Do Kyrgyz people speak Russian?
October 14, 2023
Many tourists ask me this question before coming to Kyrgyzstan.
Indeed, despite the fact that almost all former Soviet countries speak two languages, some of them better, some worse. Kyrgyz people, in this regard, are the leaders of the entire CIS in terms of proficiency in the Russian language. As I have already said, the Russian language is a legacy of the Soviet era.
Back then, everyone knew Russian, studied in schools and universities in Russian, laws were published in Russian, etc. But unlike many of its neighbours, where young people often do not study Russian, in Kyrgyzstan, on the contrary, everyone strives to know it well.
The language provides opportunities to study in universities and, if desired, to go to Russia for work. Knowledge of the Russian language also varies by region in Kyrgyzstan. For example, the northern part of the country, where Bishkek is located – the capital, almost everyone knows Russian. The south is less talkative, but a Russian tourist will have no problems there either.
Indeed, despite the fact that almost all former Soviet countries speak two languages, some of them better, some worse. Kyrgyz people, in this regard, are the leaders of the entire CIS in terms of proficiency in the Russian language. As I have already said, the Russian language is a legacy of the Soviet era.
Back then, everyone knew Russian, studied in schools and universities in Russian, laws were published in Russian, etc. But unlike many of its neighbours, where young people often do not study Russian, in Kyrgyzstan, on the contrary, everyone strives to know it well.
The language provides opportunities to study in universities and, if desired, to go to Russia for work. Knowledge of the Russian language also varies by region in Kyrgyzstan. For example, the northern part of the country, where Bishkek is located – the capital, almost everyone knows Russian. The south is less talkative, but a Russian tourist will have no problems there either.
Author:
Larisa Bulina
Larisa Bulina
You can learn even more interesting facts about Kyrgyzstan on my blog or on my YouTube channel.
The traveler,
the founder of SARYKYZ
the founder of SARYKYZ
Additional photos: Dmitry Bulin