Nature-inspired Kazakh names: Burkit, Kuralai, Samal

Baiterek tower in Astana, Kazakhstan

We looked at some culturally significant Kazakh names a couple of weeks ago, so today let’s check out a few nature-inspired Kazakh names that reference flora, fauna, weather, and more:

  • Agashpai, “tree”
  • Ainur, “moonlight”
  • Aisulu, “beautiful moon”
  • Aiturgan, “new moon”
  • Aizharyk, “bright moon”
  • Akseleu, “stipa” (feathergrass)
  • Almagul, “apple blossom”
  • Anara, “pomegranate”
  • Arystan, “lion”
  • Beibars, “leopard”
  • Boranbai, “snowstorm”
  • Bota, “young camel”
  • Burkit, “golden eagle”
  • Kalampyr, “carnation”
  • Karlygash, “swallow” (the bird)
  • Karzhau, “snowing”
  • Koshkarbai, “sheep”
  • Kuralai, “young dappled deer”
  • Kyskyrbai, “wolf”
  • Kyzgaldak, “tulip”
  • Orken, “stalk”
  • Otarbai, “rich with sheep”
  • Raushan, “rose”
  • Samal, “breeze”
  • Sandugash, “nightingale”
  • Tanatar, “dawn”
  • Tekebai, “goat”
  • Tumanbai, “fog”
  • Tylkibai, “fox”
  • Zhanbyrbai, “rainy”
  • Zhuldyz, “star”
  • Zhupar, “wormwood”
  • Zhylkaidar, “speeding horses”

Which of those definitions do you like best?

Source: Linguo-Semantic Peculiarities of Kazakh Proper Names (2014)

Image: Adapted from Bayterek by night 04 by Davide Mauro under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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