Alphabet: the 9 Kazakh letters

The nine letters that exist only in Kazakh — tap each card to hear exactly how it is spoken. These sounds are what make Kazakh sound like Kazakh, so learn them first. Each card's note gives a common word to hear the letter in the wild.

Practice this lesson

⎔Memory matchPair Kazakh ↔ English ◇Multiple choice4 options, pick one ⌨Type the answerType Kazakh from English ♪Audio-only quizAudio only — no Kazakh text shown ⧉Sentence builderRebuild sentences from word tiles

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Words (9)

Tap a card to hear pronunciation

ә

open 'a', like the a in 'cat'

example: әке — father
ғ

deep voiced 'gh' from the back of the throat

example: аға — older brother
қ

deep throaty 'k', made further back than к

example: қала — city
ң

'ng' as in 'song'

example: таң — dawn
ө

rounded front vowel, like German ö

example: өзен — river
ұ

short back 'u', like the u in 'put'

example: ұл — son / boy
ү

front rounded 'u', like German ü

example: үй — house
һ

light 'h' — rare, mostly loanwords

example: гауһар — diamond
і

very short front 'i', a clipped 'bit'

example: тіл — language / tongue

Sentences (3)

Әже үйде.

Grandma is at home.
Қала әдемі.

The city is beautiful.
Гүл өседі.

The flower grows.