Uzbek alphabet


The Uzbek language has been written in various scripts: Latin, Cyrillic and Arabic. In Uzbekistan, it is officially written in the Latin script, though most people still write in Cyrillic. In the Xinjiang region of China, some Uzbek speakers write using Cyrillic, while others apply the Uyghur Arabic script for Uzbek. Uzbeks of Afghanistan also write the language using the Arabic script and the Uzbek Arabic script is currently taught at some schools in the country.

History

Like all Turkic languages in Central Asia, Uzbek was written in various forms of the Arabic script such as Yana imla by the literate population. Between 1928 and 1940, as part of comprehensive programmes to educate Uzbek people, who for the first time now had their own cartographically delineated region, Uzbek writing was switched to Latin script. The Latinization of Uzbek was carried out in the context of Latinization of all Turkic languages.
In 1940, Uzbek was switched to the Cyrillic script under Joseph Stalin. Until 1992, Uzbek continued to be written using a Cyrillic alphabet almost everywhere, but now in Uzbekistan the Latin script has been officially re-introduced, although the use of Cyrillic is still widespread. The deadline in Uzbekistan for making this transition has been repeatedly changed.
Education in many areas of Uzbekistan is in the Latin script, and in 2001 the Latin script began to be used for coins. Since 2004, some official websites have switched over to using the Latin script when writing in Uzbek. Most street signs are also in the new Latin script. The main national TV channel of Uzbekistan, Oʻzbekiston telekanali, has also switched to the Latin script when writing in Uzbek, although news programs are still broadcast in Cyrillic script. Additionally, Uzbek continues to be written in the Arabic script in Afghanistan.
In 2018, the Uzbek government launched yet another reform for the Uzbek Latin alphabet. According to the new proposal, some digraphs shall be replaced by diacritical signs. This was met with mixed reactions from the citizens who preferred "writing in Cyrillic alphabet instead"; the deadline for the official Latin script reform is 2021. On May 22, 2019, an updated version of the Uzbek Latin alphabet was revealed, with five letters being updated; it was proposed to represent the sounds "ts", "sh", "ch", "oʻ" and "gʻ" by the letters "c", "ş", "ç", "ó" and "ǵ", respectively. This reverses a 1995 reform, and brings the orthography closer to that of Turkish and also of Turkmen, Karakalpak, Kazakh and Azerbaijani.

Alphabetical order

The modern Uzbek Latin alphabet has 29 letters:
The symbol ⟨ʼ⟩ does not constitute a separate letter.

Correspondence chart

Below is a table of Uzbek Cyrillic and Latin alphabets with represented sounds.
LatinCyrillicNameArabicIPAEnglish approximation
A aА аaه ئه هchai, cat
B bБ бbeبbat
D dД дdeدden
E eЭ э / Е еeئې ې ئې ېbet
F fФ фefفfish
G gГ гgeگgo
H hҲ ҳhaھ and حhoe
I iИ иiئى ى ئى ىme
J jЖ жjeژ and ج, joke, vision
K kК кkaكcold
L lЛ лelلlist
M mМ мemمman
N nН нenنnext
O oО оoا ئا,ا ا و ئو و, hot, call
P pП пpeپpin
Q qҚ қqaق, like a "k", but further back in the throat
R rР рerر rat
S sС сesسsick
T tТ тteتtoe
U uУ уuۇ ئۇput, choose
V vВ вveۋvan
X xХ хxaخ"ch" as in German "Bach" or Scottish "loch"
Y yЙ йyeيyes
Z zЗ зzeزzebra
Oʻ oʻЎ ўoʻو ئوrow, fur
Gʻ gʻҒ ғgʻaغlike a French or German "r"
Sh shШ шshaشshoe
Ch chЧ чcheچchew
ngнгngeڭ نگking
ʼъtutuq belgisi ; ayirish/ajratish belgisi ئ And ءBoth "ʼ" and "ъ" are used either to mark the phonetic glottal stop when put immediately before a vowel or to mark a long vowel when placed immediately after a vowel

;Notes

Distinct characters

When the Uzbek language is written using the Latin script, the letters Oʻ and Gʻ are properly rendered using the character, which is also known as the ʻokina. However, since this character is absent from most keyboard layouts and many fonts, most Uzbek websites – including some operated by the Uzbek government – use either or straight single quotes to represent these letters.
The modifier letter apostrophe is used to mark the phonetic glottal stop when it is put immediately before a vowel in borrowed words, as in sanʼat. The modifier letter apostrophe is also used to mark a long vowel when placed immediately after a vowel, as in maʼno. Since this character is also absent from most keyboard layouts, many Uzbek websites use instead.
Currently most typists do not bother with the differentiation between the modifier letter turned comma and modifier letter apostrophe as their keyboard layouts likely accommodate only the straight apostrophe.

Sample of the scripts

Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
Uzbek in Latin script Uzbek in Cyrillic scriptUzbek in Arabic script
Barcha odamlar erkin, qadr-qimmat va huquqlarda teng boʻlib tugʻiladilar. Ular aql va vijdon sohibidirlar va bir-birlari ila birodarlarcha muomala qilishlari zarur.Барча одамлар эркин, қадр-қиммат ва ҳуқуқларда тенг бўлиб туғиладилар. Улар ақл ва виждон соҳибидирлар ва бир-бирлари ила биродарларча муомала қилишлари зарур.
Uzbek in Latin script EnglishUzbek in Arabic script
Bərcə adəmlər erkin, qədr-qimmət və huquqlərdə teꞑ ʙoliʙ tuƣilədilər. Ulər əql və viçdan sahiʙidirlər və ʙir-ʙirləri ilə ʙiradərlərcə muamələ qilişləri zərur.All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Uzbek in Latin script IPA transcription
Barça odamlar erkin, qadr-qimmat va huquqlarda teng bólib tuǵiladilar. Ular aql va vijdon sohibidirlar va bir-birlari ila birodarlarça muomala qilişlari zarur.