Essential Kyrgyz phrases

The standard greeting in Osh, in Kyrgyz and Uzbek alike, and used far more here than in Bishkek. The reply is 'Алейкум ассалам'. Russian 'Здравствуйте' works but marks you as northern.

Thank you — the same word in Kyrgyz and Uzbek, which is a fair summary of how the two languages overlap in this city.

Older brother / older sister — the polite way to address a man or woman older than you, in a shop, a taxi or the bazaar. Getting this right matters more in Osh than in the capital.

How much does it cost? Nothing at the central bazaar is priced, and the first number is not the last one. Uzbek: 'Қанча туради?'

The currency, KGS. National Bank official rate 87.45 som to the US dollar on 6 August 2026. Uzbek som is a different and far weaker currency — do not confuse the two at the Dostuk border.

The minibus that is most of Osh's public transport. No fixed stops on most routes: flag it down, and call out when you want off.

Kyrgyzstan's national card scheme. It matters more here than in Bishkek: a great deal of Osh's economy is cash or Elcart, and a foreign Visa is a conversation-stopper at a bazaar counter.

'Osh' means food or a meal in both Kyrgyz and Uzbek, which is one theory of the city's name. The local plov is cooked in a kazan over wood and is the thing to eat here.

Solomon's Throne — the five-peaked limestone crag in the middle of the city, a pilgrimage site for a thousand years and Kyrgyzstan's first UNESCO World Heritage site, inscribed in 2009.

'White camel' — the river that comes down out of the Alay mountains and splits the city. Osh's geography is read off it and off Sulaiman-Too; there is no grid to navigate by.

The Pamir Highway starts here. Osh is the northern trailhead for the M41 to Murghab and Khorog, and the road to Kashgar leaves over the Irkeshtam pass — the reason Osh has an outfitter scene the capital does not.

Help! Ambulance is 103, police 102, fire and rescue 101, gas emergency 104. Calls are free from any phone.