The seven days
Five of the seven end in -шемби or -шембе. That shared ending comes from the Persian word for Saturday, and the days are literally counted from it, which is why they rhyme so strongly.
- дүйшөмбү
- düyshömbüMonday
- шейшемби
- sheyshembiTuesday
- шаршемби
- sharshembiWednesday
- бейшемби
- beyshembiThursday
- жума
- jumaFriday
- ишемби
- ishembiSaturday
- жекшемби
- jekshembiSunday
Жума or апта: which one means "week"
In the literary standard the split is clean. Апта is the week — the seven-day stretch. Жума is Friday, borrowed from the Arabic name for the day of congregational prayer.
The confusion is real, though, and it is not your mistake. In everyday speech many people also use жума to mean "week", and you will hear өткөн жума for "last week" as readily as өткөн апта. Kyrgyz is doing something its Turkic neighbours also do — Turkish keeps the same pair, hafta for the week and cuma for Friday, and lets them blur in casual use.
The practical rule: when you produce Kyrgyz, use апта for the week and жума for Friday. When you hear жума, let the context tell you which one is meant. Neither usage will make you hard to understand.
- бул апта
- bul aptathis week
- өткөн апта
- ötkön aptalast week
- келерки апта
- kelerki aptanext week
- жума күнү
- juma künüon FridayКүнү, "on the day of", is how you say a day is when something happens.
Days around today
- бүгүн
- bügüntoday
- эртең
- erteñtomorrow
- кечээ
- kecheeyesterday
- бүрсүгүнү
- bürsügünüthe day after tomorrow
- Бүгүн кайсы күн?
- Bügün kaysy kün?What day is it today?
- Бүгүн жума.
- Bügün juma.Today is Friday.
Months: the everyday names
In ordinary speech, on phones and in most writing, Kyrgyz uses the international month names that came in through Russian. These are the ones to learn first, because these are the ones you will actually hear.
- январь · февраль · март
- yanvar · fevral · martJanuary · February · March
- апрель · май · июнь
- aprel · may · iyunApril · May · June
- июль · август · сентябрь
- iyul · avgust · sentyabrJuly · August · September
- октябрь · ноябрь · декабрь
- oktyabr · noyabr · dekabrOctober · November · December
Months: the traditional Kyrgyz names
Kyrgyz also keeps a full set of its own month names, from a calendar built around herding, hunting and the position of the Pleiades — Үркөр — in the night sky. You will meet them in almanacs, poetry, journalism and cultural writing rather than in casual conversation, and knowing them tells you a great deal about how the year was once organised.
The word ай means both "moon" and "month"; айы is its possessive form, so Үчтүн айы is literally "the month of the three".
- Үчтүн айы
- Üchtün ayyJanuary
- Бирдин айы
- Birdin ayyFebruary
- Жалган Куран
- Jalgan KuranMarchLiterally "false Kuran" — the first, deceptive warmth.
- Чын Куран
- Chyn KuranAprilThe "true" one — spring has actually arrived.
- Бугу
- BuguMayNamed for the deer.
- Кулжа
- KuljaJuneNamed for the wild mountain ram.
- Теке
- TekeJulyNamed for the wild goat.
- Баш оона
- Bash oonaAugust
- Аяк оона
- Ayak oonaSeptemberБаш is "head" and аяк is "foot" — the start and end of the same season.
- Тогуздун айы
- Toguzdun ayyOctober
- Жетинин айы
- Jetinin ayyNovember
- Бештин айы
- Beshtin ayyDecember
Putting dates into sentences
- Ай сайын
- Ay sayynevery month
- Аптасына эки жолу
- Aptasyna eki jolutwice a week
- Дүйшөмбү күнү жумушка барам.
- Düyshömbü künü jumushka baram.I go to work on Monday.
- Келерки аптада көрүшөбүз.
- Kelerki aptada körüshöbüz.We will see each other next week.
Dates need numbers — here is the counting system.
Learn Kyrgyz numbers