Жұмған аузын ашпау
Literally not to open one's closed mouth
Means to stay completely silent, not utter a single word
Example Ол бүкіл жиналыс бойы жұмған аузын ашпады.
An idiom is a phrase you cannot translate word for word. Here are 13 of the most common Kazakh idioms, each with its literal translation, real meaning, and an example sentence, so you know what natives actually mean.
Common Kazakh idioms are everyday expressions whose meaning cannot be guessed from the individual words. For example, Жұмған аузын ашпау literally means "not to open one's closed mouth" but is used to mean to stay completely silent, not utter a single word. This free tool lists 13 real Kazakh idioms, each with its literal translation, meaning, and an example sentence.
All 13 Kazakh idioms, with meanings and examples.
Guess the meaning, then tap a card to check.
Idiom list verified as of July 2026.
Жұмған аузын ашпау
Literally not to open one's closed mouth
Means to stay completely silent, not utter a single word
Example Ол бүкіл жиналыс бойы жұмған аузын ашпады.
Қой аузынан шөп алмас
Literally won't take grass from a sheep's mouth
Means an extremely meek, gentle, harmless person (would not hurt a fly)
Example Асан қой аузынан шөп алмас момын жігіт.
Көзді ашып-жұмғанша
Literally before opening and closing the eye
Means in the blink of an eye, instantly
Example Балалар көзді ашып-жұмғанша үйден шығып кетті.
Жүрегі алып ұшты
Literally his heart took flight
Means to be struck with sudden fright or anxiety, one's heart leaps
Example Түнде телефон шырылдағанда жүрегім алып ұшты.
Ит арқасы қиянда
Literally the dog's back is in a distant place
Means very far away, a long way off
Example Ата-анам тұратын ауыл қаладан ит арқасы қиянда жатыр.
Бетінен оты шықты
Literally fire came out of his face
Means to be extremely embarrassed, to blush deeply with shame
Example Қателескенін білгенде бетінен оты шықты.
Қолы қолына жұқпады
Literally his hand didn't stick to his hand
Means to be extremely busy, rushed off one's feet
Example Той қарсаңында анамның қолы қолына жұқпай кетті.
Ағаштан түйін түйген
Literally one who tied a knot out of wood
Means a highly skilled, resourceful craftsman who can do the seemingly impossible
Example Атам ағаштан түйін түйген шебер еді.
Аузы дуалы
Literally his mouth is blessed
Means a person, usually a respected elder, whose spoken words or blessings come true
Example Аузы дуалы қария батасын берді.
Мұрнын шүйіру
Literally to wrinkle one's nose
Means to turn up one's nose at something, to show disdain
Example Ол ұсынысымызға мұрнын шүйірді.
Қырық пышақ болды
Literally became forty knives
Means to fall into fierce enmity, to become bitter enemies
Example Ағайынды екеуі мұра үшін қырық пышақ болды.
Көз бояу
Literally to paint the eye
Means deception, eyewash, putting up a false front
Example Бұл жиналыс көз бояудан басқа ешнәрсе емес.
Ит пен мысықтай
Literally like a dog and a cat
Means to constantly quarrel, to fight like cat and dog
Example Көршілер ит пен мысықтай өмір сүреді.
Idioms stick when you see them in context, not on a list. Lingo7 lets you read real Kazakh books with sentence-aligned translation and native-narrated audio, so you meet idioms in the wild and tap any line you do not get. Save them and review later. Free to start.
An idiom is a phrase whose meaning is fixed by convention, not built from its words. That is why a word-for-word translation fails: Жұмған аузын ашпау comes out as "not to open one's closed mouth", which makes no sense until you know it means to stay completely silent, not utter a single word.
Learn a few at a time, not a whole list. Pick the ones you keep running into, say them out loud in a real sentence, and you will remember them far longer than by drilling flashcards.
The most reliable way to absorb idioms is to meet them in context, again and again, in things you actually read. Parallel text and audio let you catch an idiom in a real Kazakh sentence and check what it means without breaking your reading. That is what reading in Lingo7 is built for.
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Some of the most common Kazakh idioms are Жұмған аузын ашпау, Қой аузынан шөп алмас, Көзді ашып-жұмғанша, Жүрегі алып ұшты. Each one means something you could not guess from the words alone, which is exactly why learners have to meet them in context. This tool lists 13 of them with their meaning and an example sentence.
In Kazakh, "Жұмған аузын ашпау" translates literally as "not to open one's closed mouth", but it actually means to stay completely silent, not utter a single word. You would use it like this: Ол бүкіл жиналыс бойы жұмған аузын ашпады.
Idioms are non-compositional: their meaning is fixed by convention, not built from the individual words. Жұмған аузын ашпау translates literally as "not to open one's closed mouth", yet it means to stay completely silent, not utter a single word. Translate word for word and you get nonsense, so idioms have to be learned as whole units.
The fastest way is to meet them in context and reuse them, not to memorize a list. Learn a handful at a time, notice them while reading and listening, and try them in your own sentences. Reading real Kazakh with tap-to-translate, the way Lingo7 works, turns every page into idiom practice.