structural:scholar_edition
Orthography

Nowadays, Kazakh is mostly written in the Cyrillic script, with an Arabic-based alphabet being used by minorities in China. Since 26 October 2017, via Presidential Decree 569, Kazakhstan will adopt the Latin script by 2025.

Cyrillic script was created to better merge the Kazakh language with other languages of the USSR, hence it has some controversial letter readings.

The letter У after a consonant represents a combination of sounds і /ɘ/, ү /ʉ/, ы /ə/, ұ /ʊ/ with glide /w/, e.g. кіру, су, көру, атысу. Ю undergoes the same process but with /j/ at the beginning.

The letter И represents a combination of sounds: i /ɘ/ (in front-vowel contexts) or ы /ə/ (in back vowel contexts) + glide /j/, e.g. тиіс, оқиды. In Russian loanwords, it is realized as /ʲi/ (when stressed) or /ʲɪ/ (when unstressed), e.g. изоморфизм.

The letter Я represents either /jɑ/ or /jæ/ depending on vowel harmony.

The letter Щ represents /ʃː/, e.g. ащы.

Meanwhile, the letters В, Ё, Ф, Х, Һ, Ц, Ч, Ъ, Ь, Э are only used in loanwords—mostly those of Russian origin, but sometimes of Persian and Arabic origin. They are often substituted in spoken Kazakh.