Kazakhstan's switch to the Latin script: alphabet versions, timeline and where things stand

How many alphabets the Kazakh language has had, how the 2017, 2018 and 2021 Latin versions differ, and why the transition deadline was moved to 2031.

The decision to switch the Kazakh alphabet to the Latin script was made in 2017. Since then the alphabet has changed three times, and the transition deadline has been moved to 2031. Here is an overview of the versions and what matters for anyone who works with Kazakh text.

Not the first switch

The Kazakh language has already had several alphabets. Until 1929 it was written in Arabic script, from 1929 to 1940 in Latin script, and since 1940 in Cyrillic. The current reform is a return to the Latin script, but in a new form.

2017: the apostrophe version

On October 26, 2017, Presidential Decree No. 569 approved the first version of the alphabet. In it, the distinctive Kazakh sounds were marked with apostrophes: a', g', n', o', s'. The version was criticized as clumsy — some words ended up with several apostrophes in a row.

2018: the acute accent version

On February 19, 2018, Decree No. 637 replaced the apostrophes with acute accents: á, ǵ, ń, ó, ú, ý, while Ш and Ч kept the combinations sh and ch. Draft spelling rules were prepared for this version, but they were never officially approved.

2021: the 31-letter alphabet

In January 2021 a new version with umlauts and breves was presented, and on April 21, 2021 a draft decree was published with a 31-letter alphabet: Ä, Ğ, Ñ, Ö, Ş, Ū, Ü and the pair İ i / I ı. This version is closer to the alphabets of other Turkic languages — Turkish, Azerbaijani and Turkmen. At the same time, the transition deadline was moved to 2031.

Where things stand now

The 2021 draft decree is archived on the "Open Legal Acts" portal, and spelling rules for the Latin script have not been officially approved. As a result, there is still no single standard for loanwords, first names and surnames. Even so, the 2021 alphabet already appears on signage, in brand identities and in digital services.

What this means in practice

Choose fonts that include all the characters Ä Ğ Ñ Ö Ş Ū Ü İ ı — in the catalog this is marked for every font.
Check capital letters: the pairs I ı and İ i are easy to mix up when case is changed automatically.
Use the converter to convert text letter by letter, and confirm the spelling of names and titles with the client — there are no unified rules yet.
All 31 letters with examples are in the article «Kazakh Latin alphabet 2021».