Human Rights Declaration in Multiple Scripts: Article 1 in 6 Languages
Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Kurdish, Malay, Azerbaijani and Moldovan have each been written in more than one alphabet in the last hundred years; this page sets Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in every script given for them, twelve versions in all.
Why one language has several alphabets
In each of these six languages, the choice of alphabet followed borders and politics more than sound. Kazakh and Kyrgyz were written in Arabic letters, switched to Latin in the late 1920s and to Cyrillic at the end of the 1930s, Kyrgyz in 1938 and Kazakh in 1940; Kazakhs and Kyrgyz in China still use reformed Arabic alphabets, and Kazakhstan has set 2031 as the date to complete its move to Latin letters.2 Azerbaijani went from Arabic to Latin in 1929, to Cyrillic in 1939 and back to Latin after independence in 1991; since 2001 the Latin alphabet has been the only official one.2
Kurdish divides along state lines: Kurmanji in Turkey and Syria uses the Latin Hawar alphabet introduced by Celadet Alî Bedirxan in 1932, while Kurdish in Iraq and Iran is mostly written in a Kurdo-Arabic alphabet.2 Malay moved from Jawi to Rumi in the 20th century, and Moldovan Cyrillic was the official alphabet of Romanian in Soviet Moldavia until 1989.2
Every version below says the same thing. In each language, the texts in the second and third script are letter-by-letter transliterations of one translation, so the words line up across the scripts.1
Article 1 of the UDHR in multiple scripts
Grouped by language. Arabic-script versions run right to left; the line under each language name gives the script.
Kazakh3
Барлық адамдар тумысынан азат және қадір-қасиеті мен кұқықтары тең болып дүниеге келеді. Адамдарға ақыл-парасат, ар-ождан берілген, сондықтан олар бір-бірімен туыстық, бауырмалдық қарым-қатынас жасаулары тиіс.
بارلىق ادامدار تۋمىسىنان ازات جانە قادىر-قاسيەتى مەن كۇقىقتارى تەڭ بولىپ دۇنيەگە كەلەدى. ادامدارعا اقىل-پاراسات، ار-وجدان بەرىلگەن، سوندىقتان ولار ءبىر-بىرىمەن تۋىستىق، باۋىرمالدىق قارىم-قاتىناس جاساۋلارى ءتيىس.
Barlıq adamdar twmısınan azat jäne qadir-qasïeti men kuqıqtarı teñ bolıp dünïege keledi. Adamdarğa aqıl-parasat, ar-ojdan berilgen, sondıqtan olar bir-birimen twıstıq, bawırmaldıq qarım-qatınas jasawları tïis.
Kyrgyz3
Бардык адамдар өз беделинде жана укуктарында эркин жана тең укуктуу болуп жаралат. Алардын аң-сезими менен абийири бар жана бири-бирине бир туугандык мамиле кылууга тийиш.
باردىق ادامدار ۅز بەدەلىندە جانا ۇقۇقتارىندا ەركىن جانا تەڭ ۇقۇقتۇۇ بولۇپ جارالات. الاردىن اڭ-سەزىمى مەنەن ابئيىرى بار جانا بئرى-بئرىنە بئر تۇۇعاندىق مامئلە قىلۇۇعا تئيىش.
Bardıq adamdar öz bedelinde cana uquqtarında erkin cana teñ uquqtuu bolup caralat. Alardın añ-sezimi menen abiyiri bar cana biri-birine bir tuuğandıq mamile qıluuğa tiyiş.
Kurdish2
Hemû mirov azad û di weqar û mafan de wekhev tên dinyayê. Ew xwedî hiş û şuûr in û divê li hember hev bi zihniyeteke bratiyê bilivin.
هەموو مرۆڤ ئازاد و دوەقار و مافان دە وەکهەڤ تێن دنیایێ. ئەو خوەدی هش و شوئوورن و دڤێ لهەمبەر هەڤ بزهنیەتەکە براتیێ بلڤن.
Malay2
Semua manusia dilahirkan bebas dan samarata dari segi kemuliaan dan hak-hak. Mereka mempunyai pemikiran dan perasaan hati dan hendaklah bertindak di antara satu sama lain dengan semangat persaudaraan.
سموا مأنسي دلاهيركن بيبس دان سامرات دري سݢي كموليأن دان حق٢. مريك ممڤوڽاي ڤميكيرن دان ڤراسأن هاتي دان هندقله برتيندق د انتارا ساتو سام لائن دڠن سماڠت ڤرساودارأن.
Azerbaijani1
Бүтүн инсанлар ләјагәт вә һүгугларына ҝөрә азад вә бәрабәр доғулурлар. Онларын шүурлары вә виҹданлары вар вә бир-бирләринә мүнасибәтдә гардашлыг руһунда давранмалыдырлар.
Moldovan1
Тоате фиинцеле умане се наск либере ши егале ын демнитате ши ын дрептурь. Еле сунт ынзестрате ку рациуне ши конштиинцэ ши требуе сэ се компорте унеле фацэ де алтеле ын спиритул фратернитэций.
What changes from one script to the next
Arabic-based alphabets for Turkic languages mark vowels that Arabic leaves unwritten. The Kyrgyz Arabic text spells ۅز for өз and جارالات for жаралат, with a letter for every vowel; Kazakh in Arabic letters puts a hamza ء in front of a word to show that all its vowels are front vowels.
Latin versions differ in their conventions. The Kyrgyz Latin line writes the Cyrillic ж as c (cana for жана) and ң as ñ, while the Kurmanji Hawar alphabet uses ê, î and û for long vowels, as in Hemû mirov azad … tên dinyayê.
Questions about the declaration in several scripts
Which languages on this page are written in more than one script today?
Kazakh (Cyrillic in Kazakhstan, Arabic in China, Latin planned), Kyrgyz (Cyrillic, and Arabic in China), Kurdish (Latin and Arabic) and Malay (Rumi, with Jawi official in Brunei).
Is the Moldovan text a different translation from the Romanian one?
No. It is the Romanian translation written in the Cyrillic alphabet used in Soviet Moldavia.
Where can the complete texts be read?
Kazakh, Malay and Moldovan each have a page with the full declaration, linked under their Article 1.
- 1OHCHR translations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Kazakh (kaz.pdf), Malay (mli.pdf) and Romanian (rum.pdf); Kyrgyz, Kurmanji Kurdish and Azerbaijani (Cyrillic) Article 1 compared with the Unicode UDHR collection (texts kir, kmr, azj_cyrl), 28 October 2026. The Arabic-script and Latin versions of Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Kurdish and Malay are transliterations of those texts. ↑
- 2Wikipedia, “Kazakh alphabets”, “Kyrgyz alphabets”, “Kurdish alphabets”, “Jawi script”, “Azerbaijani alphabet” and “Moldovan Cyrillic alphabet”, consulted 28 October 2026. ↑