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
20 core words in Karakalpak
Water
suw
/suw/
Fire
ot
/ot/
Sun
kún
/kyn/
Moon
ay
/aj/
Mother
ana
/ana/
Father
ata
/ata/
Eat
jew
/ʒew/
Drink
ishiw
/iʃiw/
Love
muhabbat
/muhabbat/
Heart
júrek
/ʒyɾek/
Tree
ag'ash
/aʁaʃ/
House
úy
/yj/
Dog
iyt
/ijt/
Cat
pishik
/piʃik/
Hand
qol
/qol/
Eye
kóz
/køz/
Hello
salam
/salam/
Thank you
rahmet
/ɾaχmet/
One
bir
/biɾ/
Good
jaqsi
/ʒaqsɯ/
Sources
- Ethnologue: kaa
- Menges (1947) Qaraqalpaq Grammar
- Glottolog: kara1467
Words compared
Compared with related Turkic (Kipchak) languages
| Meaning | Karakalpak | Karachay-Balkar | Kazakh | Karakhanid | Nogai | Kumyk | Altai |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | suw /suw/ | суу /suw/ | су /suw/ | suw /suw/ | сув /suv/ | сув /suv/ | суу /suː/ |
| Fire | ot /ot/ | от /ot/ | от /ot/ | ot /ot/ | от /ot/ | от /ot/ | от /ot/ |
| Sun | kún /kyn/ | кюн /kyn/ | күн /kyn/ | kün /kyn/ | күн /kyn/ | гюн /ɡyn/ | кӱн /kyn/ |
| Moon | ay /aj/ | ай /aj/ | ай /ɑj/ | ay /aj/ | ай /aj/ | ай /aj/ | ай /aj/ |
| Mother | ana /ana/ | ана /ana/ | ана /ɑnɑ/ | ana /ana/ | ана /ana/ | ана /ana/ | эне /ene/ |
| Father | ata /ata/ | ата /ata/ | әке /æke/ | ata /ata/ | атай /ataj/ | ата /ata/ | ада /ada/ |
| Eat | jew /ʒew/ | ашаргъа /aʃarʁa/ | жеу /ʒew/ | yi- /ji/ | аш /aʃ/ | ашамакъ /aʃamaq/ | јиир /dʒiːr/ |
| Drink | ishiw /iʃiw/ | ичерге /itʃerɡe/ | ішу /ɪʃuw/ | ič- /itʃ/ | иш /iʃ/ | ичмек /itʃmek/ | ичер /itʃer/ |
| Love | muhabbat /muhabbat/ | сюймеклик /syjmeklik/ | махаббат /mɑxɑbbɑt/ | sevgü /sevɡy/ | суьюв /syjyv/ | сюйюв /syjyv/ | сӱӱш /syːʃ/ |
| Heart | júrek /ʒyɾek/ | джюрек /dʒyrek/ | жүрек /ʒyɾek/ | yürek /jyrek/ | юрек /jyrek/ | юрек /jyrek/ | јӱрек /dʒyrek/ |
| Tree | ag'ash /aʁaʃ/ | терек /terek/ | ағаш /ɑʁɑʃ/ | ığač /ɯɣatʃ/ | терек /terek/ | терек /terek/ | агаш /aɡaʃ/ |
| House | úy /yj/ | юй /yj/ | үй /yj/ | ev /ev/ | уьй /yj/ | уьй /yj/ | айыл /ajɯl/ |
| Dog | iyt /ijt/ | ит /it/ | ит /ɪt/ | it /it/ | ит /it/ | ит /it/ | ийт /ijt/ |
| Cat | pishik /piʃik/ | киштик /kiʃtik/ | мысық /mɯsɯq/ | piši /piʃi/ | мысык /məsəq/ | мишик /miʃik/ | киске /kiske/ |
| Hand | qol /qol/ | къол /qol/ | қол /qol/ | qol /qol/ | къол /qol/ | къол /qol/ | кол /kol/ |
| Eye | kóz /køz/ | кёз /køz/ | көз /køz/ | köz /køz/ | коьз /køz/ | гёз /ɡøz/ | кӧс /køs/ |
| Hello | salam /salam/ | салам /salam/ | сәлем /sælem/ | salām /salaːm/ | ассаламу алейкум /asːalamu alejkum/ | ассаламу алейкум /asːalamu alejkum/ | эзен /ezen/ |
| Thank you | rahmet /ɾaχmet/ | сау бол /saw bol/ | рахмет /ɾɑxmet/ | tabug /tabuɡ/ | сав бол /sav bol/ | савбол /savbol/ | быйан /bɯjan/ |
| One | bir /biɾ/ | бир /bir/ | бір /bɪɾ/ | bir /bir/ | бир /bir/ | бир /bir/ | бир /bir/ |
| Good | jaqsi /ʒaqsɯ/ | ариу /ariw/ | жақсы /ʒɑqsɯ/ | yaqšı /jaqʃɯ/ | яксы /jaksə/ | яхшы /jaχʃə/ | јакшы /dʒaqʃɯ/ |
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