Skip to content
Kazakh dialect

Eastern Kazakh

Also known as: Semey Kazakh

The Kazakh of eastern Kazakhstan around Öskemen and Semey, near the Altai border. Carries contact features from Mongolic Oirat and Russian.

Shareable facts

Want a Eastern Kazakh app?

Vote and we'll prioritise it. Top-voted dialects move up the roadmap. One vote per email.

We'll email you a confirmation link.

Frequently asked questions

What language is Eastern Kazakh?

Eastern Kazakh is a dialect of the Kazakh language.

Where is Eastern Kazakh spoken?

Eastern Kazakh is primarily spoken in Kazakhstan.

Which region is Eastern Kazakh associated with?

Eastern Kazakh is part of the Central Asia region on DialectAtlas.

Is Eastern Kazakh known by other names?

Yes — Eastern Kazakh is also referred to as Semey Kazakh.

What are the other dialects of Kazakh?

Kazakh also includes Kazakh, Northern Kazakh, Western Kazakh. Each variety has its own vocabulary, pronunciation, and cultural context.

Other Kazakh dialects

See on the atlas →
Kazakh

Qazaqşa · Southern Kazakh

A Kipchak Turkic language and the official language of Kazakhstan. The Almaty-area variety, traditionally the southern standard. Currently transitioning from Cyrillic to a Latin-based alphabet.

Nearby dialects

See on the atlas →
Siberian Russian

565 km away

The Russian varieties of Western and Central Siberia, descended from northern-Russian settlers. Distinguished by retained okanye, a conservative lexicon, and contact features from indigenous Siberian languages.

Koryo-mar

628 km away

The Korean variety of the Koryo-saram, descended from communities deported from the Soviet Far East in 1937 to Central Asia. A Hamgyŏng-derived dialect heavily influenced by Russian, now critically endangered.

Kazakhstani Russian

682 km away

The Russian of Kazakhstan, used by ethnic Russians and as a second language by many Kazakhs. Based on standard Russian but with regional vocabulary, code-switching, and Kazakh contact features.

Oirat

694 km away

A western Mongolic language spoken across western Mongolia (Khovd, Bayan-Ölgii) and parts of Xinjiang in China. Sister to Kalmyk, with a separate writing tradition based on the Clear Script (Todo Bichig).

Uyghur

780 km away

A Karluk Turkic language of Xinjiang in north-western China. Closely related to Uzbek; written in a Perso-Arabic-based script and the medium of a long literary tradition along the Silk Road.

Continue exploring