Pronouns in Kazakh
25 words Kazakh words on the topic “pronouns”: Мен — I, Сен — you (informal), Сіз — you (polite), Ол — he. 25 words can be played from recordings.
25 words on the topic
- МенIUsually dropped in speech: the verb ending already announces who is acting.
- Сенyou (informal)For your own people and the younger ones. To a stranger or an elder it is siz.
- Сізyou (polite)The polite address to strangers and elders. The i is the short letter, closer to the vowel in "bit" than in "see" — do not mix it up with the dotted kind.
- ОлheAlso "she" and "it": there is no gender at all, one word for all three. The same word points at things — "that one".
- БізweOne "we" for everyone: the language does not split "we with you" from "we without you". It does not derive from men by rule — the form is ancient.
- Оларthey"Ol" plus "-lar", the plural ending. You will meet the same tail in kitaptar, "books".
- меніңmyThe noun after it takes a tail of its own: "menin uim" is literally "my house-mine". The tail is not optional.
- сеніңyour (informal)The polite "your" is "sizdin", and it is the one to use with anyone older. A slip here is noticed at once.
- біздіңourThe noun tail is -ymyz/-imiz: "bizdin peterimiz". It is long, and it is the one people drop most often.
- сіздіңyour (polite)Also the polite "your" to one person. "Senderdin" is "your" about a group addressed informally — a fourth form.
- оныңhis, her, their (whose)There is no gender: "onyn" is the same about a man and a woman. "Their" is "olardyn".
- өзone's ownAlso "self": "ozim" is "I myself", "oz isim" is "my own business". The tail tells them apart.
- өзімmyselfThe same "oz" with a personal tail: ozim, ozing, ozi. The form follows the person, like "myself, yourself, himself".
- бүкілthe wholeStands before the noun with no tails. The near-equal "barlyq" is more often about pluralities: "barlyq adam".
- әрқайсысыeach ofFrom "ar", "each", and "qaisy", "which". On its own "ar" stands before the noun: "ar kuni".
- кез келгенanyLiterally "one who came in its turn". The phrase is not taken apart piece by piece.
- бұлthisThere are three steps: "bul" close by, "sol" the one named, "ana" over there.
- анауthat one (over there)The farthest step. "Ol" is both "that" and "he": there is no gender in Kazakh.
- мұндайsuchThree steps here too: "mundai" like this, "sondai" like that one, "andai" like the one over there.
- басқаanotherA trap: the same word as a postposition means "except". "Odan basqa" is "except him".
- ешқандайnot anyDemands a negation on the verb: "eshqandai masele zhoq". Without the second negation the sentence is wrong.
- біреуsomeoneFrom "bir", "one". Literally "a certain one".
- бір нәрсеa certain thingLiterally "one thing". The near-equal "birdene" is shorter and more conversational.
- ешқайсысыnone of themAlso with a negation on the verb. "Eshkim" is "nobody at all", without pointing at a group.
- ештеңеnothingThe verb next to it must be negative: "eshtene tusinbeymin".
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.
What is worth knowing about these words
Мен — I. Usually dropped in speech: the verb ending already announces who is acting.
Сен — you (informal). For your own people and the younger ones. To a stranger or an elder it is siz.
Сіз — you (polite). The polite address to strangers and elders. The i is the short letter, closer to the vowel in "bit" than in "see" — do not mix it up with the dotted kind.
Ол — he. Also "she" and "it": there is no gender at all, one word for all three. The same word points at things — "that one".
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 Мен — I.
- What is this word?
It is сенің — your (informal).
- What is this word?
It is әрқайсысы — each of.
- What is this word?
It is біреу — someone.
- What is this word?
It is Ол — he.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “I” in Kazakh?
Usually dropped in speech: the verb ending already announces who is acting.
- How do you say “your (informal)” in Kazakh?
The polite "your" is "sizdin", and it is the one to use with anyone older. A slip here is noticed at once.
- How do you say “each of” in Kazakh?
From "ar", "each", and "qaisy", "which". On its own "ar" stands before the noun: "ar kuni".
- How do you say “someone” in Kazakh?
From "bir", "one". Literally "a certain one".
- How do you say “he” in Kazakh?
Also "she" and "it": there is no gender at all, one word for all three. The same word points at things — "that one".
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
I, you, we, they. There is a handful of them, they turn up in every sentence, and politeness rides on them: most of these languages keep a formal “you” apart from a familiar one, and choosing the wrong one is noticed faster than a mispronounced word.
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 “I” in Kazakh?
«Мен». Usually dropped in speech: the verb ending already announces who is acting. It is one of 25 words in the set “pronouns” — the rest are in the table above.
How many pronouns do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 25 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, 25 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.