How many letters are in the Kyrgyz alphabet?

Thirty-six. Thirty-three of them are the Russian Cyrillic letters you may already know, and three are Kyrgyz\'s own: ң, ө and ү. If you read Russian, you have most of the alphabet already.

What are the three special Kyrgyz letters?

Ң, ө and ү. Ң is the nasal sound at the end of sing, and it never starts a word. Ө is a rounded front vowel, close to German ö. Ү is its close cousin, near German ü. Learn these three and the page stops looking foreign.

Does Kyrgyz use the Latin alphabet?

No. Kyrgyz in Kyrgyzstan is written in Cyrillic, full stop. Latin spellings like jañy or söz are a crutch for learners — useful while your reading is slow, not something you will see on a street sign.

Which Kyrgyz letters are only used in loanwords?

В, ф, ц, щ, ъ and ь turn up almost only in borrowed words and names. Learn to recognise them, then spend your effort elsewhere: your first hundred words will barely contain them.

Kyrgyz alphabet: a clear beginner guide

The 36 letters

The standard order is: А а, Б б, В в, Г г, Д д, Е е, Ё ё, Ж ж, З з, И и, Й й, К к, Л л, М м, Н н, Ң ң, О о, Ө ө, П п, Р р, С с, Т т, У у, Ү ү, Ф ф, Х х, Ц ц, Ч ч, Ш ш, Щ щ, Ъ ъ, Ы ы, Ь ь, Э э, Ю ю, Я я.

The three letters unique to Kyrgyz Cyrillic

Learners who know Russian Cyrillic can focus first on ң, ө and ү. Their Latin equivalents below are learning aids, not an official replacement for Kyrgyz Cyrillic.

Ң ң: ñ / ngA nasal sound like “ng” in sing.жаңы is new
Ө ө: öA rounded front vowel, similar to German ö.сөз is word
Ү ү: üA rounded front vowel, similar to German ü.үй is house or home

Vowels and vowel harmony

Kyrgyz endings often change to match the vowels in the stem. At first, listen for broad groups rather than memorising every rule in isolation. Seeing related forms side by side helps the pattern settle naturally.

үй → үйгө: üy → üygöhome → to home
жол → жолдо: jol → joldoroad → on the road

Letters mostly found in loanwords

Letters such as в, ф, ц, щ, ъ and ь are most common in borrowed words, names or Russian-influenced vocabulary. Learn to recognise them, but prioritise high-frequency Kyrgyz words when building your first vocabulary.

A five-minute reading drill

Read one short word aloud and point to each letter.
Copy it once by hand or type it with a Kyrgyz keyboard.
Say the meaning without looking.
Read one complete example sentence containing the word.
Return to the word the next day before adding a new set.

All 36 letters, with readings

The full alphabet in standard order. The Latin column is a reading aid used across this site, not an official script.

А а: aOpen vowel, as in father.адам (adam) — person
Б б: bAs in book.бала (bala) — child
В в: vAlmost only in borrowed words and names.
Г г: gHard g, as in go.гүл (gül) — flower
Д д: dAs in door.дос (dos) — friend
Е е: e“ye” at the start of a word, plain e after a consonant.эркек (erkek) — man
Ё ё: yoBorrowed words only.
Ж ж: jCloser to the j in jam than to Russian ж.жумуш (jumush) — work
З з: zAs in zoo.кыз (kyz) — girl
И и: iAs in machine.ит (it) — dog
Й й: yShort glide, as in yes.үй (üy) — home
К к: kAs in kite.китеп (kitep) — book
Л л: lAs in lake.лагман (lagman) — noodle dish
М м: mAs in moon.мышык (myshyk) — cat
Н н: nAs in night.нан (nan) — bread
Ң ң: ñA nasal sound like “ng” in sing. Never starts a word.эртең (erteñ) — tomorrow
О о: oRounded back vowel, as in more.ооба (ooba) — yes
Ө ө: öA rounded front vowel, similar to German ö.көл (köl) — lake
П п: pAs in park.апа (apa) — mother
Р р: rRolled, as in Russian or Spanish. Rare at the start of native words.эртең (erteñ) — tomorrow
С с: sAs in sun.сөз (söz) — word
Т т: tAs in table.тоо (too) — mountain
У у: uAs in rule.суу (suu) — water
Ү ү: üA rounded front vowel, similar to German ü.үй (üy) — home
Ф ф: fAlmost only in borrowed words.телефон (telefon) — telephone
Х х: khA throaty h, mostly in borrowed words.рахмат (rakhmat) — thank you
Ц ц: tsBorrowed words only.
Ч ч: chAs in church.чай (chay) — tea
Ш ш: shAs in ship.шаар (shaar) — city
Щ щ: shchBorrowed words only.
Ъ ъ: —Hard sign. Borrowed words only; no sound of its own.
Ы ы: yBack unrounded vowel, as in Russian ы. Never starts a word.кыз (kyz) — girl
Ь ь: —Soft sign. Borrowed words only; no sound of its own.
Э э: ePlain e, as in bed. Used where Russian would write е.эже (eje) — older sister
Ю ю: yuBorrowed words only.
Я я: yaMostly in borrowed words.аял (ayal) — woman

FAQ

Common questions

How many letters are in the Kyrgyz alphabet?: Thirty-six. Thirty-three of them are the Russian Cyrillic letters you may already know, and three are Kyrgyz\'s own: ң, ө and ү. If you read Russian, you have most of the alphabet already.
What are the three special Kyrgyz letters?: Ң, ө and ү. Ң is the nasal sound at the end of sing, and it never starts a word. Ө is a rounded front vowel, close to German ö. Ү is its close cousin, near German ü. Learn these three and the page stops looking foreign.
Does Kyrgyz use the Latin alphabet?: No. Kyrgyz in Kyrgyzstan is written in Cyrillic, full stop. Latin spellings like jañy or söz are a crutch for learners — useful while your reading is slow, not something you will see on a street sign.
Which Kyrgyz letters are only used in loanwords?: В, ф, ц, щ, ъ and ь turn up almost only in borrowed words and names. Learn to recognise them, then spend your effort elsewhere: your first hundred words will barely contain them.

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See useful Kyrgyz phrases