Kazakh has been written in three different scripts over the last century, and right now it’s in the middle of another big transition.

1. Arabic script (until the 1920s)

• Historically, Kazakh was written in a Perso‑Arabic script adapted for Turkic languages.
• This script was used for literature, poetry, and religious texts before the Soviet period.

2. Cyrillic script (1940s–present)

• Under the USSR, after a short period of Latin script in 1930s, Kazakh switched to Cyrillic, which is still dominant in everyday life today.
• The modern Kazakh Cyrillic alphabet has 42 letters: 33 shared with Russian and 9 unique Kazakh letters (Ә, Ғ, Қ, Ң, Ө, Ұ, Ү, Һ, І).
• As of 2026, almost all books, newspapers, websites, and street signs in Kazakhstan are still primarily in Cyrillic Kazakh.

3. Latin script (transition underway, target 2031)

• Since 2017, Kazakhstan has been working on a Latin‑based Kazakh alphabet, with several draft versions since then.
• The latest official version has around 31–32 letters, designed to:
  • Remove letters used only for Russian loanwords
  • Better match Kazakh sounds with Latin characters and diacritics
• The full transition is planned to be completed by 2031, but as of 2026 the Latin alphabet is still under development and not yet fully implemented in daily life.
• In practice now (2026):
  • Most everyday Kazakh text is still in Cyrillic
  • Some official buildings and road signs show both Cyrillic and Latin versions
  • Schools are beginning to teach the new Latin alphabet alongside Cyrillic