LingoflyАвтобус
- АвтобусAvtobusbus
“Автобус” (Avtobus) — bus in Kazakh. Noun, level A1, topic — transport. A loanword that came by way of Russian. The stress is heard both ways: on the last syllable by the Kazakh rule, av-to-BUS, and as in the source, av-TO-bus. In a live sentence: “Автобус бес минуттан кейін келеді” (Avtobus bes minuttan keiin keledi) — The bus will come in five minutes. You can hear how it sounds right here. Written with the characters А, в, т, о, б, у, с.
In short
| Written in Kazakh | Автобус (Avtobus) |
| Read in Latin letters | Avtobus |
| Translation | bus |
| Part of speech | noun |
| Level | A1 |
Why it looks that way
A loanword that came by way of Russian. The stress is heard both ways: on the last syllable by the Kazakh rule, av-to-BUS, and as in the source, av-TO-bus.
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.
Nearby words: transport
Bus, metro, taxi, stop, station. These are words you need to recognize in writing — off a departure board and off a sign.
- ТаксиTaksitaxiDoes not change for number, but takes cases as its own: "taksimen" is "by taxi", "taksige" is "into the taxi".
- БекетBeketstationOne word for the station and the stop alike: "avtobus beketi" is a bus stop, "temir zhol beketi" is a railway station.
- БилетBiletticketA loanword Kazakh took in whole and does not give back; the native phrase appears only in the carrier's rules.
- ҰшақŪshaqairplaneu is a short "u" with tense lips: u-SHAQ
- ҚайықQaiyqboatq at the start and the end: qa-YIQ
- ВелосипедVelosipedbicycleThe dictionaries carry an old jesting name — "the devil's cart"; it is a real historical name. In the city only the borrowed word is said.
- Автобус аялдамасыAvtobus ayaldamasybus stop signThe word for "stop" comes from "to linger". The sign on the pole in Almaty is labeled exactly with this phrase.
- Жол жүру картасыZhol zhüru kartasytransit passu rounded: zu-RU
- БағытBağytroutegh voiced throaty: ba-GHYT
- КөлікKölikcarrounded o, short i: ko-LIK
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “transport”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “bus” in Kazakh?
A loanword that came by way of Russian. The stress is heard both ways: on the last syllable by the Kazakh rule, av-to-BUS, and as in the source, av-TO-bus.
- How do you say “bus stop sign” in Kazakh?
The word for "stop" comes from "to linger". The sign on the pole in Almaty is labeled exactly with this phrase.
- How do you say “ticket” in Kazakh?
A loanword Kazakh took in whole and does not give back; the native phrase appears only in the carrier's rules.
- How do you say “car” in Kazakh?
wider than a car: any transport, as in public transport; in living speech about your own car people say kolik and the Russian mashina alike — the second even more often — but documents and signs keep kolik
- How do you say “bicycle” in Kazakh?
The dictionaries carry an old jesting name — "the devil's cart"; it is a real historical name. In the city only the borrowed word is said.
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 “bus” in Kazakh?
«Автобус» (Avtobus), read “Avtobus”. In a live sentence: “Автобус бес минуттан кейін келеді” (Avtobus bes minuttan keiin keledi) — The bus will come in five minutes. You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Noun, level A1, from the set “transport”; written with the characters А, в, т, о, б, у, с.
How is “Автобус” (Avtobus) written in Latin letters?
Avtobus. This is a practical spelling — you need it to read aloud and be understood, not to meet an academic standard.
Why does this word look the way it does?
A loanword that came by way of Russian. The stress is heard both ways: on the last syllable by the Kazakh rule, av-to-BUS, and as in the source, av-TO-bus. 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 this 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.