Also spoken in China, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkey (Asia), Uzbekistan, there are about 5 million speakers. Kyrgyz uses a modified Cyrillic (Kyrgyzstan) and modified Arabic (China) scripts. Latin script was used during 1928-1940 in Kyrgyzstan, and is enjoying official endorsement again, but actual use is sporadic and inconsistent.
The modified Cyrillic alphabet includes these additions, sounds are indicated using the SAMPA chart:
Capital | Small | Name | Sound |
---|---|---|---|
Ң | ң | /N/ | |
Ү | ү | /y/ | |
Θ | θ | /9/ |
See also: Kyrgyz people, Languages of China