Greetings
Сәлеметсіз бе (Sälemetsiz be)
sa-le-met-SIZ be
Hello (formal, Kazakh). 'Сәлем' (salem) is the casual version. Russian 'Здравствуйте' works everywhere in Almaty, but opening in Kazakh lands well.
Рахмет (Rahmet)
rah-MET
Thank you (Kazakh). Universally understood and used even by Russian-speakers — the single most useful word to learn here.
Спасибо (Spasibo)
spa-SEE-ba
Thank you (Russian). Almaty is a majority Russian-speaking city in daily life; Russian gets you further in shops and taxis than English does.
Daily life
Қанша тұрады? (Qansha turady?)
kan-SHA too-ra-DUH
How much does it cost? Russian equivalent: 'Сколько стоит?' (SKOL-ka STO-eet). Essential at the Green Bazaar.
Онай (Onay)
oh-NIGH
The city transport card — one tap covers metro, bus and tram. Buy it at a metro station kiosk; it is the cheapest thing you will do all week.
Каспи (Kaspi)
KAS-pee
Kaspi.kz — the super-app almost everyone pays with. QR codes replace cash in most cafés and market stalls. Headquartered here in Almaty.
Тау (Tau)
tow (rhymes with 'now')
Mountain. Locals give directions by it: 'towards the mountains' is south, 'away from the mountains' is north. It replaces a compass here.
Work
ЖСН / ИИН (ZhSN / IIN)
ee-ee-EN
Individual Identification Number. The twelve-digit code without which you cannot open a bank account, sign a lease or get a SIM. Get it first.
Food
Бешбармақ (Beshbarmaq)
besh-bar-MAK
'Five fingers' — the national dish of boiled meat and wide noodles, eaten by hand at celebrations. Being served the sheep's head is an honour, not a prank.
Culture
Алма (Alma)
al-MA
Apple. Almaty means roughly 'apple-ful' — the wild ancestor of every domesticated apple on earth grows in the mountains above the city.
Emergency
Көмектесіңіз! (Kömektesiñiz!)
keu-mek-te-SI-ñiz
Help! The unified emergency number is 112; 101 fire, 102 police, 103 ambulance all still work.
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.