Kyrgyz phrasebook

Kyrgyz is a language spoken by 4 million people primarily in Kyrgyzstan and, to a lesser extent, in adjacent regions such as Kazakhstan, Xinjiang (China), Uzbekistan, & Tajikistan. In Kyrgyzstan, the language is co-official with Russian, which is the predominate language used in urban areas (especially Bishkek) while Kyrgyz is predominate in rural areas and small cities/towns. It is a Turkic language and has many similarities with languages such as Turkish, Tartar, Kazakh, Azeri, & Uzbek. As a result of close ties culturally and economically, Kyrgyz has become increasingly mutually intelligible with Kazakh in recent decades. Script The alphabet used for Kyrgyz was originally an Arabic script followed by a 20th century conversion to Roman script, much like the Arabic-Roman switch in other Turkic languages. However, cyrillic script was forced on the language by the Soviet government (as they did with all other Turkic languages) and cyrillic remains the alphabet used today by the overwhelming percentage of Kyrgyz speakers except in China, where Arabic script is the official script imposed by Chinese authorities. Cyrillic Arabic (initial) Latin А а ا A a Б б ب B b В в ۋ V v Г г گ G g Д д د D d Е е ه Ye ye Ё ё يو Yo yo Ж ж ج J j З з ز Z z И и ي İ i Й й ي Y y К к ك K k Л л ل L l М м م M m Н н ن N n Ң ң ڭ Ñ ñ О о و O o Ө ө ۅ Ö ö П п پ P p Р р ر R r С с س S s Т т ت T t У у ۇ U u Ү ү ۉ Ü ü Ф ф ف F f Х х ح X x Ц ц تس C c Ч ч چ Ç ç Ш ш ش Ş ş Щ щ -- Şç şç Ъ ъ -- Ы ы ى I ı Ь ь -- Э э ه E e Ю ю يۋ Yu yu Я я يا Ya ya Pronunciation guide Vowels a ah like father, hunt, sun o oh like score, long y oo like cartoon, spoon, moon but do not pronounce it long. и ee like big, lip, hip ы yh like sit, hit, but pronounced far further down the throat, as if being punched in the stomach э eh like end (also pronounced further down the throat, as if being punched in the stomach) e yeh like yes, yet, yesterday. Consonants Common diphthongs Phrase list Basics Common signs OPEN  CLOSED  ENTRANCE  EXIT  PUSH  PULL  TOILET  MEN  WOMEN  FORBIDDEN  Hello.  Salamatsyzby. ( ) Hello. (informal)  Salam. ( ) How are you?  Kandaisiz? ( ?) Fine, thank you.  Jakshuh, rakhmat. ( ) What is your name?  Atyngyz kim? ( ?) My name is ______ .  Menim atem______. ( _____.) Nice to meet you.  Siz menen tanyshkanyma kubanychtumun. ( ) Please.  Suranych/Otunuch. ( ) Thank you.  Rakhmat. ( ) You're welcome.  Echteke emes. ( ) Yes.  Ooba. ( ) No.  Jok. ( ) Excuse me. (getting attention)  Ozor dilerem. ( ) Excuse me. (begging pardon)  Kecheraysis. ( ) I'm sorry.  Korushkoncho. ( ) Goodbye  Jakshuh Kalgula. ( ) Help!  Jardam Bergulay! ( !) Good morning.  Kutmanduu tangyngyz menen. ( ) Good evening.  Kutmanduu kechingiz menen. ( ) I don't understand.  Men tushunbaym. ( ) Where is the toilet?  Tualet kaida? ( ?) Problems Numbers one  бир (bir) two  Eki three  ooch four  turt five  Besh six  Altuh seven  жети (..jeti.) eight  сегиз (segiz) nine  toguz ten  On jirma Ortuz Kirk Eluu Altumush jetimush Seksen tokson Júz Meen Time Clock time Duration Days Months Writing time and date Colors Transportation Bus and train Directions Taxi Lodging Money Eating Bars Shopping Driving Authority Learning more A 325 page PDF document covering the Kyrgyz language, originally created for US Peace Corps volunteers in Kyrgyzstan, is available to view and download here. This phrasebook is an outline and needs more content. It has an introduction and a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!