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Time and dates in Kazakh: telling the time, days, months
Telling the time, days of the week, months, dates and durations: everything you need to arrange a meeting.
- What time is it?
- Parts of the day, today and tomorrow
- Days of the week
- Months and seasons
- Dates and years
- How long? Durations and deadlines
What time is it?
Sağat neşe? — What time is it? Answer: Sağat bes (five o’clock). Half past: sağat bes jarym (5:30). Minutes past the hour: sağat besten on minut kettı (5:10 — “ten minutes have gone from five”). Minutes to the hour: sağat altyğa on minut qaldy (5:50 — “ten minutes remain until six”). Announcements use plain digits: on jetı otyz (17:30). “At what time?” — Sağat neşede? — sağat segızde (at eight).
| Sağat neşe? | What time is it? | |
|---|---|---|
| Sağat bes. | Five o’clock. | |
| Sağat bes jarym. | Half past five (5:30). | |
| Sağat besten on bes minut kettı. | A quarter past five (5:15). | |
| Sağat altyğa on minut qaldy. | Ten to six (5:50). | |
| Sağat on jetı otyz. | 17:30. | |
| Sağat neşede? | At what time? | |
| Sağat segızde. | At eight. | |
| Sağat toğyz jarymda. | At half past nine. |
Excuse me, what time is it?
The shop opens at nine.
The lesson starts at half past six.
Parts of the day, today and tomorrow
You need these words in every second conversation about plans. Note that keş means both “evening” and “late”.
| tañerteñ | in the morning | |
|---|---|---|
| tüste | at noon | |
| tüsten keiın | in the afternoon | |
| keşke | in the evening | |
| tünde | at night | |
| qazır | now | |
| bügın | today | |
| keşe | yesterday | |
| erteñ | tomorrow | |
| bürsıgünı | the day after tomorrow | |
| aldyñğy künı | the day before yesterday | |
| erte | early | |
| keş | late | |
| keiın | later | |
| ärqaşan | always | |
| keide | sometimes | |
| eşqaşan | never |
We will meet tomorrow morning.
I will be at home in the evening.
Days of the week
“On Monday” takes the locative: düisenbıde. The names came from Persian, so they do not resemble the numerals.
| düisenbı | Monday | |
|---|---|---|
| seisenbı | Tuesday | |
| särsenbı | Wednesday | |
| beisenbı | Thursday | |
| jūma | Friday | |
| senbı | Saturday | |
| jeksenbı | Sunday | |
| apta | week | |
| demalys künı | day off | |
| jūmys künı | working day | |
| düisenbıde | on Monday | |
| aptasyna ekı ret | twice a week |
What day of the week is it today?
Today is Wednesday.
I rest on Sunday.
Months and seasons
The month names are native Kazakh and look nothing like the European ones. You already know Nauryz (March) from the spring holiday. “In September” is qyrküiekte, “in summer” is jazda.
| qañtar | January | |
|---|---|---|
| aqpan | February | |
| nauryz | March | |
| säuır | April | |
| mamyr | May | |
| mausym | June | |
| şılde | July | |
| tamyz | August | |
| qyrküiek | September | |
| qazan | October | |
| qaraşa | November | |
| jeltoqsan | December | |
| köktem | spring | |
| jaz | summer | |
| küz | autumn | |
| qys | winter |
Studies begin in September.
In summer we go on holiday.
In winter it snows in Almaty.
Dates and years
The day is an ordinal, then the month: jiyrma bırınşı qyrküiek (21 September). The year: ekı myñ jiyrma altynşy jyl (the year 2026); “in 2026” is ekı myñ jiyrma altynşy jyly. Documents write 2026 jylğy 21 qyrküiek. To ask the date: Bügın neşesı? Answer: Bügın jiyrma bırı (today is the twenty-first).
| Bügın neşesı? | What is the date today? | |
|---|---|---|
| Bügın jiyrma bırı. | Today is the twenty-first. | |
| bırınşı qañtar | the first of January | |
| segızınşı nauryz | the eighth of March | |
| ekı myñ jiyrma altynşy jyl | the year 2026 | |
| Tuğan künıñız qaşan? | When is your birthday? | |
| Menıñ tuğan künım — besınşı mamyr. | My birthday is the fifth of May. | |
| biyl | this year | |
| byltyr | last year | |
| kelesı jyly | next year |
Today is 21 September.
We met in 2026.
How long? Durations and deadlines
“In ten minutes” is on minuttan keiın (literally “after ten minutes”). “Until three o’clock” is sağat üşke deiın. “Every day” is kün saiyn or är künı, “once a week” is aptasyna bır ret.
| bır sağat | one hour | |
|---|---|---|
| jarty sağat | half an hour | |
| on minut | ten minutes | |
| ekı kün | two days | |
| üş apta | three weeks | |
| bes ai | five months | |
| bır jyl | one year | |
| Qanşa uaqyt? | How long (will it take)? | |
| on minuttan keiın | in ten minutes | |
| sağat üşke deiın | until three o’clock | |
| aptasyna bır ret | once a week | |
| kün saiyn | every day |
The bus comes in ten minutes.
I learn Kazakh every day.
The meeting lasts an hour.