Бір
“Бір” — one in Kazakh. Numeral, level A0, topic — numbers and counting. Doubles as the indefinite article "a": "bir kofe" is "a coffee, please". In a live sentence: “Маған бір билет керек” — I need one ticket. You can hear how it sounds right here. One of 11 words in the set “numbers and counting” in the Kazakh course.
In short
| Written in Kazakh | Бір |
| Translation | one |
| Part of speech | numeral |
| Level | A0 |
- Бірone
Why it looks that way
Doubles as the indefinite article "a": "bir kofe" is "a coffee, please".
A word with a story stays in memory longer than one learned as a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
In a live sentence
A single word almost never appears alone in conversation. A sentence shows where it fits and what stands next to it.
- Маған бір билет керекI need one ticket
Nearby words: numbers and counting
A price, the change, a house number, the time you agreed on, the floor. Numbers are the first thing you have to catch by ear — and the first thing people say fast.
- ЕкіtwoAfter a numeral the noun stays singular: "eki kitap", not "kitaptar". This holds for every number without exception.
- Үшthreeu like German ü, lips pushed forward: ush
- Төртfouro like German ö: tort
- БесfiveOne root for the whole row: "bes zhuz" is five hundred, "besinshi" is fifth, "beseu" is a group of five.
- АлтыsixEnds in a vowel, so its ordinal takes a shortened tail: "altynshy", not the full "-ynshy" form.
- ЖетіsevenThe number of the week and of memory: "zheti ata" — the seven generations of ancestors one is supposed to know by name.
- СегізeightThe ordinal is "segizinshi": the i in the stem pulls the soft tail. Its hard partner is "togyzymshy".
- Тоғызninegh is a voiced, deep-in-the-throat g, like a French "r"
- ОнtenBeyond it numbers are added: "on bir" is eleven, "zhiyrma bir" is twenty-one.
- санnumberFrom "sanau", "to count". A phone number is "nomir", a loanword.
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “numbers and counting”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “one” in Kazakh?
Doubles as the indefinite article "a": "bir kofe" is "a coffee, please".
- How do you say “eight” in Kazakh?
The ordinal is "segizinshi": the i in the stem pulls the soft tail. Its hard partner is "togyzymshy".
- How do you say “four” in Kazakh?
The ordinal is "tortinshi", with the soft tail: the o in the stem pulls the i of the ending with it.
- How do you say “number” in Kazakh?
From "sanau", "to count". A phone number is "nomir", a loanword.
- How do you say “seven” in Kazakh?
The number of the week and of memory: "zheti ata" — the seven generations of ancestors one is supposed to know by name.
How not to forget this word
Reading a word and remembering it are different jobs. A day later, little survives of a single reading — and that is not bad memory, that is how memory works.
- This has been tested on foreign words too. The difference shows up most when you test yourself a few days later rather than straight away.checked many timesKim & Webb, 2022, Language Learning 72(2) · 48 experiments, 3,411 participants, 98 comparisons.
- 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.
- An answer you worked out yourself sticks better than one handed to you.checked many timesBertsch et al., 2007, Memory & Cognition 35(2) · 86 studies, 445 comparisons, d = 0.40.
Frequently asked
How do you say “one” in Kazakh?
«Бір». In a live sentence: “Маған бір билет керек” — I need one ticket. You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Numeral, level A0, from the set “numbers and counting”.
Why does this word look the way it does?
Doubles as the indefinite article "a": "bir kofe" is "a coffee, please". A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
Can I hear how it sounds?
Yes, right on this page: click the word and it will play. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.