Hello everyone, this is Sugiura, the editor-in-chief of Ashu Travel, a travel agency specializing in Central Asia.
Kyrgyzstan is a country with magnificent natural scenery and a nomadic culture. And the real joy of traveling is interacting with the local people. Even if you don’t understand the language, you can get by with gestures and body language, but if you learn a few greetings and phrases, you can really get to know the locals.
In this article, we will introduce useful phrases in Kyrgyz and Russian that will come in handy when traveling. Please try using them on your trip to Kyrgyz.
We have written the closest possible katakana reading, but it is still different from the actual pronunciation, so we recommend practicing with an internet translation site or AI while listening to the audio.
Kyrgyz people are bilingual
In Kyrgyzstan, the national language is Kyrgyz and the official language is Russian, due to the country’s historical background. This means that people use both languages in their daily lives. This is strange for Japanese people, who can live using only Japanese. However, recently, it seems that some people only use Russian and don’t use Kyrgyz.
Common points between Kyrgyz and Russian
First of all, both languages use the Cyrillic alphabet. Also, there are many words that are common to both Kyrgyz and Russian. For example, “помидор (tomato)” is a word that is pronounced slightly differently in the two languages, but is common to both. When you listen to Kyrgyz people talking, you can sometimes hear a natural mix of Kyrgyz and Russian, like a linguistic cocktail! It’s interesting to experience a different way of speaking from Japan.
Differences between Kyrgyz and Russian
The first difference is the number of letters in the Cyrillic alphabet. Russian has 33 letters, but Kyrgyz has 36 letters, including the original characters “Ү”, “Ң” and “Ө”.
The second is word order. Kyrgyz belongs to the Turkic languages, so the word order is the same as Japanese: subject + object + verb. That’s why it’s said to be an easy language for Japanese people to learn. On the other hand, Russian is a Slavic language with a complex grammar. Nouns are classified as masculine, feminine or neuter, and the endings change depending on the case (six cases in total, including nominative, genitive and dative). Your brain may be in turmoil at first…
Basic greetings in Kyrgyz and Russian
In Kyrgyzstan, it is useful to be able to use both the Kyrgyz language and Russian. First, check out some simple and easy-to-use greetings!
Hello
Kyrgyz: Salamat sizby (Саламатсызбы)
Russian: Zdravstvuyte (Здравствуйте)
Thank you
Kyrgyz: Rahmat（Рахмат）
Russian: Spasiba（Спасибо）
Good-bye
Kyrgyz: Kosh bolunguz（Кош болуңуз）
Russian: Dasvidaniya (До свидания)
My name is ~
Kyrgyz: Menim Atym… (Менин атым…)
Russian: Menya Zavut… (Меня зовут…)
What’s your name?
Kyrgyz: Atynyz Kim?（Атыңыз ким?）
Russian: Kak vas zovut?（Как вас зовут?）
I’m from Japan.
Kyrgyz: Men Yaponiyadan keldim (Мен Япониядан келдим)
Russian: Ya priiehal iz Yaponii (Я приехал из Японии)
Useful phrases in Kyrgyz and Russian for traveling
When you travel, there are many situations where you might get lost or have to haggle over the price of something. Let’s have fun on your travels by learning some useful phrases in Kyrgyz and Russian.
Where is the bathroom?
Kyrgyz: Toilet kaida?（Туалет кайда?）
Russian: Where is the toilet?（Где туалет?）
How much is this?
Kyrgyz: Bul kanchaadan?（Бул канчаадан?）
Russian: Skolko stoit?（Сколько стоит?）
Can’t you make it a little cheaper?
Kyrgyz: Azan raak beriniz?（Арзанраак бериңиз?）
Russian: Suderayche skidok?（Сделайте скидку?）
Please give me this.
Kyrgyz: Bur Beriniz（Бул бериңиз.）
Russian: Deutsch（Дайте это.）
Let’s enjoy cultural exchange through greetings!
The first step in interacting with people when you travel abroad is to exchange simple greetings. If you learn just a few phrases like “hello” and “thank you”, you’ll be able to start conversations in shops and at hotels. If you get in touch with different cultures and tell people about your own country, your trip to Kyrgyzstan will become even more special. By all means, please use the phrases you’ve learned and try interacting with the local people!
Recommended Tour
The “Lake Issyk-Kul Horse Riding Tour” from Ashu Travel is a tour that allows you to enjoy the nature and culture of Kyrgyz in a well-balanced way. Try using the greeting you’ve learned, “Salamat Suzub” (hello), to interact with the locals. A Japanese-speaking guide will accompany you, so even if you’re worried about having difficult conversations in shops and restaurants, you can relax. At your accommodation, you’ll also have the chance to enjoy conversations with the staff.
Full of charm of Central Asia! Official Instagram here
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