he Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan (SAMK) has called on citizens to use traditional Kazakh expressions instead of Arabic and other foreign-language religious terms in everyday communication.

The administration emphasized that reciting Quranic verses, prayers and dhikr in Arabic has its own religious significance. However, it recommends using established Kazakh vocabulary in daily conversations.

In particular, the board suggested using the Kazakh words “ауызашар” instead of “iftar” and “сәресі” instead of “suhoor”. It also encouraged the use of traditional Kazakh names for the five daily prayers: “таң”, “бесін”, “екінті”, “ақшам” and “құптан”.

Furthermore, the administration recommended replacing expressions such as “akhi”, “ukhti”, “abla”, “abi”, “brother” and “sister” with their Kazakh equivalents, including “бауырым”, “ағам”, “інім” and “әпкем”.

According to the religious administration, using established Kazakh expressions helps preserve the country’s linguistic heritage and traditions of mutual respect. The statement followed remarks by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the 10th Congress of the International Kazakh Language Society, where he raised concerns about the growing use of Arabic expressions in everyday speech.