалтып алдым	pas-por-TYM-dy zho-GHAL-typ al-DYM	I lost my passport
Телефонымды жоғалтып алдым	te-le-fo-NYM-dy zho-GHAL-typ al-DYM	I lost my phone

Менің паспортым жоқ only says “I do not have my passport”; it does not specifically say that the passport was lost. Паспортымды жоғалтып алдым gives the intended meaning. The old phrase Жұмыс телефоны қандай? means “What is the work phone?” and has therefore been removed.

Travelers should save 3 numbers for emergencies: 112 for the unified service, 102 for police, and 103 for an ambulance. Kazakhstan’s official eGov emergency page has the current list. Give the address or a nearby landmark first, and ask a nearby person or hotel staff member to help translate if necessary.

Words You Will See on Signs

Kazakh sign	English meaning
МЕЙРАМХАНА	Restaurant
ДӘРЕТХАНА	Toilet
ДӘРІХАНА	Pharmacy
АУРУХАНА	Hospital
КІРУ	Entrance / Enter
ШЫҒУ	Exit
АШЫҚ	Open
ЖАБЫҚ	Closed

Kazakh is currently written in a Cyrillic alphabet with 42 letters; 9 letters are specific to Kazakh. Travelers may also encounter brand names or informal transliterations in Latin letters, but Cyrillic remains the script to save for addresses, signs, menus, and emergency messages. Do not treat any Latin spelling in this guide as an official orthographic form.

How to Use These Phrases Naturally

Use the Polite Form With Strangers

Kazakh distinguishes polite Сіз from informal сен. Use the polite forms with strangers, staff, and older people. Let the other person set a more casual tone.

Start Short and Listen

Say Сәлеметсіз бе? and then use one clear request. A memorized greeting does not guarantee that the other person wants to continue in Kazakh, Russian, or English. Follow their lead.

Do Not Translate Word by Word

Kazakh builds meaning with suffixes, so a phrase can be grammatically possible yet wrong for the situation. Ас үйі қайда? and Менің паспортым жоқ are examples: their individual words look plausible, but they do not express “Where is the restaurant?” and “I lost my passport.” Memorize the complete corrected phrase instead.

Use Audio for the Final Check

Camera translation helps with signs, while native audio is more useful for pronunciation. Save the Kazakh Cyrillic phrase as well as your approximate reading aid; machine transliteration often misses the difference between spelling and natural speech.

For more practical planning advice, see the Kazakhstan travel tips guide and the broader guide to Kazakh culture.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most useful Kazakh phrases for travelers?

Start with Сәлеметсіз бе? (polite hello), Рақмет (thank you), Иә (yes), Жоқ (no), Бұл қанша тұрады? (how much does this cost?), Дәретхана қайда? (where is the toilet?), and Қайталаңызшы (please repeat). These phrases are polite and useful without requiring a long conversation.

How do you say restaurant in Kazakh?

Restaurant is мейрамхана (meyramkhana). Мейрамхана қайда? means Where is the restaurant? Ас үйі means kitchen, so Ас үйі қайда? asks where the kitchen is, not where the restaurant is.

Is tea written шай or шәй in Kazakh?

The standard written form is шай, while natural pronunciation is closer to шәй. Kazakhstan's Emle orthography resource explicitly distinguishes the spelling шай from the spoken form шәй. For travelers, writing шай and saying something close to shäi captures both conventions.

How do you say thank you in Kazakh?

Рақмет (raqmet) means thank you. Көп рақмет means thank you very much. The letter қ is a deeper sound than English k, so the Latin spelling is only an approximation.

Can travelers use Russian in Kazakhstan?

Russian is widely used, especially in many urban services, but language preferences vary by person and region. Kazakh is the state language. A good approach is to begin with a polite Kazakh greeting, then follow the other person's language choice or use a translation app.

What alphabet does Kazakh use?

Kazakh currently uses a Cyrillic alphabet with 42 letters, including 9 letters specific to Kazakh: Ә, Ғ, Қ, Ң, Ө, Ұ, Ү, І, and Һ. Most practical signs and addresses are still in Cyrillic, so travelers should save the original Kazakh or Russian spelling rather than relying only on Latin transliteration.

Last verified: August 2026