LingoflyAsking the way in Kazakh
18 words in Kazakh on the topic “asking the way”: Қайда? (Qaida) — where?, Мұнда (Mūnda) — here, Анда (Anda) — there, Оңға (Oñğa) — to the right. 18 words can be played from recordings.
18 words on the topic
- Қайда?Qaida?where?Both "where" and "where to": the verb tells you the direction. "Qaidan" is "from where" — the same root with the from-where tail.
- МұндаMūndahereThe ending "-da" does the job of the preposition "in": Kazakh has no prepositions.
- АндаAndathereThe far "there", from the demonstrative "ana". The near "here" is "munda", from "myna": the pair is built on the pair of demonstratives.
- ОңғаOñğato the right"On" is "right", "-gha" is direction. The same piece as in "uige", "home(ward)".
- СолғаSolğato the left"Sol" is "left" plus the directional tail "-gha": literally "to the left one". "Ongha" is built exactly the same way.
- ТураTurastraight ahead"Straight" about a road, and "straight, honest" about a person: "tura soz" is a word said looking you in the eye.
- ЖақынZhaqyncloseAbout distance and about people alike: "zhaqyn adam" is a close person, "zhaqyndar" are your kin.
- АлысAlysfarThe partner of "zhaqyn". With the from-where tail it gives "alystan", "from afar", where "-tan" went voiceless after the s.
- қалай жетуге боладыqalai zhetuge boladyhow do I get there?Literally "how can one reach". The goal always takes the directional case: "vokzalgha qalai zhetuge bolady".
- жетіп баруzhetip baruto get toThe bare "zhetu" means "to reach"; "zhetip baru" adds that the way was seen through to the end. Only the second verb is conjugated.
- арғы беттеarğy betteon the far side"Argy" is "the far one"; "bet" takes the where tail "-te", or else it is simply "a face".
- екі қадам жердеeki qadam zherdetwo steps awayLiterally "at the ground of two steps": "zher" here measures distance, and without it the phrase does not sound.
- бұрылыстың артындаbūrylystyñ artyndaaround the cornerThe chain holds on both sides: the owner tail "-tyn" on the first word and "-ynda" on the service noun.
- сол жағындаsol zhağyndato the left ofA service noun: whatever you count from needs the owner tail — "dukennin sol jaghynda".
- оң жағындаoñ zhağyndato the right ofThe pair of "sol jaghynda". "On" means both "right" and "true, lucky".
- дәл ортасындаdäl ortasyndain the very middleThe bare "ortasynda" is "amid"; the booster "dal" gives a standalone "right in the middle".
- келесі бұрылысkelesi būrylysthe next turn"Kelesi", from "kelu", is "the one coming next"; the same in "kelesi aialdama", the next stop.
- жол-жөнекейzhol-zhönekeion the wayA hyphenated pair; the second half never stands alone, and the order cannot be swapped.
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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
Қайда? (Qaida?) — where? Both "where" and "where to": the verb tells you the direction. "Qaidan" is "from where" — the same root with the from-where tail.
Мұнда (Mūnda) — here. The ending "-da" does the job of the preposition "in": Kazakh has no prepositions.
Анда (Anda) — there. The far "there", from the demonstrative "ana". The near "here" is "munda", from "myna": the pair is built on the pair of demonstratives.
Оңға (Oñğa) — to the right. "On" is "right", "-gha" is direction. The same piece as in "uige", "home(ward)".
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 Қайда? (Qaida?) — where?
- What is this word?
It is Алыс (Alys) — far.
- What is this word?
It is оң жағында (oñ zhağynda) — to the right of.
- What is this word?
It is Оңға (Oñğa) — to the right.
- What is this word?
It is арғы бетте (arğy bette) — on the far side.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “where?” in Kazakh?
Both "where" and "where to": the verb tells you the direction. "Qaidan" is "from where" — the same root with the from-where tail.
- How do you say “far” in Kazakh?
The partner of "zhaqyn". With the from-where tail it gives "alystan", "from afar", where "-tan" went voiceless after the s.
- How do you say “to the right of” in Kazakh?
The pair of "sol jaghynda". "On" means both "right" and "true, lucky".
- How do you say “to the right” in Kazakh?
"On" is "right", "-gha" is direction. The same piece as in "uige", "home(ward)".
- How do you say “on the far side” in Kazakh?
"Argy" is "the far one"; "bet" takes the where tail "-te", or else it is simply "a face".
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Right, left, straight on, how far. You ask the way rarely — and always at the moment when there is no time to work it out.
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 “where?” in Kazakh?
«Қайда?» (Qaida), read “Qaida?” Both "where" and "where to": the verb tells you the direction. "Qaidan" is "from where" — the same root with the from-where tail. It is one of 18 words in the set “asking the way” — the rest are in the table above.
How many direction words do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 18 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, 18 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.