Kazakh language textbook released in Japan

A Kazakh language textbook has been released in Japan and quickly caught attention on social media due to its unusual method of transcribing words, El.kz reports.

Instead of the standard Latin script, the authors use Katakana - the Japanese syllabic alphabet to convey Kazakh pronunciation. For example, the greeting Salem is written in the textbook as サレㇺ！ムナウ ネMeanwhile, the phrase "This is qurt” looks like ブㇽ くるト.

This unusual transcription quickly went viral on social media, where users are discussing how striking the Kazakh language looks in Japanese script.

As it turns out, this is not a fan project, but a full-fledged educational manual for Japanese students. The textbook, titled "Introduction to Practical Kazakh," was prepared by professors from the University of Tsukuba, Takashi Ninomiya and Madina Shadaeva. The first edition was released back in 2018, and the third revised edition was published in 2026.

The manual is written entirely in Japanese and is intended for students learning Kazakh from scratch. It includes basic grammar, conversational structures, and a small Kazakh-Japanese dictionary. The textbook is used in summer and winter school programs for Japanese students visiting to study the Kazakh language.

Using Katakana to render foreign words is common practice in Japan. This is how the Japanese adapt English, Korean, French, and other foreign words to fit the specifics of their pronunciation. Now, it is the Kazakh language's turn.