The Uyghur language, spoken predominantly in China’s Xinjiang region, is a member of the Turkic language family. Specifically, it belongs to the Karluk branch of the Turkic languages, sharing strong linguistic and cultural ties with several other languages across Central Asia. According to the eLinguistics.net analysis using specific software modules to assess linguistic relationships, the five languages most similar to Uyghur are Uzbek, Kyrgyz, Kazakh, Tatar, and Turkmen.
- Uzbek (96.6)
Uzbek, the official language of Uzbekistan, is the closest relative of Uyghur, with both belonging to the Karluk branch of Turkic languages. The two languages share a high degree of mutual intelligibility, with similarities in vocabulary. As a result, Uyghur and Uzbek speakers can often understand each other without significant difficulty. - Kyrgyz (94.7)
Kyrgyz, spoken mainly in Kyrgyzstan, is a member of the Kipchak branch of Turkic languages. While it is slightly more distant from Uyghur than Uzbek, the two languages still share many linguistic features due to centuries of interaction among Turkic-speaking peoples. The main differences arise in pronunciation and vocabulary, with Kyrgyz incorporating more Mongolic influences. - Kazakh (92.0)
Like Kyrgyz, Kazakh belongs to the Kipchak branch of the Turkic family and is spoken primarily in Kazakhstan. Uyghur and Kazakh share a considerable amount of vocabulary, though phonetic differences can make communication slightly more challenging. Uyghur speakers often find Kazakh relatively easy to understand, especially when spoken slowly. - Tatar (91.6)
Tatar is spoken in Russia’s Tatarstan region and surrounding areas. Although geographically distant from Xinjiang, Tatar shares many core grammatical structures and vocabulary with Uyghur. However, Tatar has been heavily influenced by Russian due to historical factors, leading to some lexical divergence. - Turkmen (89.8)
Turkmenistan is another Central Asian country. Its official language, Turkmen. It belongs to the Oghuz branch, so it is closely related to Turkish and Azerbaijani. These separate branches mean that while both languages share a common ancestral origin, their paths diverged over time due to geographic, historical, and cultural influences.
(to be considered for the list, the language must be spoken by at least one million people)