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Korean dialect

Koryo-mar

Also known as: Koryo-mal, Koryo-saram Korean

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.

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Frequently asked questions

What language is Koryo-mar?

Koryo-mar is a dialect of the Korean language.

Where is Koryo-mar spoken?

Koryo-mar is primarily spoken in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan.

Which region is Koryo-mar associated with?

Koryo-mar is part of the Central Asia region on DialectAtlas.

Is Koryo-mar known by other names?

Yes — Koryo-mar is also referred to as Koryo-mal, Koryo-saram Korean.

Is Koryo-mar endangered?

Koryo-mar is critically endangered. Only a small number of mostly elderly speakers remain, and the variety is at imminent risk of being lost.

What are the other dialects of Korean?

Korean also includes Seoul Korean, Gyeongsang, Jeolla, Jeju. Each variety has its own vocabulary, pronunciation, and cultural context.

Other Korean dialects

See on the atlas →
Jeolla

Southwestern Korean

The Korean of the south-western Jeolla region around Gwangju. Distinct vowel realisations, sentence-final endings, and a strong rural culinary lexicon.

Jeju

Jejueo

The variety of Jeju Island, often classified as a separate Koreanic language. Carries archaic features lost on the mainland and is critically endangered.

Nearby dialects

See on the atlas →
Kazakh

237 km away

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.

Dungan

307 km away

A Sinitic language descended from late-19th-century Hui Muslim refugees who fled into the Russian Empire after the Qing-era Hui revolts. Written in Cyrillic, with substantial Russian, Persian, and Turkic loans.

Kyrgyz

379 km away

A Kipchak Turkic language and the official language of Kyrgyzstan. Carries the Manas oral epic, one of the longest oral epic traditions in world literature.

Kazakhstani Russian

624 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.

Eastern Kazakh

628 km away

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

Uyghur

781 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.

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