A dozen Kazakh phrases
None of these will get anything done, and that is the point. Service here runs mostly in Russian, and a question asked in Kazakh gets answered in Kazakh, at speed. What is on this page is the other kind of phrase — the sort that needs no reply and changes the temperature of the room.
Approximate is fine. Nobody expects a visitor to get these right, and getting them roughly right is worth more than not trying. Two things are worth knowing before you look at the list, and they cover almost all of it:
The stress goes on the last syllable, nearly every time. It is marked in capitals below. This is the one that gives a foreigner away — SA-lem instead of sä-LEM — and it is free to fix.
Two sounds have no English equivalent. Read kh as the ch in the Scottish loch. Read q as a k made further back in the throat — and if you just say a normal k, every single person will understand you.
- Hi
- sä-LEM · Сәлем
Informal, and the one you will use most.
- Hello
- sä-le-met-SIZ be · Сәлеметсіз бе
The polite form. Worth it for someone older than you.
- Thank you
- rakh-MET · Рахмет
- Yes / no
- YA / ZHOQ · Иә / Жоқ
- Excuse me, sorry
- ke-shi-ri-ÑIZ · Кешіріңіз
Also how you get a waiter to look up.
- Delicious
- däm-DI · Дәмді
- Very good indeed
- ö-TE däm-DI · Өте дәмді
Said about food, and worth having ready in a home kitchen.
- Brilliant
- ke-re-MET · Керемет
- Good, fine
- zhaq-SY · Жақсы
- Good morning
- qa-yyr-LY TAÑ · Қайырлы таң
- Goodbye
- sau bo-ly-ÑYZ · Сау болыңыз
- Safe travels
- aq ZHOL · Ақ жол
Literally "a white road". Said to the person leaving, not arriving.
The Cyrillic is there so you can hold the phone up rather than say it, which is the better move when the word will not come out. It is also how the language is actually written here: Kazakhstan is moving to a Latin alphabet, but the shop signs and the menus have not moved yet.
For everything you cannot say, Yandex Translate and the rest of the practical business is on the planning page.
Last updated .