Editing Kazakh language (section)

=== Orthography ===
{{Main|Kazakh alphabets}}
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.<ref name="Decree569">{{cite web |script-title=ru:О переводе алфавита казахского языка с кириллицы на латинскую графику|trans-title = On the change of the alphabet of the Kazakh language from the Cyrillic to the Latin script|language = RU|publisher = [[President of the Republic of Kazakhstan]]|url = http://www.akorda.kz/ru/legal_acts/decrees/o-perevode-alfavita-kazahskogo-yazyka-s-kirillicy-na-latinskuyu-grafiku|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171027180526/http://www.akorda.kz/ru/legal_acts/decrees/o-perevode-alfavita-kazahskogo-yazyka-s-kirillicy-na-latinskuyu-grafiku|date = 26 October 2017|access-date = 26 October 2017|archive-date = 27 October 2017|url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url = https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41800186|title = Kazakhstan to Qazaqstan: Why would a country switch its alphabet?|date = 31 October 2017|work = [[BBC News]]|access-date = 31 October 2017|first1 = Andreas|last1 = Illmer|first2 = Elbek|last2 = Daniyarov|first3 = Azim|last3 = Rakhimov|url-status = live|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171031100824/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41800186|archive-date = 31 October 2017}}</ref>

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 {{IPA|/ɘ/|lang=kk}}, ү {{IPA|/ʉ/|lang=kk}}, ы {{IPA|/ə/|lang=kk}}, ұ {{IPA|/ʊ/|lang=kk}} with glide {{IPA|/w/|lang=kk}},<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Произношение букв {{!}} kaz-tili.kz |url=https://kaz-tili.kz/su_fonetika.htm |access-date=2023-07-10 |website=kaz-tili.kz}}</ref> e.g. {{lang|kk|кіру}} {{IPA|[kɪ̞ˈrɪ̞w]|lang=kk}}, {{lang|kk|су}} {{IPA|[so̙w]|lang=kk}}, {{lang|kk|көру}} {{IPA|[kɵˈrʏ̞w]|lang=kk}}, {{lang|kk|атысу}} {{IPA|[ɑ̝təˈsəw]|lang=kk}}. Ю undergoes the same process but with {{IPA|/j/}} at the beginning.

The letter И represents a combination of sounds: i {{IPA|/ɘ/|lang=kk}} (in front-vowel contexts) or ы {{IPA|/ə/|lang=kk}} (in back vowel contexts) + glide {{IPA|/j/|lang=kk}},<ref name=":0" /> e.g. {{lang|kk|тиіс}} {{IPA|[tɪ̞ˈjɪ̞s]|lang=kk}}, {{lang|kk|оқиды}} {{IPA|[wo̞qəjˈdə]|lang=kk}}. In Russian loanwords, it is realized as {{IPA|/ʲi/|lang=kk}} (when stressed) or {{IPA|/ʲɪ/|lang=kk}} (when unstressed), e.g. {{lang|kk|изоморфизм}} {{IPA|[ɪzəmɐrˈfʲizm]|lang=kk}}.

The letter Я represents either {{IPA|/jɑ/|lang=kk}} or {{IPA|/jæ/|lang=kk}} depending on vowel harmony.

The letter Щ represents {{IPA|/ʃː/|lang=kk}}, e.g. {{lang|kk|ащы}} {{IPA|[ɑ̝ʃ.ˈʃə]|lang=kk}}.

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.

The table below compares the various scripts.

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsable" style="font-feature-settings:'cv50' 1;"
! rowspan="2" |[[Help:IPA/Kazakh|IPA]]<ref>{{citation
|last=Vajda
|first=Edward
|editor-last1=Kaplan
|editor-first1=E.
|editor-last2=Whisenhunt
|editor-first2=D.
|year=1994
|chapter=Kazakh phonology
|title=Essays presented in honor of Henry Schwarz
|place=Washington
|publisher=Western Washington
|pages=603–650
}}</ref><ref>{{citation
|last=McCollum
|first=Adam
|year=2015
|chapter=Labial Harmonic Shift in Kazakh: Mapping the Pathways and Motivations for Decay
|title=Proceedings of the Forty-First Annual Meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society
|volume=41
|publisher=Berkeley Linguistics Society 
|place=Berkeley 
|pages=329–351
}}</ref>
! rowspan="2" |Cyrillic
! colspan="3" |Latin
! colspan="2" |Arabic
! rowspan="2" |[[Kazakh Braille|Braille]]
|-
!<small>2021</small><ref name="tengrinews_435370" />
!<small>2018</small><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.qazlatyn.kz/alphabet|title = Qazaq álipbıi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.qazlatyn.kz/converter/text|title = Mátindik konverter}}</ref> !!<small>2017</small>!! Letter !! Name 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|ɑ|}}
|А а 
| colspan="3" |A a|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ا}} || Alif ||{{braille cell|a}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|æ|}}
|Ә ә ||Ä ä|| Á á || A' a' || {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ٵ}} ||Hamza + Alif||{{braille cell|345}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|b|}}
|Б б || colspan="3" |B b|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ب}} || Ba ||{{braille cell|b}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|v|}}
|В в || colspan="3" |V v|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ۆ}} || Waw with Haček ||{{braille cell|w}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|g|}}
|Г г || colspan="3" |G g|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|گ}} || Gaf ||{{braille cell|g}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|ʁ|}}
|Ғ ғ ||Ğ ğ||| Ǵ ǵ || G' g' || {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|غ}} || Ghain ||{{braille cell|12456}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|d|}}
|Д д || colspan="3" |D d|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|د}} || Dal ||{{braille cell|d}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|e|}}
|Е е 
| colspan="3" |E e|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ە}} || Ha ||{{braille cell|e}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|jo|}}
|Ё ё ||İo io|| Io ıo || {{n/a}} || ({{Script/Arabic|size=130%|يو}})||Ya + Waw||{{braille cell|16}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|ʒ~d͡ʒ|}}
|Ж ж || colspan="3" |J j|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ج}} || Jeem ||{{braille cell|j}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|z|}}
|З з || colspan="3" |Z z|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ز}} || Za ||{{braille cell|z}} 
|-
|{{IPA|kk|ɯj, ɪj|}}
|И и || rowspan="2" |İ i|| rowspan="2" | I ı || rowspan="2" | I' i' || rowspan="2" | {{Script/Arabic|size=130%| ي}} || rowspan="2" | Ya ||{{braille cell|i}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|j|}}
|Й й ||{{braille cell|y}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|k|}}
|К к || colspan="3" |K k || {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ك}} || Kaf ||{{braille cell|k}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|q~χ|}}
|Қ қ || colspan="3" |Q q|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ق}} || Qaf ||{{braille cell|1456}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|l|}}
|Л л || colspan="3" |L l|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ل}} || Lam ||{{braille cell|l}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|m|}}
|М м || colspan="3" |M m|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|م}} || Meem ||{{braille cell|m}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|n|}}
|Н н || colspan="3" |N n|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ن}} || Noon ||{{braille cell|n}} 
|-
|{{IPA|kk|ŋ|}}
|Ң ң ||Ñ ñ||Ń ń || N' n' || {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ڭ}} || Kaf with three dots ||{{braille cell|146}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|o|}}
|О о 
| colspan="3" |O o|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|و}} || Waw ||{{braille cell|o}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|œ|}}
|Ө ө ||Ö ö|| Ó ó || O' o' || {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ٶ}} ||Hamza + Waw ||{{braille cell|126}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|p|}}
|П п || colspan="3" |P p|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|پ}} || Pa ||{{braille cell|p}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|r|}}
|Р р || colspan="3" |R r|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ر}} || Ra ||{{braille cell|r}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|s|}}
|С с || colspan="3" |S s|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|س}} || Seen ||{{braille cell|s}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|t|}}
|Т т || colspan="3" |T t|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ت}} || Ta ||{{braille cell|t}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|w, uw, yw, ɯw, ɪw|}}
|У у ||U u||Ý ý || Y' y' || {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ۋ}} ||Waw with 3 dots||{{braille cell|u}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|u~ʊ|}}
|Ұ ұ ||Ū ū|| colspan="2" | U u || {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ۇ}} ||Waw with ''damma''||{{braille cell|34}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|y~ʉ|}}
|Ү ү ||Ü ü||Ú ú || U' u' || {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ٷ}} ||Hamza + Waw with ''damma''||{{braille cell|346}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|f|}}
|Ф ф || colspan="3" |F f|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ف}} ||Fa ||{{braille cell|f}} 
|-
|{{IPA|kk|h|}}
|Һ һ || colspan="3" rowspan="2" |H h|| ھ  ||Ha||{{braille cell|h}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|χ|}}
|Х х || خ ||Kha||{{braille cell|h}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|ts|}}
|Ц ц ||Ts ts|| S s || {{n/a}} || ({{Script/Arabic|size=130%|تس}}) || Ta + Seen ||{{braille cell|c}} 
|-
|{{IPA|kk|tɕ|}}
|Ч ч ||Tş tş||Ch ch || C' c' || {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|چ}} || Cheem || {{braille cell|12345}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|ʃ|}}
|Ш ш ||Ş ş|| Sh sh || S' s' || {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ش}} || Sheen || {{braille cell|156}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|ɕː|}}
|Щ щ ||Ştş ştş||Shch shch || {{n/a}} || ({{Script/Arabic|size=130%|شش}}) || Sheen + Sheen || {{braille cell|x}} 
|-
| {{n/a}}
|Ъ ъ || colspan="5" {{n/a}} ||{{braille cell|12356}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|ɯ|}}
|Ы ы || colspan="3" |Y y|| {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ى}} ||Alif maqṣūrah||{{braille cell|2346}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|ɪ|}}
|І і ||I ı|| colspan="2" |I i || {{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ئ}} ||Hamza + Ya||{{braille cell|i}} 
|-
| {{n/a}}
|Ь ь || colspan="5" {{n/a}} ||{{braille cell|23456}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|ɛ|}}
|Э э || colspan="2" |E e|| rowspan="3" {{n/a}} || ({{Script/Arabic|size=130%|ە}}) || Ha ||{{braille cell|ow}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|jʊ|}}
|Ю ю ||İu iu|| Iý ıý || ({{Script/Arabic|size=130%| يۋ }}) || Ya + Waw with ''damma'' ||{{braille cell|ü}} 
|-
| {{IPA|kk|jɑ|}}
|Я я ||İa ia||Ia ıa || ({{Script/Arabic|size=130%|يا}}) || Ya + Alif ||{{braille cell|1246}} 
|}