View source for Kazakh language

{{Short description|Kipchak Turkic language}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox language
| name             = Kazakh
| nativename       = {{lang|kk|қазақша}}, {{lang|kk|қазақ тілі}}<br/>{{lang|kk-Latn|qazaqşa}}, {{lang|kk-Latn|qazaq tılı}}<br/>{{lang|kk-Arab|قازاقشا}}, {{lang|kk-Arab|قازاق ٴتىلى}}<br/>{{lang|kk-Arab|قزاقچه}}, {{lang|kk-Arab|قزاق تلى}}
| image            = Kazakh language.png
| imagecaption     = Kazakh in [[Cyrillic]], [[Latin alphabet|Latin]], and [[Perso-Arabic]] scripts
| pronunciation    = {{IPA|kk|qʰɑzɑqˈʃɑ|}}<br/>{{IPA|kk|qʰɑˈzɑq tʰɘˈlɘ|}}
| states           = [[Kazakhstan]], [[China]], [[Mongolia]], [[Russia]], [[Kyrgyzstan]], [[Uzbekistan]]
| region           = Central Asia<br/>([[Turkestan]])
| speakers         = {{sigfig|16.444380|2}} million
| date             = 2021 census
| ethnicity        = [[Kazakhs]]
| ref              = e27
| familycolor      = Altaic
| fam1             = [[Turkic languages|Turkic]]
| fam2             = [[Common Turkic languages|Common Turkic]]
| fam3             = [[Kipchak languages|Kipchak]]
| fam4             = [[Kipchak languages|Kipchak–Nogai]]
| script           = [[Kazakh alphabets]] ([[Cyrillic script]], [[Latin script]], [[Arabic script]], [[Kazakh Braille]])
| nation           = [[Kazakhstan]]<br/>[[Russia]]
*[[Altai Republic]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://base.garant.ru/32100423/1b93c134b90c6071b4dc3f495464b753/|title=Статья 4. Правовое положение языков &#124; ГАРАНТ}}</ref>
[[China]]
*[[Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture]]
*[[Barköl Kazakh Autonomous County]]
*[[Mori Kazakh Autonomous County]]
*[[Aksay Kazakh Autonomous County]]
<br/>{{Collapsible list|titlestyle=font-weight:normal;background:transparent;text-align:left;|title=Organisations:|[[Organization of Turkic States]]<br/>[[Collective Security Treaty Organization]]
}}
| agency           = [[Ministry of Culture and Sports (Kazakhstan)|Ministry of Culture and Sports]]<br> [[Ministry of Education and Science (Kazakhstan)|Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan]]
| iso1             = kk
| iso2             = kaz
| iso3             = kaz
| lingua           = 44-AAB-cc
| map              = Idioma kazajo.png
| mapcaption       = The Kazakh-speaking world: {{Legend|#0080FF|regions where Kazakh is the language of the majority}} {{Legend|#88C4FF|regions where Kazakh is the language of a significant minority}}
| notice           = IPA
| glotto           = kaza1248
| glottorefname    = Kazakh
}}
[[File:WIKITONGUES- Yernur speaking Kazakh.webm|thumb|A Kazakh speaker, recorded in [[Taiwan]]]]
[[File:WIKITONGUES- Mereinur speaking Kazakh.webm|thumb|A Kazakh speaker, recorded in [[Kazakhstan]]]]

'''Kazakh'''{{Efn|{{bulleted list|[[Cyrillic script]]: {{lang|kk|қазақша}} or {{lang|kk|қазақ тілі}}|[[Latin script]]: {{lang|kk-Latn|qazaqşa}} or {{lang|kk-Latn|qazaq tılı}}|[[Arabic script]]: {{lang|kk-Arab|قازاقشا}} or {{lang|kk-Arab|قازاق ٴتىلى}}|{{IPA|kk|qʰɑzɑ́qʃɑ|pron}} or {{IPA|kk|qʰɑzɑ́q tʰɘlɘ́|}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kaz-tili.kz/su_fonetika.htm|title=Произношение букв – kazaktili.kz|publisher=kazaktili.kz|access-date=12 December 2022|language=ru}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://omniglot.com/writing/kazakh.htm|title=Kazakh (Қазақ тілі / Qazaq tili / قازاق ٴتىلى) – Omniglot|access-date=12 December 2022|language=en}}</ref>}}}} is a [[Turkic languages|Turkic language]] of the [[Kipchak languages|Kipchak]] branch spoken in [[Central Asia]] by the [[Kazakhs]]. It is closely related to [[Nogai language|Nogai]], [[Kyrgyz language|Kyrgyz]] and [[Karakalpak language|Karakalpak]]. It is the official language of [[Kazakhstan]], and has official status in the [[Altai Republic]] of [[Russia]]. It is also a minority language in the [[Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture]] in [[Xinjiang]], [[China]], and in the [[Bayan-Ölgii Province]] of western [[Mongolia]]. The language is also spoken by many ethnic Kazakhs throughout the former [[Soviet Union]] (some 472,000 in Russia according to the [[2010 Russian census]]), [[Germany]], and [[Turkey]].

Like other Turkic languages, Kazakh is an [[agglutinative language]] and employs [[vowel harmony]]. Kazakh builds words by adding suffixes one after another to the word stem, with each suffix expressing only one unique meaning and following a fixed sequence. ''[[Ethnologue]]'' recognizes three mutually intelligible dialect groups: Northeastern Kazakh—the most widely spoken variety, which also serves as the basis for the official language—Southern Kazakh, and Western Kazakh. The language shares a degree of mutual intelligibility with the closely related Karakalpak language while its Western dialects maintain limited mutual intelligibility with the [[Altai languages]].

In October 2017, Kazakh president [[Nursultan Nazarbayev]] decreed that the writing system would change from using [[Cyrillic script|Cyrillic]] to [[Latin script]] by 2025. The proposed Latin alphabet has been revised several times and as of January 2021 is close to the inventory of the [[Turkish alphabet]], though lacking the letters C and Ç and having four additional letters: Ä, Ñ, Q and Ū (though other letters such as Y have different values in the two languages). It is scheduled to be phased in from 2023 to 2031.<ref>{{Cite web |date=27 October 2017 |title=Kazakhstan to change from Cyrillic to Latin alphabet |url=https://emerging-europe.com/news/kazakhstans-alphabet-switch-reflects-wider-societal-changes/ |access-date=2020-09-16 |website=Deutsche Welle |language=en-GB}}</ref> Over one million Kazakh speakers in [[Xinjiang]] use a modified version of the [[Persian alphabet|Perso-Arabic script]] for writing.

==Geographic distribution==
Speakers of Kazakh are spread over a vast territory from the [[Tian Shan]] to the western shore of the [[Caspian Sea]]. Kazakh is the official state language of Kazakhstan, with nearly 10 million speakers (based on information from the [[CIA World Factbook]]<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/kazakhstan/|title = Central Asia: Kazakhstan|date = 26 October 2017|access-date = 31 October 2017|work = [[The World Factbook|The 2017 World Factbook]]|publisher = [[Central Intelligence Agency]]}}</ref> on population and proportion of Kazakh speakers).<ref>{{Cite web |title=TITUS Didactica: Language Map: Turkic languages: Map frame |url=https://titus.fkidg1.uni-frankfurt.de/didact/karten/turk/turklm.htm |access-date=2023-08-03 |website=titus.fkidg1.uni-frankfurt.de}}</ref>

In China, nearly two million ethnic Kazakhs and Kazakh speakers reside in the [[Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture]] of Xinjiang.

==History==
The [[Kipchak languages|Kipchak]] branch of Turkic languages, which Kazakh is borne out of, was mainly solidified during the reign of the [[Golden Horde]]. The modern Kazakh language is said to have originated in approximately 1465 AD during the formation of the [[Kazakh Khanate]]. Modern Kazakh is likely a descendant of both [[Chagatay Turkic]] as spoken by the [[Timurids]] and [[Kipchak languages|Kipchak Turkic]] as spoken in the Golden Horde.

Kazakh uses a high volume of loanwords from [[Persian language|Persian]] and [[Arabic language|Arabic]] due to the frequent historical interactions between Kazakhs and [[Iranian peoples|Iranian ethnic groups]] to the south. Additionally, Persian was a ''lingua franca'' in the [[Kazakh Khanate]], which allowed Kazakhs to mix Persian words into their own spoken and written vernacular. Meanwhile, Arabic was used by Kazakhs in [[mosque]]s and [[mausoleum]]s, serving as a language exclusively for religious contexts, similar to how Latin served as a liturgical language in the Western European cultural sphere.

The Kazakhs used the [[Arabic script]] to write their language until approximately 1929. In the early 1900s, Kazakh activist [[Akhmet Baitursynov|Akhmet Baitursynuly]] reformed the Kazakh-Arabic alphabet, but his work was largely overshadowed by the Soviet presence in Central Asia. At that point, the new Soviet regime forced the Kazakhs to use a Latin script, and then a Cyrillic script in the 1940s. Today, Kazakhs use the Cyrillic and Latin scripts to write their language, although a presidential decree from 2017 ordered the [[Kazakh alphabets|transition from Cyrillic to Latin]] by 2031.

Although not an endangered language, in 2024, Kazakh has been described as being placed in a somewhat vulnerable position by the Kazakhstani [[Minister of Science and Higher Education]] [[Sayasat Nurbek]], within a category where the number of speakers is not increasing as rapidly as anticipated.<ref>{{cite web |last= Najafzada|first= Leyla|date=25 October 2024 |language=en-GB|work=Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Oxford|title= Introducing Kazakh to Oxford: An Interview with Minister Sayasat Nurbek|url= https://www.ames.ox.ac.uk/article/interview-kazakh-minister-higher-education-and-science}}</ref>

== Phonology and orthography ==
Kazakh exhibits [[retracted tongue root|tongue-root]] [[vowel harmony]], with some words of recent foreign origin (e.g., Russian, Persian, Arabic) as exceptions. There is also a system of rounding harmony which resembles that of Kyrgyz, but which does not apply as strongly and is not reflected in the orthography. This system only applies to the open vowels {{IPA|/e/, /ɪ/, /ʏ/}} and not {{IPA|/ɑ/}}, and happens in the next syllables.<ref name="kaz-tili">{{Cite web |title=Произношение букв {{!}} kaz-tili.kz |url=https://kaz-tili.kz/su_fonetika.htm |access-date=2023-08-03 |website=kaz-tili.kz}}</ref> Thus, (in the Latin script) {{lang|kk-latn|jūldyz}} 'star', {{lang|kk-latn|bügın}} 'today', and {{lang|kk-latn|ülken}} 'big' are actually pronounced as {{Lang|kk-latn|jūldūz}}, {{Lang|kk-latn|bügün}}, and {{Lang|kk-latn|ülkön}}, respectively.

===Consonants===
The following chart depicts the consonant inventory of standard Kazakh;{{efn|Some variations occur in different regions where Kazakh is spoken, including outside Kazakhstan; e.g., j/ж/ج is read {{IPA|[ʒ]}} in the Kazakhstani standard, but may be pronounced {{IPA|[d͡ʒ]}} in China ([[Xinjiang]]), Iran ([[Golestan]]), and in southern Kazakhstan ([[Turkistan Region|Turkistan]]).}} many of the sounds, however, are allophones of other sounds or appear only in recent loanwords. The 18 consonant phonemes listed by Vajda are without parentheses—since these are phonemes, their listed place and manner of articulation are very general, and will vary from what is shown. ({{IPA|/t͡s/}} rarely appears in normal speech.) Kazakh has 19 native consonant phonemes; these are the stops {{IPA|/p, b, t, d, k, ɡ, q/}}, fricatives {{IPA|/s, z, ʃ, ʒ, ʁ/}}, nasals {{IPA|/m, n, ŋ/}}, liquids {{IPA|/r, l/}}, and two glides {{IPA|/w, j/}}.<ref name="Ozcelik">{{cite thesis |last=Öner |first=Özçelik |title=Kazakh phonology |publisher=Cambridge University |url=https://oozcelik.pages.iu.edu/papers/Kazakh%20phonology.pdf}}</ref> The sounds {{IPA|/f, v, χ, h, t͡s, t͡ɕ/}} are found only in loanwords. {{IPA|/ʒ/}} is heard as an alveolo-palatal affricate {{IPA|[d͡ʒ]}} in the Kazakh dialects of Uzbekistan and China. The sounds {{IPA|[q]}} and {{IPA|[ʁ]}} may be analyzed as allophones of {{IPA|/k/}} and {{IPA|/ɡ/}} in words with back vowels, but exceptions occur in loanwords.{{efn|This is indicated in the orthographies of Kazakh, as each pair is represented with different graphemes: q/ق/қ, ğ/ع/ғ for {{IPA|[q, ʁ]}}; k/ك/к, g/گ/г for {{IPA|[k, g]}}.}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ caption |Kazakh consonant phonemes<ref name="Vajda">{{citation
|last=Vajda
|first=Edward
|editor-last1=Kaplan
|editor-first1=E.
|editor-last2=Whisenhunt
|editor-first2=D.
|year=1994
|chapter=Kazakh phonology
|title=Essays presented in honor of Henry Schwarz
|place=Washington
|publisher=Western Washington
|pages=603–650
}}</ref>
|-
! colspan="2" |
! [[Labial consonant|Labials]]
! [[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! [[Alveolo-palatal consonant|(Alveolo-)<br />palatal]]
! [[Velar consonant|Velar]]
![[Uvular consonant|Uvular]]
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Nasal stop|Nasal]]
| {{IPA link|m}} {{angbr|м/m}}
| {{IPA link|n}} {{angbr|н/n}}
|
| colspan="2" | {{IPA link|ŋ}} {{angbr|ң/ñ}}
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[Stop consonant|Stop]]
! {{small|voiceless}}
| {{IPA link|p}} {{angbr|п/p}}
| {{IPA link|t}} {{angbr|т/t}}
|
| {{IPA link|k}} {{angbr|к/k}}
|{{IPA link|q}} {{angbr|қ/q}}
|-
! {{small|voiced}}
| {{IPA link|b}} {{angbr|б/b}}
| {{IPA link|d}} {{angbr|д/d}}
|
| {{IPA link|ɡ}} {{angbr|г/g}}
|
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[Fricative]]
! {{small|voiceless}}
|
| {{IPA link|s}} {{angbr|с/s}}
| {{IPA link|ɕ}} {{angbr|ш/ş}}
|
|({{IPA link|χ}}) {{angbr|х/h}}
|-
! {{small|voiced}}
|
| {{IPA link|z}} {{angbr|з/z}}
| {{IPA link|ʑ}} {{angbr|ж/j}}
|
|({{IPA link|ʁ}}) {{angbr|ғ/ğ}}
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Approximant]]
|
| {{IPA link|l}} {{angbr|л/l}}
| {{IPA link|j}} {{angbr|й/i}}
| {{IPA link|w}} {{angbr|у/u}}
|
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Trill consonant|Trill]]/[[Tap consonant|Tap]]
|
| {{IPA link|r}} {{angbr|р/r}}
|
|
|
|}

* Voiced obstruents syllable-finally become [[Final-obstruent devoicing|devoiced]],<ref name="kaz-tili" /> as normally indicated in the orthography.
* /{{IPA link|ŋ}}/ can never occur in word initial position.
* {{IPA|/j, z, r, l, ʁ/}} occur word-initially only in loanwords.
* /{{IPA link|l}}/ is velarized [{{IPA link|ɫ}}] in words with back vowels.
* Voiceless stops {{IPA|/p, t, k, q/}} are aspirated {{IPA|[pʰ, tʰ, kʰ, qʰ]}}, and the [[voice onset time]] is highest in word-initial position. If followed by another obstruent, they may be unreleased {{IPA|[p̚, t̚, k̚, q̚]}}.
* /{{IPA link|r}}/ is often heard as a tap [{{IPA link|ɾ}}] in rural speech, as well as in dialects spoken in China.

===Vowels===
Kazakh has a system of 12 phonemic vowels, 3 of which are diphthongs. The rounding contrast and {{IPA|/æ/}} generally only occur as phonemes in the first syllable of a word, but do occur later allophonically; see the section on harmony below for more information. Moreover, the {{IPA|/æ/}} sound has been included artificially due to the influence of Arabic, Persian and, later, Tatar languages during the Islamic period.<ref name="slaviccenters">{{Cite book|url=https://slaviccenters.duke.edu/sites/slaviccenters.duke.edu/files/file-attachments/kazakh-grammar.pdf|title=A Grammar of Kazakh|last1=Wagner|first1=John Doyle|last2=Dotton|first2=Zura |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326024834/https://slaviccenters.duke.edu/sites/slaviccenters.duke.edu/files/file-attachments/kazakh-grammar.pdf |archive-date=Mar 26, 2023}}</ref> It can be found in some native words, however.

According to Vajda, the front/back quality of vowels is actually one of neutral versus [[retracted tongue root]].<ref name="Vajda"/>

Phonetic values are paired with the corresponding character in Kazakh's Cyrillic and Latin alphabets.

{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center
|+Kazakh vowel phonemes
!
![[Front vowel|Front]]<br />([[Advanced and retracted tongue root|Advanced tongue root]])
![[Central vowel|Central]]<br />(Relaxed tongue root)
![[Back vowel|Back]]<br />(Retracted tongue root)
|-
! [[Close vowel|Close]]
| {{IPAlink|ɪ̞|ɪ}} {{angle bracket|і/ı}}
| {{IPAlink|ʉ}} {{angle bracket|ү/ü}}
| {{IPAlink|o̙|ʊ}} {{angle bracket|ұ/ū}}
|-
! [[Diphthong]]
| {{IPA|je}} {{angle bracket|е/e}}
| {{IPA|əj}} {{angle bracket|и/i}}
| {{IPA|ʊw}} {{angle bracket|у/u}}
|-
! [[Mid vowel|Mid]]
| {{IPAlink|e}} {{angle bracket|э/e}} 
| {{IPAlink|ə}} {{angle bracket|ы/y}}
| {{IPAlink|o̞|o}} {{angle bracket|о/o}}
|-
! [[Open vowel|Open]]
| {{IPAlink|æ̝|æ}} {{angle bracket|ә/ä}}
| {{IPAlink|ɵ}} {{angle bracket|ө/ö}}
| {{IPAlink|ɑ̝|ɑ}} {{angle bracket|а/a}}
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+Kazakh vowels by their pronunciation
! rowspan="2" |
! colspan="2" |[[Front vowel|Front]] and [[Central vowel|central]]
! colspan="2" |[[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
!{{small|[[Unrounded vowel|unrounded]]}}
!{{small|[[Rounded vowel|rounded]]}}
!{{small|unrounded}}
!{{small|rounded}}
|-
![[Close vowel|Close]]
|{{IPAlink|ɪ̞|ɪ}} {{angle bracket|і/ı}}
|{{IPAlink|ʏ̞|ʉ}} {{angle bracket|ү/ü}}
|{{IPAlink|ə}} {{angle bracket|ы/y}}
|{{IPAlink|o̙|ʊ}} {{angle bracket|ұ/ū}}
|-
![[Open vowel|Open]]
|{{IPA|je̘}} {{angle bracket|е/e}} / {{IPAlink|æ}} {{angle bracket|ә/ä}}
|{{IPAlink|ɵ}} {{angle bracket|ө/ö}}
|{{IPAlink|ɑ̝|ɑ}} {{angle bracket|а/a}}
|{{IPAlink|o̞|o}} {{angle bracket|о/o}}
|}
* There is significant debate over the Kazakh vowel phoneme chart, but all analysis agrees on an eight-vowel system with {{IPA|[æ]}} being artificially added due to influence from Arabic and Persian.
* The vowel {{IPA|/e/|lang=kk}} is often pronounced {{IPA|[je̞]|lang=kk}} at the beginning of the word, with exceptional root e-. Urban Kazakh speakers have a greater tendency to palatalize all {{IPA|/e/|lang=kk}}, caused by Russian influence.<ref name="Muhamedowa">{{Cite book |last=Muhamedowa |first=Raihan |title=Kazakh: A Comprehensive Grammar |date=2016-09-24 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-138-82863-6 |edition=1st |location=London New York |language=English}}</ref>

=== Vowel harmony ===
Kazakh exhibits [[Retracted tongue root|tongue-root]] [[vowel harmony]] (also called soft-hard harmony), and arguably weakened rounding harmony which is implied in the first syllable of the word. All vowels after the first rounded syllable are the subject to this harmony with the exception of {{IPA|/ɑ/}}, and in the following syllables, e.g., {{Lang|kk|өмір}} {{IPA|[wɵˈmʉr]|lang=kk}}, {{Lang|kk|қосы}} {{IPA|[qʰoˈsʊ]|lang=kk}}. Notably, urban Kazakh speakers tend to violate rounding harmony, as well as pronouncing Russian borrowings against the rules.<ref name="Muhamedowa"/>

=== Syllable structure ===
Kazakh's syllable structure is (C)V(C)(C). Syllables containing consonant clusters CC typically are combination of sonorant ({{IPA|/r, l, n, j/}}) and a stop (mainly {{IPA|/t/}}). Other types of syllables are also permitted due to recent loanwords, mainly from Russian.

=== Stress ===
Most words in Kazakh are stressed in the last syllable, except:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kaz-tili.kz/gl05.htm|title=Ударение|website=Казахский ясык|access-date=24 January 2022}}</ref><ref>Kaidarov (1997). ''Kazakh language''. // Languages of the World: Turkic languages. pp. 242–254. ISBN 5-85759-061-2.</ref><ref>Kenesbaev & Karasheva (1966). ''Kazakh language''. // Languages of the Peoples of the USSR: Turkic languages. pp. 320–339.</ref>
* When counting objects, numbers are stressed in the first syllable, but stressed in the last syllable in collective numbers suffixed by {{lang|kk-latn|-eu}} ({{lang|kk-latn|bıreu}}, {{lang|kk-latn|altau}} from {{lang|kk-latn|bır}}, {{lang|kk-latn|alty}}):
:{{lang|kk-latn|bır}}, {{lang|kk-latn|'''e'''kı}}, {{lang|kk-latn|üş}}, {{lang|kk-latn|tört}}, {{lang|kk-latn|bes}}, {{lang|kk-latn|'''a'''lty}}, {{lang|kk-latn|jetı}}, ...
:{{gloss|one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, ...}}
* Definite and negative pronouns are stressed in the first syllable:
:{{lang|kk-latn|bärıne}} {{lang|kk-latn|'''eş'''kımge}}
:{{gloss|to everyone, to no one}}
*Individual onomatopoeic words and interjections are stressed on the first syllable
*Certain suffixes do not take stress, including:
**the [[predicate]] suffixes ''-mın''/''-myn'', ''-sıñ''/''-syñ'', ''-mız''/''-myz'' (e.g., ''baqyttymyz'' {{IPA|[bɑχə̆tˈtʰəməz]}} 'we are happy', ''balasyñ'' {{IPA|[bɑˈɫɑsəŋ]}} 'you're a child')
**the suffixes ''-dei''/''-dai'', ''-tei''/''-tai'' (e.g., ''börıdei'' {{IPA|[bɵˈrʉdʲej]}} 'like a wolf')
**the [[Optative mood|optative]] suffix ''-iın''/''-iyn'' (e.g., ''jazaiyn'' {{IPA|[ʒɑˈzɑjən]}} 'let's write')
**the negative suffixes ''-me''/''-ma'', ''-be''/''-ba'', ''-pe''/''-pa'' (e.g., ''jylama'' {{IPA|[ʒəˈɫɑmɑ]}} 'don't cry', ''qoryqpa'' {{IPA|[qʰoˈrʊqpʰɑ]}} 'fear not')
**particles and postpositions ''-şı''/''-şy'' (e.g., ''qaraşy!'' {{IPA|[qʰɑˈrɑʃə]}} 'look!'), ''ğoi'', etc.

=== Orthography ===
{{Main|Kazakh alphabets}}
Nowadays, Kazakh is mostly written in the Cyrillic script, with an Arabic-based alphabet being used by minorities in China. Since 26 October 2017, via Presidential Decree 569, Kazakhstan will adopt the Latin script by 2025.<ref name="Decree569">{{cite web |script-title=ru:О переводе алфавита казахского языка с кириллицы на латинскую графику|trans-title = On the change of the alphabet of the Kazakh language from the Cyrillic to the Latin script|language = RU|publisher = [[President of the Republic of Kazakhstan]]|url = http://www.akorda.kz/ru/legal_acts/decrees/o-perevode-alfavita-kazahskogo-yazyka-s-kirillicy-na-latinskuyu-grafiku|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171027180526/http://www.akorda.kz/ru/legal_acts/decrees/o-perevode-alfavita-kazahskogo-yazyka-s-kirillicy-na-latinskuyu-grafiku|date = 26 October 2017|access-date = 26 October 2017|archive-date = 27 October 2017|url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url = https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41800186|title = Kazakhstan to Qazaqstan: Why would a country switch its alphabet?|date = 31 October 2017|work = [[BBC News]]|access-date = 31 October 2017|first1 = Andreas|last1 = Illmer|first2 = Elbek|last2 = Daniyarov|first3 = Azim|last3 = Rakhimov|url-status = live|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171031100824/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41800186|archive-date = 31 October 2017}}</ref>

Since the Cyrillic alphabet was originally designed for Slavic languages, it had to be modified to better fit the sounds of Turkic languages like Kazakh. Several new letters were added and some existing ones modified: ә, ғ, қ, ң, ө, ұ, ү, һ, і.

The Cyrillic letter у after a consonant represents a combination of sounds {{IPA|/ɘ/|lang=kk}}, {{IPA|/ʉ/|lang=kk}}, ы {{IPA|/ə/|lang=kk}}, {{IPA|/ʊ/|lang=kk}} with glide {{IPA|/w/|lang=kk}},<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Произношение букв {{!}} kaz-tili.kz |url=https://kaz-tili.kz/su_fonetika.htm |access-date=2023-07-10 |website=kaz-tili.kz}}</ref> e.g., {{lang|kk|кіру}} {{IPA|[kʰɘˈrɘw]|lang=kk}}, {{lang|kk|су}} {{IPA|[sʊw]|lang=kk}}, {{lang|kk|көру}} {{IPA|[kʰɵˈrʉw]|lang=kk}}, {{lang|kk|атысу}} {{IPA|[ɑtʰə̆ˈsəw]|lang=kk}}. The Cyrillic letter ю undergoes the same process but with {{IPA|/j/}} at the beginning.

The letter и represents a combination of sounds {{IPA|/ɘ/|lang=kk}} (in front-vowel contexts) or {{IPA|/ə/|lang=kk}} (in back vowel contexts) with glide {{IPA|/j/|lang=kk}},<ref name=":0" /> e.g., {{lang|kk|тиіс}} {{IPA|[tʰɘˈjɘ̆s]|lang=kk}}, {{lang|kk|оқиды}} {{IPA|[woqʰəjˈdə]|lang=kk}}. In Russian loanwords, particularly in educated speech, it is often realized as {{IPA|/ʲi/|lang=kk}} (when stressed) or {{IPA|/ʲɪ/|lang=kk}} (when unstressed), e.g., {{lang|kk|изоморфизм}} {{IPA|[ɪzəmɐrˈfʲizm]|lang=kk}}.

The letter я represents either {{IPA|/jɑ/|lang=kk}} or {{IPA|/jæ/|lang=kk}} depending on vowel harmony.

The letter щ represents {{IPA|/ʃː/|lang=kk}}, e.g. {{lang|kk|ащы}} {{IPA|[ɑʃˈʃə]|lang=kk}}.

Meanwhile, the letters в, ё, ф, х, һ, ц, ч, ъ, ь, э are only used in loanwords—mostly those of Russian origin, but sometimes of Persian and Arabic origin. They are often substituted in spoken Kazakh.

The table below compares the various scripts.

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsable" style="font-feature-settings:'cv50' 1;"
! rowspan="2" |[[Help:IPA/Kazakh|IPA]]<ref>{{citation
|last=Vajda
|first=Edward
|editor-last1=Kaplan
|editor-first1=E.
|editor-last2=Whisenhunt
|editor-first2=D.
|year=1994
|chapter=Kazakh phonology
|title=Essays presented in honor of Henry Schwarz
|place=Washington
|publisher=Western Washington
|pages=603–650
}}</ref><ref>{{citation
|last=McCollum
|first=Adam
|year=2015
|chapter=Labial Harmonic Shift in Kazakh: Mapping the Pathways and Motivations for Decay
|title=Proceedings of the Forty-First Annual Meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society
|volume=41
|publisher=Berkeley Linguistics Society 
|place=Berkeley 
|pages=329–351
}}</ref>
! rowspan="2" |Cyrillic
! colspan="3" |Latin
! colspan="2" |Arabic
! rowspan="2" |[[Kazakh Braille|Braille]]
|-
!<small>2021</small><ref name="tengrinews_435370">{{Cite news|date=22 April 2021|script-title=ru:Новый казахский алфавит на латинице: представлен проект указа Президента|trans-title=New Kazakh Latin alphabet: draft of presidential decree presented|url= https://tengrinews.kz/kazakhstan_news/novyiy-kazahskiy-alfavit-latinitse-predstavlen-proekt-ukaza-435370/|work=Tengrinews.kz|access-date=22 July 2025}}</ref>
!<small>2018</small><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.qazlatyn.kz/alphabet|title = Qazaq álipbıi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.qazlatyn.kz/converter/text|title = Mátindik konverter}}</ref> !!<small>2017</small>!! Letter !! Name 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|ɑ|}}
|А а 
| colspan="3" |A a|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ا}} || Alif ||{{braille cell|a}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|æ|}}
|Ә ә ||Ä ä|| Á á || A' a' || {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ٵ}} ||Hamza + Alif||{{braille cell|345}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|b|}}
|Б б || colspan="3" |B b|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ب}} || Ba ||{{braille cell|b}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|v|}}
|В в || colspan="3" |V v|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ۆ}} || Waw with [[háček]]||{{braille cell|w}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|g|}}
|Г г || colspan="3" |G g|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|گ}} || Gaf ||{{braille cell|g}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|ʁ|}}
|Ғ ғ ||Ğ ğ||| Ǵ ǵ || G' g' || {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|غ}} || Ghain ||{{braille cell|12456}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|d|}}
|Д д || colspan="3" |D d|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|د}} || Dal ||{{braille cell|d}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|e|}}
|Е е 
| colspan="3" |E e|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ە}} || Ha ||{{braille cell|e}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|jo|}}
|Ё ё ||İo io|| Io ıo || {{n/a}} || ({{Script/Arabic|size=130%|يو}})||Ya + Waw||{{braille cell|16}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|ʒ~d͡ʒ|}}
|Ж ж || colspan="3" |J j|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ج}} || Jeem ||{{braille cell|j}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|z|}}
|З з || colspan="3" |Z z|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ز}} || Za ||{{braille cell|z}} 
|-
|{{IPA|kk|ɯj, ɪj|}}
|И и || rowspan="2" |İ i|| rowspan="2" | I ı || rowspan="2" | I' i' || rowspan="2" | {{Script/Arabic|size=130%| ي}} || rowspan="2" | Ya ||{{braille cell|i}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|j|}}
|Й й ||{{braille cell|y}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|k|}}
|К к || colspan="3" |K k || {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ك}} || Kaf ||{{braille cell|k}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|q~χ|}}
|Қ қ || colspan="3" |Q q|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ق}} || Qaf ||{{braille cell|1456}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|l|}}
|Л л || colspan="3" |L l|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ل}} || Lam ||{{braille cell|l}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|m|}}
|М м || colspan="3" |M m|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|م}} || Meem ||{{braille cell|m}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|n|}}
|Н н || colspan="3" |N n|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ن}} || Noon ||{{braille cell|n}} 
|-
|{{IPA|kk|ŋ|}}
|Ң ң ||Ñ ñ||Ń ń || N' n' || {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ڭ}} || Kaf with three dots ||{{braille cell|146}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|o|}}
|О о 
| colspan="3" |O o|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|و}} || Waw ||{{braille cell|o}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|œ|}}
|Ө ө ||Ö ö|| Ó ó || O' o' || {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ٶ}} ||Hamza + Waw ||{{braille cell|126}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|p|}}
|П п || colspan="3" |P p|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|پ}} || Pa ||{{braille cell|p}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|r|}}
|Р р || colspan="3" |R r|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ر}} || Ra ||{{braille cell|r}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|s|}}
|С с || colspan="3" |S s|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|س}} || Seen ||{{braille cell|s}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|t|}}
|Т т || colspan="3" |T t|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ت}} || Ta ||{{braille cell|t}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|w, uw, yw, ɯw, ɪw|}}
|У у ||U u||Ý ý || Y' y' || {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ۋ}} ||Waw with 3 dots||{{braille cell|u}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|u~ʊ|}}
|Ұ ұ ||Ū ū|| colspan="2" | U u || {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ۇ}} ||Waw with ''damma''||{{braille cell|34}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|y~ʉ|}}
|Ү ү ||Ü ü||Ú ú || U' u' || {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ٷ}} ||Hamza + Waw with ''damma''||{{braille cell|346}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|f|}}
|Ф ф || colspan="3" |F f|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ف}} ||Fa ||{{braille cell|f}} 
|-
|{{IPA|kk|h|}}
|Һ һ || colspan="3" rowspan="2" |H h|| ھ  ||Ha||{{braille cell|h}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|χ|}}
|Х х || خ ||Kha||{{braille cell|h}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|ts|}}
|Ц ц ||Ts ts|| S s || {{n/a}} || ({{Script/Arabic|size=130%|تس}}) || Ta + Seen ||{{braille cell|c}} 
|-
|{{IPA|kk|tɕ|}}
|Ч ч ||Tş tş||Ch ch || C' c' || {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|چ}} || Cheem || {{braille cell|12345}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|ʃ|}}
|Ш ш ||Ş ş|| Sh sh || S' s' || {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ش}} || Sheen || {{braille cell|156}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|ɕː|}}
|Щ щ ||Ştş ştş||Shch shch || {{n/a}} || ({{Script/Arabic|size=130%|شش}}) || Sheen + Sheen || {{braille cell|x}} 
|-
| {{n/a}}
|Ъ ъ || colspan="5" {{n/a}} ||{{braille cell|12356}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|ɯ|}}
|Ы ы || colspan="3" |Y y|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ى}} ||Alif maqṣūrah||{{braille cell|2346}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|ɪ|}}
|І і ||I ı|| colspan="2" |I i || {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ئ}} ||Hamza + Ya||{{braille cell|i}} 
|-
| {{n/a}}
|Ь ь || colspan="5" {{n/a}} ||{{braille cell|23456}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|ɛ|}}
|Э э || colspan="2" |E e|| rowspan="3" {{n/a}} || ({{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ە}}) || Ha ||{{braille cell|ow}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|jʊ|}}
|Ю ю ||İu iu|| Iý ıý || ({{Script/Arabic|size=130%| يۋ }}) || Ya + Waw with ''damma'' ||{{braille cell|ü}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|jɑ|}}
|Я я ||İa ia||Ia ıa || ({{Script/Arabic|size=130%|يا}}) || Ya + Alif ||{{braille cell|1246}} 
|}

== Grammar ==
Kazakh is generally verb-final, though various permutations on [[subject–object–verb|SOV]] (subject–object–verb) word order can be used, for example, due to [[topicalization]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Центр |url=https://www.beltranslations.com/Languages/Kaz-EN.html |access-date=2023-08-03 |website=www.beltranslations.com |language=ru}}</ref> [[Inflection]]al and [[Morphological derivation|derivational]] [[Morphology (linguistics)|morphology]], both verbal and nominal, in Kazakh, exists almost exclusively in the form of [[agglutinative]] suffixes. Kazakh is a nominative-accusative, head-final, left-branching, dependent-marking language.<ref name=mukh>{{Cite book|last=Mukhamedova|first=Raikhangul |title=Kazakh: A Comprehensive Grammar|year=2015|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781317573081}}</ref>

=== Nouns ===
Kazakh has no [[noun class]] or [[Grammatical gender|gender]] system. Nouns are declined for number (singular or plural) and one of seven cases:

* [[Nominative case|Nominative]] 
* [[Accusative case|Accusative]] 
* [[Genitive case|Genitive]] 
* [[Dative case|Dative]]
* [[Locative case|Locative]] 
* [[Ablative case|Ablative]]
* [[Instrumental case|Instrumental]]<ref name="slaviccenters" />

The suffix for case is placed after the suffix for number.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Declension of nouns for case<ref name="mukh" />
!Case
!Morpheme
!Possible forms
!{{lang|kk-latn|keme}} {{gloss|ship}}||{{lang|kk-latn|aua}} {{gloss|air}}||{{lang|kk-latn|şelek}} {{gloss|bucket}}||{{lang|kk-latn|säbız}} {{gloss|carrot}}||{{lang|kk-latn|bas}} {{gloss|head}}||{{lang|kk-latn|tūz}} {{gloss|salt}}||{{lang|kk-latn|qan}} {{gloss|blood}}||{{lang|kk-latn|kün}} {{gloss|day}}
|-
!Nom
| —||—||{{lang|kk-latn|keme}}||{{lang|kk-latn|aua}}||{{lang|kk-latn|şelek}}||{{lang|kk-latn|säbız}}||{{lang|kk-latn|bas}}||{{lang|kk-latn|tūz}}||{{lang|kk-latn|qan}}||{{lang|kk-latn|kün}}
|-
!Acc
| {{lang|kk-latn|-ny}}||{{lang|kk-latn|-nı, -ny, -dı, -dy, -tı, -ty}} ||{{lang|kk-latn|keme'''nı'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|aua'''ny'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|şelek'''tı'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|säbız'''dı'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|bas'''ty'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|tūz'''dy'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|qan'''dy'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|kün'''dı'''}}
|-
!Gen
| {{lang|kk-latn|-nyñ}}||{{lang|kk-latn|-nıñ, -nyñ, -dıñ, -dyñ, -tıñ, -tyñ}}||{{lang|kk-latn|keme'''nıñ'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|aua'''nyñ'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|şelek'''tıñ'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|säbız'''dıñ'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|bas'''tyñ'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|tūz'''dyñ'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|qan'''nyñ'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|kün'''nıñ'''}}
|-
!Dat
| {{lang|kk-latn|-ga}}||{{lang|kk-latn|-ge, -ğa, -ke, -qa}}||{{lang|kk-latn|keme'''ge'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|aua'''ğa'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|şelek'''ke'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|säbız'''ge'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|bas'''qa'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|tūz'''ğa'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|qan'''ğa'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|kün'''ge'''}}
|-
!Loc
| {{lang|kk-latn|-da}}||{{lang|kk-latn|-de, -da, -te, -ta}}||{{lang|kk-latn|keme'''de'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|aua'''da'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|şelek'''te'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|säbız'''de'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|bas'''ta'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|tūz'''da'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|qan'''da'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|kün'''de'''}}
|-
!Abl
| {{lang|kk-latn|-dan}}||{{lang|kk-latn|-den, -dan, -ten, -tan, -nen, -nan}}||{{lang|kk-latn|keme'''den'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|aua'''dan'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|şelek'''ten'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|säbız'''den'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|bas'''tan'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|tūz'''dan'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|qan'''nan'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|kün'''nen'''}}
|-
!Inst
| {{lang|kk-latn|-men}}||{{lang|kk-latn|-men(en), -ben(en), -pen(en)}}||{{lang|kk-latn|keme'''men'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|aua'''men'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|şelek'''pen'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|säbız'''ben'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|bas'''pen'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|tūz'''ben'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|qan'''men'''}}||{{lang|kk-latn|kün'''men'''}}
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Declension of nouns for number<ref name="slaviccenters" />
!
!Morpheme
!Possible
Forms
!{{lang|kk-latn|bala}} 
{{gloss|child}}
!{{lang|kk-latn|kirpi}}
{{gloss|hedgehog}}
!{{lang|kk-latn|qazaq}}
{{gloss|Kazakh}}
!{{lang|kk-latn|mektep}}
{{gloss|school}}
!{{lang|kk-latn|adam}}
{{gloss|person}}
!{{lang|kk-latn|gül}}
{{gloss|flower}}
!{{lang|kk-latn|söz}}
{{gloss|word}}
|-
!singular
| –
| –
|{{lang|kk-latn|bala}}
|{{lang|kk-latn|kirpi}}
|{{lang|kk-latn|qazaq}}
|{{lang|kk-latn|mektep}}
|{{lang|kk-latn|adam}}
|{{lang|kk-latn|gül}}
|{{lang|kk-latn|söz}}
|-
!plural
|{{lang|kk-latn|-lar}}
|{{lang|kk-latn|-lar, -ler, -ter, -tar, -der, -dar}}
|{{lang|kk-latn|bala'''lar'''}}
|{{lang|kk-latn|kirpi'''ler'''}}
|{{lang|kk-latn|qazaq'''tar'''}}
|{{lang|kk-latn|mektep'''ter'''}}
|{{lang|kk-latn|adam'''dar'''}}
|{{lang|kk-latn|gül'''der'''}}
|{{lang|kk-latn|söz'''der'''}}
|}

=== Pronouns ===

There are eight personal pronouns in Kazakh:

{|class="wikitable"
|+Personal pronouns<ref name=mukh/>
! colspan="2" | 
! Singular
! Plural
|-
! colspan="2" | 1st person
| {{lang|kk-latn|men}}
| {{lang|kk-latn|bız}}
|-
! rowspan="2" | 2nd person
! {{small|informal}}
| {{lang|kk-latn|sen}}
| {{lang|kk-latn|sender}}
|-
! {{small|formal}}
| {{lang|kk-latn|sız}}
| {{lang|kk-latn|sızder}}
|-
! colspan="2" | 3rd person
| {{lang|kk-latn|ol}}
| {{lang|kk-latn|olar}}
|}

The declension of the pronouns is outlined in the following chart. Singular pronouns exhibit irregularities, while plural pronouns do not. Irregular forms are highlighted in bold.<ref name=mukh/>

{| class="wikitable"
! Number !! colspan="4" | Singular !! colspan="4" | Plural
|-
! rowspan="2" | Person !! rowspan="2" | 1st !! colspan="2" | 2nd !! rowspan="2" | 3rd !! rowspan="2" | 1st !! colspan="2" | 2nd !! rowspan="2" | 3rd
|-
! Familiar !! Polite !! Familiar !! Polite
|-
! Nominative
| {{lang|kk-latn|men}} || {{lang|kk-latn|sen}} || {{lang|kk-latn|sız}} || {{lang|kk-latn|ol}} || {{lang|kk-latn|bız}} || {{lang|kk-latn|sender}} || {{lang|kk-latn|sızder}} || {{lang|kk-latn|olar}}
|-
! Genitive
|'''{{lang|kk-latn|menıñ}}'''||'''{{lang|kk-latn|senıñ}}'''|| {{lang|kk-latn|sızdıñ}} ||'''{{lang|kk-latn|onyñ}}''' || {{lang|kk-latn|bızdıñ}} || {{lang|kk-latn|senderdıñ}} || {{lang|kk-latn|sızderdıñ}} || {{lang|kk-latn|olardyñ}}
|-
! Dative
| '''{{lang|kk-latn|mağan}}''' || '''{{lang|kk-latn|sağan}}''' || {{lang|kk-latn|sızge}} ||'''{{lang|kk-latn|oğan}}''' || {{lang|kk-latn|bızge}} || {{lang|kk-latn|senderge}} || {{lang|kk-latn|sızderge}} || {{lang|kk-latn|olarğa}}
|-
! Accusative
| '''{{lang|kk-latn|menı}}''' || '''{{lang|kk-latn|senı}}''' || {{lang|kk-latn|sızdı}} ||'''{{lang|kk-latn|ony}}''' || {{lang|kk-latn|bızdı}} || {{lang|kk-latn|senderdı}} || {{lang|kk-latn|sızderdı}} || {{lang|kk-latn|olardy}}
|-
! Locative
| {{lang|kk-latn|mende}} || {{lang|kk-latn|sende}} || {{lang|kk-latn|sızde}} || {{lang|kk-latn|onda}} || {{lang|kk-latn|bızde}} || {{lang|kk-latn|senderde}} || {{lang|kk-latn|sızderde}} || {{lang|kk-latn|olarda}}
|-
! Ablative
| '''{{lang|kk-latn|menen}}''' || '''{{lang|kk-latn|senen}}''' || {{lang|kk-latn|sızden}} ||'''{{lang|kk-latn|odan}}''' || {{lang|kk-latn|bızden}} || {{lang|kk-latn|senderden}} || {{lang|kk-latn|sızderden}} || {{lang|kk-latn|olardan}}
|-
! Instrumental
| '''{{lang|kk-latn|menımen}}''' || '''{{lang|kk-latn|senımen}}''' || {{lang|kk-latn|sızben}} ||'''{{lang|kk-latn|onymen}}''' || {{lang|kk-latn|bızben}} || {{lang|kk-latn|sendermen}} || {{lang|kk-latn|sızdermen}} || {{lang|kk-latn|olarmen}}
|}

In addition to the pronouns, there are several more sets of morphemes dealing with person.<ref name=mukh/>

{|class="wikitable"
|+Morphemes indicating person<ref name=mukh/>
!||Pronouns||Copulas||Possessive endings||Past/Conditional
|-
!1st sg
|{{lang|kk-latn|men}}||{{lang|kk-latn|-mın/-myn}}||{{lang|kk-latn|-(ı)m/-(y)m}}||{{lang|kk-latn|-(ı)m/-(y)m}}
|-
!2nd sg
|{{lang|kk-latn|sen}}||{{lang|kk-latn|-sıñ/-syñ}}||{{lang|kk-latn|-(ı)ñ/-(y)ñ}}||{{lang|kk-latn|-(ı)ñ}}
|-
!2nd sg formal
|{{lang|kk-latn|sız}}||{{lang|kk-latn|-sız/-syz}}||{{lang|kk-latn|-(ı)ñız/-(y)ñyz}}||{{lang|kk-latn|-(ı)ñız/-(y)ñyz}}
|-
!3rd sg
|{{lang|kk-latn|ol}}||–||{{lang|kk-latn|-(s)ı/-(s)y}}||–
|-
!1st pl
|{{lang|kk-latn|bız}}||{{lang|kk-latn|-mız/-myz}}||{{lang|kk-latn|-(ı)mız/-(y)myz}}||{{lang|kk-latn|-(ı)k/-(y)q}}
|-
!2nd pl
|{{lang|kk-latn|sender}}||{{lang|kk-latn|-sıñder/-syñdar}}||{{lang|kk-latn|-laryñ/-lerıñ}} ||{{lang|kk-latn|-(ı)ñder/-(y)ñdar}}
|-
!2nd pl formal
| {{lang|kk-latn|sızder}} || {{lang|kk-latn|-sızder/-syzdar}} || {{lang|kk-latn|-(ı)ñız/-(y)ñyz}} ||{{lang|kk-latn|-(ı)ñızder/-(y)ñyzdar}}
|-
!3rd pl
|{{lang|kk-latn|olar}}||–||{{lang|kk-latn|-lary/-lerı}}||–
|}

=== Adjectives ===
[[Adjective]]s in Kazakh are not declined for any [[grammatical category]] of the modified noun. Being a [[Head-directionality parameter|head-final]] language, adjectives are always placed before the noun that they modify. Kazakh has two varieties of adjectives:

* '''Qualitative''' – used to describe properties of the noun, such as color
* '''Relational''' – adjectives formed from words from other parts of speech<ref name="slaviccenters"/>

=== Degrees of comparison ===

==== Comparative ====
The [[Comparison (grammar)|comparative]] form can be created by appending the suffix {{lang|kk-latn|-(y)raq/-(ı)rek}} or {{lang|kk-latn|-tau/-teu/-dau/-dau}} to an adjective.

==== Superlative ====
The [[superlative]] form can be created by placing the morpheme {{lang|kk-latn|eñ}} before the adjective.<ref name="slaviccenters" /> The superlative form can also be expressed by reduplication.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Dotton |first=Zura |last2=Doyle Wagner |first2=John |title=A Grammar of Kazakh |url=https://slaviccenters.duke.edu/sites/slaviccenters.duke.edu/files/file-attachments/kazakh-grammar.pdf |journal=Duke University |pages=53}}</ref>

===Verbs===
Kazakh may express different combinations of [[grammatical tense|tense]], [[grammatical aspect|aspect]] and [[grammatical mood|mood]] through the use of various verbal morphology or through a system of [[auxiliary verbs]], many of which might better be considered light verbs. The present tense is a prime example of this; progressive tense in Kazakh is formed with one of four possible auxiliaries. These auxiliaries {{lang|kk-latn|otyr}} {{gloss|sit}}, {{lang|kk-latn|tūr}} {{gloss|stand}}, {{lang|kk-latn|jür}} {{gloss|go}} and {{lang|kk-latn|jat}} {{gloss|lie}}, encode various shades of meaning of how the action is carried out and also interact with the lexical semantics of the root verb: telic and non-telic actions, semelfactives, durative and non-durative, punctual, etc. There are selectional restrictions on auxiliaries: motion verbs, such as {{lang|kk|бару}} {{gloss|go}} and {{lang|kk|келу}} {{gloss|come}} may not combine with {{lang|kk-latn|otyr}}. Any verb, however, can combine with {{lang|kk-latn|jat}} {{gloss|lie}} to get a progressive tense meaning.<ref name=mukh/>
{|class="wikitable"
|+Progressive aspect in the present tense<ref name=mukh/>
|-
!Kazakh||Aspect||English translation
|-
|{{lang|kk-latn|Men jüzemın}}||non-progressive||{{gloss|I (will) swim [every day].}}
|-
|{{lang|kk-latn|Men jüzıp jatyrmyn}}||progressive||{{gloss|I am swimming [right now].}}
|-
|{{lang|kk-latn|Men jüzıp otyrmyn}}||progressive/durative||{{gloss|I am [sitting and] swimming. / I have been swimming.}}
|-
|{{lang|kk-latn|Men jüzıp tūrmyn}}||progressive/punctual||{{gloss|I am [in the middle of] swimming [this very minute].}}
|-
|{{lang|kk-latn|Men jüzıp jürmın}}||habitual||{{gloss|I swim [frequently/regularly]}}
|}
While it is possible to think that different categories of aspect govern the choice of auxiliary, it is not so straightforward in Kazakh. Auxiliaries are internally sensitive to the lexical semantics of predicates, for example, verbs describing motion:<ref name=mukh/>

{| class="wikitable"
|+Selectional restrictions on Kazakh auxiliaries<ref name=mukh/>
|-
!width=50%|Sentence
!width=50%|Auxiliary Used
|-
|{{interlinear|Suda balyq jüzedı|water-LOC fish swim-PRES-3|'Fish swim in water' (general statement)|lang=kk}}
|∅ (present/future tense used)
|-
|{{interlinear|Suda balyq jüzıp jatyr|water-LOC fish swim-CVB AUX.3|'The/A fish is swimming in the water'|lang=kk}}
|'''{{lang|kk-latn|jat}}'''－ {{gloss|to lie}}, general marker for progressive aspect.
|-
|{{interlinear|Suda balyq jüzıp jür|water-LOC fish swim-CVB AUX.3|'The fish is swimming [as it always does] in the water'|lang=kk}}
|'''{{lang|kk-latn|jür}}''' – {{gloss|go}}, dynamic/habitual/iterative
|-
|{{interlinear|Suda balyq jüzıp tūr|water-LOC fish swim-CVB AUX.3|'The fish is swimming in the water'|lang=kk}}
|'''{{lang|kk-latn|tūr}}''' – {{gloss|stand}}, progressive marker to show the swimming is punctual
|-
|{{interlinear|* Suda balyq jüzıp otyr|{} water-LOC fish swim-CVB AUX.3|*The fish has been swimming|lang=kk}}
''Not a possible sentence in Kazakh''
|'''{{lang|kk-latn|otyr}}''' – {{gloss|sit}}, ungrammatical in this sentence; {{lang|kk-latn|otyr}} can only be used for verbs that are [[stative verb|stative]] in nature
|}

In addition to the complexities of the progressive tense, there are many auxiliary-converb pairs that encode a range of aspectual, modal, volitional, evidential and action- modificational meanings. For example, the pattern verb + {{lang|kk-latn|köru}}, with the auxiliary verb {{lang|kk-latn|köru}} {{gloss|see}}, indicates that the subject of the verb attempted or tried to do something (compare the Japanese {{lang|ja|てみる}} {{lang|ja-latn|temiru}} construction).<ref name=mukh/>

== Annotated text with gloss ==
From the first stanza and refrain of "[[Menıñ Qazaqstanym]]" ("My Kazakhstan"), the [[national anthem]] of Kazakhstan:
{| class="wikitable"
!{{lang|kk|Менің Қазақстаным}} 
!{{lang|kk-latn|Men-ıñ Qazaqstan-ym}}
|-
|{{fs interlinear|italics2=no|{Алтын күн} аспаны|{{IPA|[ɑ̝ɫ̪ˈt̪ʰə̃ŋ‿kʰʏ̞̃n̪ ɑ̝s̪pʰɑ̝̃ˈn̪ə]}}|lang=kk}}
|{{interlinear|Altyn kün aspan-y|gold sun sky-3.POSS|'Sky of the golden sun'|lang=kk}}
|-
|{{fs interlinear|italics2=no|Алтын дән даласы|{{IPA|[ɑ̝ɫ̪ˈt̪ʰə̃n̪‿d̪æ̝̃n̪ d̪ɑ̝ɫ̪ɑ̝ˈs̪ə {{pipe}}]}}|lang=kk}}
|{{interlinear|Altyn dän dala-sy|gold grain steppe-3.POSS|'Steppe of the golden grain'|lang=kk}}
|-
|{{fs interlinear|italics2=no|Ерліктің дастаны|{{IPA|[je̘r̪l̪ɪ̞k̚ˈt̪ʰɪ̞̃ŋ̟ d̪ɑ̝s̪t̪ʰɑ̝̃ˈn̪ə]}}|lang=kk}}
|{{interlinear|Erlık-tıñ dastan-y|{courage legend-GEN} epic-3.POSS-NOM|'The legend of courage'|lang=kk}}
|-
|{{fs interlinear|italics2=no|Еліме қарашы!|{{IPA|[je̘l̪ɪ̞̃ˈmʲe̘ qʰɑ̝ˈr̪ɑ̝ʃə ‖]}}|lang=kk}}
|{{interlinear|El-ım-e qara-şy|country-1SG.DAT look-IMP|'Look at my country!'|lang=kk}}
|-
|{{fs interlinear|italics2=no|Ежелден ер деген|{{IPA|[je̘ʒʲe̘l̪ʲˈd̪ʲẽ̘n̪ je̘r̪ d̪ʲe̘ˈɡʲẽ̘n̪<!-- This is a Russified pronunciation. Many rural Kazakh dialects do not palatalize [ɡ] before front vowels. -->]}}|lang=kk}}
|{{interlinear|Ejel-den er de-gen|antiquity-ABL hero say-PTCP.PST|'Called heroes since ancient times'|lang=kk}}
|-
|{{fs interlinear|italics2=no|Даңқымыз шықты ғой|{{IPA|[d̪ɑ̝̃ɴqʰə̃ˈməz̪ ʃəq̚ˈt̪ʰə ʁo̞j {{pipe}}]}}|lang=kk}}
|{{interlinear|Dañq-ymyz şyq-ty ğoi|glory-1PL.POSS.NOM emerge-PST.3 EMPH|'Our glory emerged!'|lang=kk}}
|-
|{{fs interlinear|italics2=no|Намысын бермеген|{{IPA|[n̪ɑ̝̃məˈs̪ə̃m‿bʲe̘r̪mʲe̘ˈɡʲẽ̘n̪]}}|lang=kk}}
|{{interlinear|Namys-yn ber-me-gen|honor-3.POSS-ACC give-NEG-PTCP.PST|'They did not give up their honor'|lang=kk}}
|-
|{{fs interlinear|italics2=no|Қазағым мықты ғой|{{IPA|[qʰɑ̝z̪ɑ̝ˈʁə̃m məq̚ˈt̪ʰə ʁo̞j ‖]}}|lang=kk}}
|{{interlinear|Qazağ-ym myqty ğoi|Kazakh-1SG.POSS strong EMPH|'My Kazakhs are mighty!'|lang=kk}}
|-
|{{fs interlinear|italics2=no|Менің елім, менің елім|{{IPA|[mʲẽ̘ˈn̪ɪ̞̃ŋ̟ je̘ˈl̪ɪ̞̃m {{pipe}} mʲẽ̘ˈn̪ɪ̞̃ŋ̟ je̘ˈl̪ɪ̞̃m {{pipe}}]}}|lang=kk}}
|{{interlinear|Men-ıñ el-ım, menıñ el-ım|1SG.GEN country-1SG.NOM 1SG.GEN country-1SG.NOM|'My country, my country'|lang=kk}}
|-
|{{fs interlinear|italics2=no|Гүлің болып, егілемін|{{IPA|[ɡʏ̞ˈl̪ʏ̞̃m‿bo̞ˈɫ̪ʊp {{pipe}} je̘ɣɪ̞ˈl̪ʲẽ̘mɪ̞̃n̪ {{pipe}}]}}|lang=kk}}
|{{interlinear|Gül-ıñ bol-yp, eg-ıl-e-mın|flower-2SG.NOM be-CVB, root-PASS-PRES-1SG|'As your flower, I am rooted in you'|lang=kk}}
|-
|{{fs interlinear|italics2=no|Жырың болып төгілемін, елім|{{IPA|[ʒəˈr̪ə̃m bo̞ˈɫ̪ʊp {{pipe}} t̪ʰɵɣʏ̞ˈl̪ʲẽ̘mɪ̞̃n̪ je̘ˈl̪ɪ̞̃m {{pipe}}]}}|lang=kk}}
|{{interlinear|Jyr-yñ bol-yp, tög-ıl-e-mın, el-ım|song-2SG.NOM be-CVB, sing-PASS-PRES-1SG, country-1SG.POSS.NOM|'As your song, I shall be sung abound'|lang=kk}}
|-
|{{fs interlinear|italics2=no|Туған жерім менің – Қазақстаным|{{IPA|[t̪ʰuˈʁɑ̝̃n̪‿d͡ʒʲe̘ˈr̪ɪ̞̃m mʲẽ̘ˈn̪ɪ̞̃ŋ̟ {{pipe}} qʰɑ̝ˌz̪ɑ̝ʁə̆s̪t̪ʰɑ̝̃ˈn̪ə̃m ‖]}}|lang=kk}}
|{{interlinear|Tu-ğan jer-ım menıñ – Qazaqstan-ym|birth-PTCP-PST place-1SG.POSS.NOM 1SG.GEN – Kazakhstan-1SG.POSS.NOM|'My native land – My Kazakhstan'|lang=kk}}
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|Languages}}
* [[BGN/PCGN romanization of Kazakh]]
* [[Turkic languages]]
* [[Kazakh literature]]
* [[Languages of Kazakhstan]]
* [[Kazakh Sign Language]]
* [[Help:IPA for Kazakh]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* {{citation
|last=Kara
|first=Dävid Somfai
|title=Kazak
|year=2002
|publisher=Lincom Europa
|isbn=9783895864704
}}
* Mark Kirchner: "Kazakh and Karakalpak". In: ''The Turkic languages''. Ed. by Lars Johanson and É. Á. Csató. London [u.a.] : Routledge, 1998. (Routledge language family descriptions). S.318–332.
*{{Cite JIPA|author1=McCollum, Adam G. |author2=Chen, Si|title=Kazakh|volume=51|issue=2|pages=276–298|doi=10.1017/S0025100319000185|printdate=2021-08|soundfiles=yes}}{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{InterWiki|code=kk}}
{{Wikivoyage|Kazakh phrasebook|Kazakh|a phrasebook}}
*[https://www.transliteration.kpr.eu/kk/kk-2017.php Kazakh Cyrillic–Latin (new) converter]
*[https://www.transliteration.kpr.eu/kk/ Kazakh Cyrillic–Latin (old)–Arabic converter]
*[https://www.omniglot.com/writing/kazakh.htm Kazakh language, alphabet and pronunciation]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110709223643/http://www.und.edu/dept/linguistics/theses/2003Kuzhabekova.PDF Aliya S. Kuzhabekova, "Past, Present and Future of Language Policy in Kazakhstan"] (M.A. thesis, [[University of North Dakota]], 2003)
*[http://cadensa.bl.uk/uhtbin/cgisirsi/?ps=vTGjtKlWAs/WORKS-FILE/156000023/5/0 Kazakh language recordings] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220623103547/http://cadensa.bl.uk/uhtbin/cgisirsi/?ps=vTGjtKlWAs/WORKS-FILE/156000023/5/0 |date=23 June 2022 }}, British Library
*[https://wiki.apertium.org/wiki/Kazakh Kazakh – Apertium]
*[https://pauctle.com/kztr Kazakh<>Turkish Dictionary]
* [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/kazakhstan/ Kazakhstan] in the [[CIA World Factbook]]
* [http://www.highlandsun.com/hyc/Kazakh/ US Peace Corps Kazakh Language Courses] transcribed to HTML

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