Kyrgyzstan is a multiethnic country with many different languages. The official language of the country is Kyrgyz, a language which the majority of people speak and understand. However, Russian is also an official language and also the language of inter-ethnic communication.
Kyrgyz
Kyrgyz is a Turkic language of the Kipchak or eastern Turkic family. Its most closely related languages are Kazakh and Mongolian. Roughly 80% of the population of Kyrgyzstan are able to speak and understand Kyrgyz to varying degrees.
Historically under the Russian Empire and then the Soviet Union, Kyrgyz was relegated to a second-rate language of little importance. This was in part because of the attempt to create a more singular identity, and also just due to simple demographics.
What script is Kyrgyz written in?
The Kyrgyz language is written in modified cyrillic. Underlike their neighbours in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, Kyrgzystan has decided not to follow a path of latinisation.
Kyrgyz Cyrillic was adopted in 1940. Before that it was written in Latin between 1929 and 1940 and before that it was in Arabic script, which is still used by the Kyrgyz minority in Western China.
There are some jobs in Kazakhstan that require the applicant to pass a Kyrgyz language test, including running for President.
Russian
Although many ethnic Russians left Kyrgyzstan after the collapse of the Soviet Union, 5% of the population are still Russian. 15% of the population of Kyrgyzstan is ethnically Uzbek who also primarily use the Russian language in their interactions with ethnic Kyrgyz as well as government services.
Likewise, Russian is primarily used in academia, medical, science and when conducting business.
Most importantly, Kyrgyzstan consists of at least 100 different ethnic communities including Uzbeks, Turkmens, Belarusians, Ukrainians, Tartars, Koreans, Germans, Georgians, Azeri, Chechens and Tajiks, just to name a few, and the Russian language allows these groups to communicate with one another.
Other Languages
With over 100 different nationalities in Kyrgyzstan, there are many minority languages which include Uzbek, Uighur, Tajik, German, Ukrainian, Azeri, Georgian and Dugan.
English in Kyrgyzstan
English is becoming increasingly common in Kyrgyzstan, although you still shouldn’t assume you’ll be able to communicate with most people in it. While all European languages had similar levels of popularity in the past, English is now clearly the most studied language and there are English language schools in every city and town across Kyrgyzstan as people see English as their ticket to see the world and advance their opportunities.
