LingoflyEveryday life and routine in Kazakh
12 words in Kazakh on the topic “everyday life and routine”: Жұмыс (Zhūmys) — work, Істеу (Isteu) — to work, ояну (oyanu) — to wake up, тұру (Tūru) — to get up. 12 words can be played from recordings.
12 words on the topic
- ЖұмысZhūmysworkBoth the workplace and the thing being done. To work is "isteu" or "zhumys isteu", literally "to do work".
- ІстеуIsteuto workThe same word says "to do": "ne istep zhaturshyn?" is "what are you doing?". About the workplace: "bankte isteimin", "I work at a bank".
- оянуoyanuto wake upTo wake someone else is the make-it-happen form "oyatu". One tail apart are "wake up" and "wake someone".
- тұруtūruto get upAlso "to stand" and "to live somewhere": "Almatyda turamyn" is "I live in Almaty".
- бет жууbet zhuuto wash one's faceLiterally "to wash the face" — the language names what is washed, as Turkish does.
- тарануtaranuto comb one's hairThe reflexive of "tarau", "to comb". The tail "-n" turns the action onto oneself.
- сақал алуsaqal aluto shaveLiterally "to take the beard". There is also a verb of its own: "qyrynu", to shave.
- киінуkiinuto get dressedThe reflexive of "kiyu", "to put on". "Kiyu" demands a thing to put on, "kiinu" does not.
- шешінуsheshinuto undressFrom "sheshu" — to take off, to untie, to solve. Three senses on one root.
- отыруotyruto sit downAlso "to sit". As an auxiliary it marks an ongoing action: "oqyp otyrmin", "I am sitting and reading".
- жатуzhatuto lie downAlso "to lie". As an auxiliary it marks an ongoing action too.
- демалуdemaluto restFrom "dem", "breath": to rest is to catch one's breath. "Demalis" is "rest, day off".
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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
Жұмыс (Zhūmys) — work. Both the workplace and the thing being done. To work is "isteu" or "zhumys isteu", literally "to do work".
Істеу (Isteu) — to work. The same word says "to do": "ne istep zhaturshyn?" is "what are you doing?". About the workplace: "bankte isteimin", "I work at a bank".
ояну (oyanu) — to wake up. To wake someone else is the make-it-happen form "oyatu". One tail apart are "wake up" and "wake someone".
тұру (tūru) — to get up. Also "to stand" and "to live somewhere": "Almatyda turamyn" is "I live in Almaty".
Test yourself
First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “work” in Kazakh?
Both the workplace and the thing being done. To work is "isteu" or "zhumys isteu", literally "to do work".
- How do you say “to get dressed” in Kazakh?
The reflexive of "kiyu", "to put on". "Kiyu" demands a thing to put on, "kiinu" does not.
- How do you say “to wake up” in Kazakh?
To wake someone else is the make-it-happen form "oyatu". One tail apart are "wake up" and "wake someone".
- How do you say “to sit down” in Kazakh?
Also "to sit". As an auxiliary it marks an ongoing action: "oqyp otyrmin", "I am sitting and reading".
- How do you say “to wash one's face” in Kazakh?
Literally "to wash the face" — the language names what is washed, as Turkish does.
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Work, home, rest, errands. The words the answer to “how are things?” is made of.
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.
- Study spread over days wins 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 “work” in Kazakh?
«Жұмыс» (Zhūmys), read “Zhūmys”. Both the workplace and the thing being done. To work is "isteu" or "zhumys isteu", literally "to do work". It is one of 12 words in the set “everyday life and routine” — the rest are in the table above.
How many everyday words do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 12 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.
Is there audio?
Yes, 12 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.