Central Asia
Video Chat with People from Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan is vast, stretching from the Caspian Sea to the mountains along its eastern borders, and the people you meet could be in Almaty beneath the snowy Tian Shan, in the capital Astana with its futuristic skyline, in Shymkent in the south, in Karaganda, or in Aktau on the Caspian coast. Kazakh and Russian are both part of daily life, and many people switch between them without a second thought. English is popular with younger adults, especially in the big cities.
Since 2024 the whole country has shared a single time zone, UTC+5, with no daylight saving, which puts it two hours ahead of Moscow and three or four hours ahead of Central Europe, depending on the season. Ask about beshbarmak, baursak, plov or kumys, and you'll likely hear about big family meals. Mountain trips to Big Almaty Lake, the Kolsai Lakes or Charyn Canyon are popular, and so are football, boxing and ice hockey. Music ranges from the two-stringed dombra to Q-pop bands. Learning Russian too? Our Russian practice page can help.
Kazakhstan at a glance
| Flag | 🇰🇿 |
|---|---|
| Official name | Republic of Kazakhstan |
| Capital | Astana |
| Region | Asia · Central Asia |
| Official languages | Kazakh and Russian |
| Currency | Kazakhstani tenge (₸, KZT) |
| Calling code | +7 |
| Time zone | Kazakhstan Time (Asia/Almaty) |
How to say hello
A few words of Kazakh make a great first impression, even if you switch to English right after.
| Language | Phrase | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kazakh | Сәлеметсіз бе! | sah-leh-met-SIZ beh | Hello (polite) |
| Kazakh | Сәлем! Қалайсың? | sah-LEM, kah-lai-SUNG | Hi! How are you? (casual) |
| Russian | Добрый вечер! | DOH-bree VYEH-cher | Good evening! |
Tips for chatting with people from Kazakhstan
- Use the polite "Сәлеметсіз бе" with anyone you've just met, and switch to "Сәлем" once things feel relaxed.
- Ask what a full dastarkhan, the table set for guests, looks like in their family; hospitality is a point of pride and a warm topic.
- Many people in Almaty and Astana move between Kazakh and Russian mid-conversation; if you only speak one, just ask which they'd prefer.
- Don't mix Kazakhstan up with its neighbors: Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan have their own languages and traditions, and people appreciate it when you know the difference.
Only meet people from Kazakhstan
Omlet matches you Worldwide by default. To meet only people from Kazakhstan, use the country filter, the only filter Omlet has:
- Open Omlet and press Country on the control panel.
- Search for Kazakhstan and select it.
- Press Start. Press Next to meet someone else from Kazakhstan, or switch back to Worldwide any time.
Your first day is free: you add a card through Stripe to start it, and nothing is charged that day. When the 24 hours end, the country filter costs $3 one time, charged to that card, unless you cancel before then in Settings (if you cancel, you can still pick a country until the day ends). It's not a subscription, and it stays unlocked on that device and browser. It doesn't carry over to other devices or browsers, and clearing your browser data removes it. There's one free day per device, home network and card. Payment goes through Stripe, so Omlet never sees your card number.
The filter works both ways, and matching can be slower when fewer people from Kazakhstan are online. Chatting itself is free, and Worldwide matching never costs anything.
Your own country is detected automatically and shown to the people you meet as a flag.
Neighboring countries
Kazakhstan borders 5 countries. Curious about the people next door? Meet them too: