Kyrgyz numbers and money: asking and understanding prices
Kyrgyz numbers run from the largest part to the smallest. Learn units and tens to say an amount, check a price and work out your change.
Start with the amount you need to pay: find it in the examples or enter it below. Then check what the price covers: one item, a kilogram, a night or the whole service.
Say thousands first, then hundreds, tens and units. For example, 250 = 200 + 50, 1,500 = 1,000 + 500 and 12,500 = 12,000 + 500. There is no connecting “and” between these parts.
Read a sum in Kyrgyz
Enter a whole amount from 0 to 999,999 som. For example, 250 is read as shown below. These are practice amounts.
эки жүз элүү сом [eki jüz elüü som]
How to read the phrases
The Latin line is an approximate reading aid. u sounds like oo in food; ı is an unrounded back vowel. y sounds like y in yes, j like j in jam, ng like ng in sing, ch like ch in chair and sh like sh in shop. For ö and ü, round your lips while trying to say eh and ee. Double vowels are held longer. Bold type in the reading aid marks the stressed syllable. One-syllable words and words whose stress has not been confirmed are left unmarked.
Numbers from 0 to 20
For 11 to 19, say он followed by the unit: он бир, он эки, он үч.
- 0 zero
- нөл [nöl]
- 1 one
- бир [bir]
- 2 two
- эки [eki]
- 3 three
- үч [üch]
- 4 four
- төрт [tört]
- 5 five
- беш [besh]
- 6 six
- алты [altı]
- 7 seven
- жети [jeti]
- 8 eight
- сегиз [segiz]
- 9 nine
- тогуз [toguz]
- 10 ten
- он [on]
- 11 eleven
- он бир [on bir]
- 12 twelve
- он эки [on eki]
- 13 thirteen
- он үч [on üch]
- 14 fourteen
- он төрт [on tört]
- 15 fifteen
- он беш [on besh]
- 16 sixteen
- он алты [on altı]
- 17 seventeen
- он жети [on jeti]
- 18 eighteen
- он сегиз [on segiz]
- 19 nineteen
- он тогуз [on toguz]
- 20 twenty
- жыйырма [jıyırma]
Tens, hundreds and thousands
Build numbers from larger units to smaller ones. 250 is эки жүз элүү; 1,500 is миң беш жүз. After a number, сом has no plural ending.
- 30 thirty
- отуз [otuz]
- 40 forty
- кырк [kırk]
- 50 fifty
- элүү [elüü]
- 60 sixty
- алтымыш [altımısh]
- 70 seventy
- жетимиш [jetimish]
- 80 eighty
- сексен [seksen]
- 90 ninety
- токсон [tokson]
- 100 one hundred
- жүз [jüz]
- 1,000 one thousand
- миң [ming]
- 1,000,000 one million
- миллион [million]
Three practice amounts
These amounts are for practice. They are not prices for goods or services.
- You may hear 250 Two hundred and fifty som.
- Эки жүз элүү сом. [Eki jüz elüü som.]
- You may hear 1,500 One thousand five hundred som.
- Миң беш жүз сом. [Ming besh jüz som.]
- You may hear 12,500 Twelve thousand five hundred som.
- Он эки миң беш жүз сом. [On eki ming besh jüz som.]
Prices, totals and quantities
- You say How much does this cost?
- Бул канча турат? [Bul kancha turat?]
- You say How much do I need to pay in som?
- Канча сом төлөшүм керек? [Kancha som tölöshüm kerek?]
- You say Two hundred and fifty som?
- Эки жүз элүү сомбу? [Eki jüz elüü sombu?]
- You may hear Yes.
- Ооба. [Ooba.]
- You may hear No.
- Жок. [Jok.]
- You say Please give me five kilograms.
- Мага беш килограмм бериңиз. [Maga besh kilogramm beringiz.]
- You say Two tickets, please.
- Эки билет бериңизчи. [Eki bilet beringizchi.]
Payment and change
- You say Can I pay by card?
- Карта менен төлөсөм болобу? [Karta menen tölösöm bolobu?]
- You say Can I pay in cash?
- Накталай төлөсөм болобу? [Naktalay tölösöm bolobu?]
- You may hear Yes, you can.
- Болот. [Bolot.]
- You may hear No, you cannot.
- Болбойт. [Bolboyt.]
- You say Here is five hundred som.
- Мына беш жүз сом. [Mına besh jüz som.]
- You say Could I have my change, please?
- Майданы кайрып бересизби? [Maydanı kayrıp beresizbi?]
- You say Do you have any smaller notes or coins?
- Майда акча барбы? [Mayda akcha barbı?]
- You may hear I do not have any smaller notes or coins.
- Менде майда жок. [Mende mayda jok.]
- You may hear Here you are.
- Мына, алыңыз. [Mına, alıngız.]
- You say Where can I exchange money?
- Акчаны кайдан алмаштырсам болот? [Akchanı kaydan almashtırsam bolot?]
If you did not catch the amount
- You say Please repeat that.
- Кайталаңызчы. [Kaytalangızchı.]
- You say Please speak more slowly.
- Жайыраак сүйлөңүзчү. [Jayıraak süylöngüzchü.]
- You say Please write it down.
- Жазып бериңизчи. [Jazıp beringizchi.]
- You say Sorry, I did not understand.
- Кечиресиз, түшүнгөн жокмун. [Kechiresiz, tüshüngön jokmun.]
- You say Thank you.
- Рахмат. [Rakhmat.]
Sample conversations
Checking a price
Practice price, not a shopping estimate.
- You sayБул канча турат? [Bul kancha turat?]
How much does this cost?
- You may hearЭки жүз элүү сом. [Eki jüz elüü som.]
Two hundred and fifty som.
- You sayЭки жүз элүү сомбу? [Eki jüz elüü sombu?]
Two hundred and fifty som?
- You may hearОоба. [Ooba.]
Yes.
Checking how to pay
An example of a seller’s reply. Card acceptance depends on the business.
- You sayКарта менен төлөсөм болобу? [Karta menen tölösöm bolobu?]
Can I pay by card?
- You may hearБолбойт. [Bolboyt.]
No, you cannot.
- You sayНакталай төлөсөм болобу? [Naktalay tölösöm bolobu?]
Can I pay in cash?
- You may hearБолот. [Bolot.]
Yes, you can.
Understanding the amount
The other person writes the amount down and shows it.
- You sayКанча сом төлөшүм керек? [Kancha som tölöshüm kerek?]
How much do I need to pay in som?
- You may hearОн эки миң беш жүз сом. [On eki ming besh jüz som.]
Twelve thousand five hundred som.
- You sayЖазып бериңизчи. [Jazıp beringizchi.]
Please write it down.
- You may hearМына, алыңыз. [Mına, alıngız.]
Here you are.
Numbers and units
After a cardinal number, the Kyrgyz word for som stays singular. The amounts 250, 1,500 and 12,500 som are reading examples, not prices for actual goods or services.
Checking the total and change
If something costs 250 som and you hand over 500, your change is 250 som. If you missed the amount, ask for it in writing or on a calculator. For a phone number, check the digits individually.
For exchange rates and payment options, see the Kyrgyzstan money guide. For quantities, weights and trying things on, use the shopping phrasebook.
All phrasebooks. How to use the reading aid.
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