Travel phrases

Essential Kazakh travel phrases

Pack the words that matter. These are the 34 Kazakh phrases that actually come up on a trip, from your first Сәлеметсіз бе? to calling for help, grouped by situation and written with a simple pronunciation guide, and read aloud at the tap of a button. Chosen the way a Kazakh speaker would choose them, which is why the list ends with the phrases you only hear once you are there.

Quick answer

The most useful Kazakh travel phrases cover greetings, politeness, directions, food, and emergencies. Learn a handful first: Сәлеметсіз бе? (hello), Айтыңызшы (tell me, please), Рақмет (thank you), and Дәретхана қайда? (where is the toilet?). This free tool groups 34 Kazakh phrases by situation, each with a plain-English pronunciation and a play button that reads it aloud. They are the phrases Kazakh speakers really use, not an English list translated into Kazakh, so the last block is the one a phrasebook never has: what locals say to each other.

Start here

The first 10 Kazakh phrases to learn

The ones you need on day one. Tap play, say the phrase back until it sounds close, then say it along with the voice: that is shadowing, the drill interpreters train with.

  1. 1 Сәлеметсіз бе? Hello sa-le-met-SIZ beh The polite hello at any hour, to a stranger, a driver, a counter, anyone older
  2. 2 Қалайсыз? How are you? ka-lai-SYZ Asked right after the hello by anyone who knows you even a little; answer Zhaqsy, raqmet
  3. 3 Сәлем Hi (informal) sa-LEM Only to friends and to people younger than you, never to an elder
  4. 4 Ассалаумағалейкум Peace be with you as-sa-lau-ma-gha-LEY-kum Mostly man to man; answer Uagaleykum assalam
  5. 5 Сау болыңыз Goodbye sau bo-luh-NGYZ Literally be healthy; the normal goodbye at any door or counter
  6. 6 Рақмет Thank you rakh-MET Answered with Oqasy zhoq, no trouble at all
  7. 7 Иә / Жоқ Yes / no ee-YA / zhok
  8. 8 Кешіріңіз Sorry ke-shi-ri-NGIZ An apology and also the way you stop a stranger
  9. 9 Айтыңызшы Tell me, please ai-tuh-NGYZ-shuh The -shy ending, said shuh, is the real softener; Otinemin sounds like a textbook
  10. 10 Түсінбедім I don't understand tu-sin-be-DIM
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All 34 phrases, grouped by situation.

Greetings

Сәлеметсіз бе? Hello sa-le-met-SIZ beh The polite hello at any hour, to a stranger, a driver, a counter, anyone older
Қалайсыз? How are you? ka-lai-SYZ Asked right after the hello by anyone who knows you even a little; answer Zhaqsy, raqmet
Сәлем Hi (informal) sa-LEM Only to friends and to people younger than you, never to an elder
Ассалаумағалейкум Peace be with you as-sa-lau-ma-gha-LEY-kum Mostly man to man; answer Uagaleykum assalam
Сау болыңыз Goodbye sau bo-luh-NGYZ Literally be healthy; the normal goodbye at any door or counter

Basics

Рақмет Thank you rakh-MET Answered with Oqasy zhoq, no trouble at all
Иә / Жоқ Yes / no ee-YA / zhok
Кешіріңіз Sorry ke-shi-ri-NGIZ An apology and also the way you stop a stranger
Айтыңызшы Tell me, please ai-tuh-NGYZ-shuh The -shy ending, said shuh, is the real softener; Otinemin sounds like a textbook
Түсінбедім I don't understand tu-sin-be-DIM
Ағылшынша сөйлейсіз бе? Do you speak English? a-ghyl-shyn-SHA soy-ley-SIZ beh In the cities most people will switch to Russian; Kazakh warms any conversation

Getting around

Дәретхана қайда? Where is the toilet? da-ret-ha-NA kai-DA Signs may also say Tualet, the Russian word you hear in speech
Аялдама қайда? Where is the bus stop? a-yal-da-MA kai-DA
Осы жерде тоқтатыңызшы Stop here o-SY zher-DE tok-ta-tuh-NGYZ-shuh To a taxi or a marshrutka driver; open with Aga, older brother, as you would to any man older than you, and Apai to a woman
Алыс па? Is it far? a-LYS pa
Такси шақырыңызшы Please call a taxi tak-SI sha-kyh-ruh-NGYZ-shuh Rides are booked in an app; a raised hand also stops private cars for a set fare

Eating out

Мәзірді беріңізші The menu, please ma-zir-DI be-ri-NGIZ-shi Menus are headed Mazir; out loud most people, even in Kazakh, say the Russian menyu
Не ұсынасыз? What do you recommend? ne u-syh-na-SYZ
Дәмді екен It's delicious dam-DI e-KEN Say it to the host or the cook; it is the compliment they are waiting for
Шотты әкеліңізші Please bring the bill shot-TUH a-ke-li-NGIZ-shi In town the Russian word schyot is what you will hear for the bill
Денсаулығыңыз үшін! To your health! den-sau-luh-ghuh-NGYZ u-SHIN The toast at any table; every guest is expected to say a few words first

Shopping

Бұл қанша тұрады? How much is this? bul kan-SHA tu-ra-DUH
Картамен төлеуге бола ма? Can I pay by card? kar-ta-MEN to-leu-GE bo-LA ma Cards work in shops and cafes; at a bazaar carry tenge, stalls use the Kaspi app
Арзандатыңызшы Please make it cheaper ar-zan-da-tuh-NGYZ-shuh Only at a bazaar; a shop with price tags will not move
Жай қарап жүрмін I'm just looking zhai ka-RAP zhur-MIN

Emergencies

Көмектесіңіз! Help! ko-mek-te-si-NGIZ
Жедел жәрдем шақырыңыз! Call an ambulance! zhe-DEL zhar-DEM sha-kyh-ruh-NGYZ
Полиция шақырыңыз! Call the police! po-LEE-tsi-ya sha-kyh-ruh-NGYZ
Мен адасып қалдым I'm lost men a-da-SYP kal-DYM

Locals say

Оқасы жоқ Not at all o-ka-SY zhok The set answer to Raqmet; literally there is no fault
Жол болсын Have a good trip zhol bol-SYN Said to anyone setting off on a journey, and by your hosts as you leave; answer Raqmet
Ас болсын Enjoy your meal as bol-SYN Said to anyone you find eating, and by the host as the food goes round
Шай ішіңіз Have some tea shai i-shi-NGIZ The host keeps pouring; a bowl is filled half way, a full one means it is time to go
Қош келдіңіз Welcome kosh kel-di-NGIZ Said the moment you step into a home, a shop or a restaurant

How to get the most from these phrases

Learn by situation, not alphabetically. Your memory files Сәлеметсіз бе? next to the moment you would use it, so run through the greetings before you fly, the restaurant block on the way to dinner, and the emergency block once so it is there if you ever need it.

The pronunciation guide is written the way an English speaker would read it aloud, with the stressed syllable in capitals. It is a crutch, not the real sound. Press play, listen once, then say the phrase back: the audio fixes the vowels that plain English spelling cannot capture. Once a phrase feels easy, say it together with the voice, a beat behind, the way interpreters drill: our guide to shadowing explains the sequence.

Phrases get you to the country. What gets you fluent is meeting the same words again and again in context, which is exactly what reading does. Once Айтыңызшы and Рақмет feel automatic, the next step is a real Kazakh sentence, then a page, then a book. That is the whole idea behind reading in Lingo7.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most important Kazakh phrases for travel?

Start with greetings and politeness, then the phrases that solve a real problem: asking directions, ordering, paying, and getting help. On this page that is Сәлеметсіз бе? (hello), Айтыңызшы (tell me, please), Рақмет (thank you), Дәретхана қайда? (where is the toilet?), and Көмектесіңіз! (help!). Learn those few and you can be polite and safe almost anywhere.

What do Kazakh locals say that a phrasebook leaves out?

A phrasebook translates English, so it gives you the Kazakh for "hello" and stops. The phrases people there actually trade all day are the ones with no English slot: Оқасы жоқ (not at all), Жол болсын (have a good trip), Ас болсын (enjoy your meal). The "Locals say" block on this page collects 5 of them and says when each one is used, which is usually what turns a correct sentence into a normal one.

What do these Kazakh phrases sound like?

Tap the play button next to a phrase and you hear it read aloud, so you can copy the sound instead of guessing it from the spelling. The written pronunciation is a crutch for English eyes, the audio is the real thing. Play Сәлеметсіз бе? and Рақмет a few times, say them back, and they come out right when it counts.

How do you say hello and thank you in Kazakh?

In Kazakh, hello is Сәлеметсіз бе? (pronounced sa-le-met-SIZ beh) and thank you is Рақмет (rakh-MET). Add Айтыңызшы (tell me, please) and Сау болыңыз (goodbye), and you have the words that carry most short exchanges with a shopkeeper, waiter, or stranger.

How do you ask where the toilet is in Kazakh?

Ask Дәретхана қайда? (pronounced da-ret-ha-NA kai-DA), which means "where is the toilet?" in Kazakh. If you only catch part of the reply, Түсінбедім (I don't understand) and a smile usually gets it repeated or pointed out. It is one of the few phrases worth memorizing word for word before you go.

Do I need to learn Kazakh before traveling?

No, but a dozen Kazakh phrases go a long way. Locals warm up fast when you open with Сәлеметсіз бе? and Рақмет instead of English. You do not need grammar or fluency for a trip, just the survival set above. For anything past that, the fastest route to real Kazakh is reading, which is exactly what Lingo7 is built for.