Qaraqalpaqsha
Karakalpak
Turkic (Kipchak)
Karakalpak (Қарақалпақша Qaraqalpaqsha) is a Kipchak Turkic language of the Aral Region with ~600K speakers, the official language of the Karakalpakstan Autonomous Republic within Uzbekistan. Linguistically intermediate between Kazakh and Uzbek, it is closer to Kazakh in structure but heavily influenced by Uzbek. Officially shifted from Cyrillic to Latin in a 1996 reform alongside Uzbek, with the transition still ongoing. The Karakalpak homeland has been devastated by the Aral Sea ecological catastrophe since the 1960s, causing massive emigration. The 2022 Karakalpakstan unrest highlighted ongoing autonomy tensions.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Karakalpak
Water
suw
/suw/
Fire
ot
/ot/
Sun
kún
/kyn/
Moon
ay
/aj/
Star
juldız
/ʒuldɯz/
Mother
ana
/ana/
Father
ata
/ata/
I
men
/men/
You
sen
/sen/
Name
at
/ɑt/
Eye
kóz
/køz/
Hand
qol
/qol/
Heart
júrek
/ʒyɾek/
Love
muhabbat
/muhabbat/
Tree
ag'ash
/aʁaʃ/
House
úy
/yj/
Dog
iyt
/ijt/
Cat
pishik
/piʃik/
Eat
jew
/ʒew/
Drink
ishiw
/iʃiw/
One
bir
/biɾ/
Two
eki
/eki/
Hello
salam
/salam/
Thank you
rahmet
/ɾaχmet/
Good
jaqsi
/ʒaqsɯ/
Cuckoo
átshók
/ætˈʃøk/
Computer
kompyuter
/kompjuˈter/
Sushi
sushi
/suˈʃi/
Sources
- Ethnologue: kaa
- Menges (1947) Qaraqalpaq Grammar
- Glottolog: kara1467
Words compared
Compared with related Turkic (Kipchak) languages
| Meaning | Karakalpak | Karachay-Balkar | Karakhanid | Nogai | Kazakh | Kumyk | Altai |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | suw /suw/ | суу /suw/ | suw /suw/ | сув /suv/ | су /suw/ | сув /suv/ | суу /suː/ |
| Fire | ot /ot/ | от /ot/ | ot /ot/ | от /ot/ | от /ot/ | от /ot/ | от /ot/ |
| Sun | kún /kyn/ | кюн /kyn/ | kün /kyn/ | күн /kyn/ | күн /kyn/ | гюн /ɡyn/ | кӱн /kyn/ |
| Moon | ay /aj/ | ай /aj/ | ay /aj/ | ай /aj/ | ай /ɑj/ | ай /aj/ | ай /aj/ |
| Star | juldız /ʒuldɯz/ | жулдуз /ʒulˈduz/ | yultuz /jultuz/ | юлдыз /juldɯz/ | жұлдыз /ʒʊɫˈdəz/ | юлдуз /julduz/ | јылдыс /dʲɯlˈdɯs/ |
| Mother | ana /ana/ | ана /ana/ | ana /ana/ | ана /ana/ | ана /ɑnɑ/ | ана /ana/ | эне /ene/ |
| Father | ata /ata/ | ата /ata/ | ata /ata/ | атай /ataj/ | әке /æke/ | ата /ata/ | ада /ada/ |
| I | men /men/ | мен /men/ | men /men/ | мен /men/ | мен /men/ | мен /men/ | мен /men/ |
| You | sen /sen/ | сен /sen/ | sen /sen/ | сен /sen/ | сен /sen/ | сен /sen/ | сен /sen/ |
| Name | at /ɑt/ | ат /at/ | at /at/ | ат /at/ | ат /at/ | ат /at/ | ат /at/ |
| Eye | kóz /køz/ | кёз /køz/ | köz /køz/ | коьз /køz/ | көз /køz/ | гёз /ɡøz/ | кӧс /køs/ |
| Hand | qol /qol/ | къол /qol/ | qol /qol/ | къол /qol/ | қол /qol/ | къол /qol/ | кол /kol/ |
| Heart | júrek /ʒyɾek/ | джюрек /dʒyrek/ | yürek /jyrek/ | юрек /jyrek/ | жүрек /ʒyɾek/ | юрек /jyrek/ | јӱрек /dʒyrek/ |
| Love | muhabbat /muhabbat/ | сюймеклик /syjmeklik/ | sevgü /sevɡy/ | суьюв /syjyv/ | махаббат /mɑxɑbbɑt/ | сюйюв /syjyv/ | сӱӱш /syːʃ/ |
| Tree | ag'ash /aʁaʃ/ | терек /terek/ | ığač /ɯɣatʃ/ | терек /terek/ | ағаш /ɑʁɑʃ/ | терек /terek/ | агаш /aɡaʃ/ |
| House | úy /yj/ | юй /yj/ | ev /ev/ | уьй /yj/ | үй /yj/ | уьй /yj/ | айыл /ajɯl/ |
| Dog | iyt /ijt/ | ит /it/ | it /it/ | ит /it/ | ит /ɪt/ | ит /it/ | ийт /ijt/ |
| Cat | pishik /piʃik/ | киштик /kiʃtik/ | piši /piʃi/ | мысык /məsəq/ | мысық /mɯsɯq/ | мишик /miʃik/ | киске /kiske/ |
| Eat | jew /ʒew/ | ашаргъа /aʃarʁa/ | yi- /ji/ | аш /aʃ/ | жеу /ʒew/ | ашамакъ /aʃamaq/ | јиир /dʒiːr/ |
| Drink | ishiw /iʃiw/ | ичерге /itʃerɡe/ | ič- /itʃ/ | иш /iʃ/ | ішу /ɪʃuw/ | ичмек /itʃmek/ | ичер /itʃer/ |
| One | bir /biɾ/ | бир /bir/ | bir /bir/ | бир /bir/ | бір /bɪɾ/ | бир /bir/ | бир /bir/ |
| Two | eki /eki/ | эки /eˈki/ | iki /iki/ | эки /eki/ | екі /jeˈkɘ/ | эки /eki/ | эки /eˈki/ |
| Hello | salam /salam/ | салам /salam/ | salām /salaːm/ | ассаламу алейкум /asːalamu alejkum/ | сәлем /sælem/ | ассаламу алейкум /asːalamu alejkum/ | эзен /ezen/ |
| Thank you | rahmet /ɾaχmet/ | сау бол /saw bol/ | tabug /tabuɡ/ | сав бол /sav bol/ | рахмет /ɾɑxmet/ | савбол /savbol/ | быйан /bɯjan/ |
| Good | jaqsi /ʒaqsɯ/ | ариу /ariw/ | yaqšı /jaqʃɯ/ | яксы /jaksə/ | жақсы /ʒɑqsɯ/ | яхшы /jaχʃə/ | јакшы /dʒaqʃɯ/ |
| Cuckoo | átshók /ætˈʃøk/ | гугук /ɡuˈɡuk/ | — | коькек /køˈkek/ | көкек /kœˈkek/ | атъёкъ /atˈjoq/ | кӱӱк /kyːk/ |
| Computer | kompyuter /kompjuˈter/ | компьютер /kɐmˈpjuter/ | — | компьютер /kɐmˈpjuter/ | компьютер /kɐmˈpjutɨr/ | компьютер /kɐmˈpjuter/ | компьютер /komˈpjuter/ |
| Sushi | sushi /suˈʃi/ | суши /suˈʃi/ | — | суши /suˈʃi/ | суши /suˈʃɪ/ | суши /suˈʃi/ | суши /suˈʃi/ |
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