Buildings and premises in Kazakh
29 words Kazakh words on the topic “buildings and premises”: Мейрамхана — restaurant, Дүкен — store, Бекет — station, Базар — bazaar. 29 words can be played from recordings.
29 words on the topic
- Мейрамханаrestaurant"Meiram" is "feast", "khana" is "house": literally "feast house".
- ДүкенstoreFrom the Persian "dukan", a shop. The store is "duken" and the market is "bazar": for Kazakh these are two different places.
- БекетstationOne word for the station and the stop alike: "avtobus beketi" is a bus stop, "temir zhol beketi" is a railway station.
- БазарbazaarA Persian word, the same one you already know. "Bazarlyq" is a treat brought back from the market — a custom with a name of its own.
- БанкbankA loanword that takes cases as its own, with devoicing at the seam: "bankke" is "to the bank", "bankten" is "from the bank".
- ДәріханаpharmacyAgain "-khana", "house": "dari", "medicine", plus house. Like "meiramkhana".
- Азық-түлік дүкеніgrocery store"Azyq-tulik" is a paired word: both halves mean "edibles", together — groceries. "Duken" you know from unit 3.
- АуруханаhospitalThe third "-hana" house after the restaurant and the pharmacy: "illness" plus "house".
- Әуежайairporta midway between "a" and "e", the mouth wider: A-u-e-zhai
- Қонақүйhotelq deep, u rounded: QO-naq-UI
- Жағажайbeachgh throaty between vowels: zha-GHA-zhai
- Бақgardenq at the end, deep: BAQ
- ТауmountainFor Almaty an everyday word: "we are going to the mountains" means the Medeu skating rink or higher.
- Саябақparkq deep at the end: sa-ya-BAQ
- Кітапханаlibraryi short: ki-tap-kha-NA
- Мұражайmuseumu short and tense: MU-ra-zhai
- ТеатрtheaterA loanword with no pair. It is said in two syllables, without the opening vowel: te-ATR.
- КинотеатрcinemaThe word taken whole. In speech people more often say just "the movies": "let us go to the movies".
- ШеберханаworkshopThe familiar "master" plus the same "house" tail as in "library" and "pharmacy".
- автобекетbus station"Beket" the course knows as "station"; the compound with "avto" gives the intercity bus terminal.
- кеме айлағыboat pierThe bare "ailaq" the course keeps for the port; the chain with "keme" narrows it to the pier where you board a boat.
- айырбастау пунктіcurrency exchange officeThe second word is borrowed and still takes the Kazakh tail: "punkti", not "punkt".
- хайуанаттар бағыzooLiterally "the garden of beasts": plural on the first word, possessive "-y" on the second. In speech the borrowed word lives too.
- циркcircusBorrowed whole, with no native pair. Cases attach to it as to a native: "tsirkke", "tsirkten".
- өрт сөндіру бөліміfire station"Ort" is "fire", which the course already knows; "sondiru" is "to extinguish", "bolim" with "-i" is "the unit".
- көлік жуу орныcar washThe same pattern as "kir juu orn": an action plus "orny". The narrow "y" in "oryn" drops when a tail is added.
- туристік агенттікtravel agencyBoth words are borrowed, but the tails are Kazakh and both front-row: "-tik" and "-tik".
- бас көшеmain street"Bas" means both "head" and "chief": "bas koshe", "bas dariger" — the head doctor.
- билет кассасыticket officeA possessive chain: "bilet" without a case, "kassa" taking the back-row "-sy".
How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
- Кешке мейрамханаға барамызIn the evening we are going to a restaurant
- Дүкен таңғы сегізде ашыладыThe store opens at eight in the morning
- Келесі бекетте түсемінI will get off at the next station
- Базарда жеміс арзанFruit is cheap at the bazaar
- Банк сағат онда ашыладыThe bank opens at ten
- Дәріхана ауруханының қасындаThe pharmacy is next to the hospital
What is worth knowing about these words
Мейрамхана — restaurant. "Meiram" is "feast", "khana" is "house": literally "feast house".
Дүкен — store. From the Persian "dukan", a shop. The store is "duken" and the market is "bazar": for Kazakh these are two different places.
Бекет — station. One word for the station and the stop alike: "avtobus beketi" is a bus stop, "temir zhol beketi" is a railway station.
Базар — bazaar. A Persian word, the same one you already know. "Bazarlyq" is a treat brought back from the market — a custom with a name of its own.
Test yourself
First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.
- What is this word?
It is Мейрамхана — restaurant.
- What is this word?
It is Аурухана — hospital.
- What is this word?
It is Кітапхана — library.
- What is this word?
It is айырбастау пункті — currency exchange office.
- What is this word?
It is билет кассасы — ticket office.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “restaurant” in Kazakh?
"Meiram" is "feast", "khana" is "house": literally "feast house".
- How do you say “hospital” in Kazakh?
The third "-hana" house after the restaurant and the pharmacy: "illness" plus "house".
- How do you say “library” in Kazakh?
The Persian tail means "house, room": library, pharmacy, workshop, canteen — learn it once and you will read the signs in any city.
- How do you say “currency exchange office” in Kazakh?
The second word is borrowed and still takes the Kazakh tail: "punkti", not "punkt".
- How do you say “ticket office” in Kazakh?
A possessive chain: "bilet" without a case, "kassa" taking the back-row "-sy".
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Where to go and what is done there. These words are read off a sign more often than they are spoken.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- This holds not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “restaurant” in Kazakh?
«Мейрамхана». "Meiram" is "feast", "khana" is "house": literally "feast house". It is one of 29 words in the set “buildings and premises” — the rest are in the table above.
How many words for buildings and places do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 29 words on this page covers nearly every everyday case on the topic — but it is best taken a few at a time, not all at once.
Is there audio?
Yes, 29 words on this page can be played — click the speaker next to the word. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.