Ukraine approves new Crimean Tatar orthography based on Latin script

On April 4, the Cabinet of Ministers approved a new spelling of the Crimean Tatar language based on the Latin alphabet, which was approved by the National Commission on the Crimean Tatar Language.

This was reported by the Presidential Representation in Crimea.

This document is the result of extensive work that has been ongoing since 2023, in accordance with a government order. The spelling is based on the alphabet approved in September 2021 and involves the use of Latin graphics, which corresponds to modern linguistic trends and the historical tradition of the Crimean Tatar language.

Leading linguists, scientists and representatives of the Crimean Tatar people worked on the creation of the spelling. In particular, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the Institute of Linguistics of the NAS

of Ukraine named after O. O. Potebnia, the National University of Kyiv named after Taras Shevchenko, the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People and other specialists participated in the development.

The approved rules cover writing, teaching, use in the media, literature, and toponymy. They are recommended for use by all state bodies, including local administrations and military administrations, in particular in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.

Six meetings were held before the document was adopted. The final word was given to the National Commission, which officially approved the draft spelling on November 4, 2024.

"This decision has an important symbolic and practical significance: it not only ensures the realization of the rights of the indigenous people of Ukraine, but also supports intercultural dialogue in a multinational state. The transition of the Crimean Tatar language to the Latin script has been ongoing since Ukraine gained independence, and this process has already been completed," the representative office emphasized.

• On April 7, 2021, the Cabinet of Ministers approved a project for the development of the Crimean Tatar language. It provides for the creation of legislative, institutional, financial, and informational support to expand the scope of the language, encourage citizens of Ukraine to study it, and popularize it.
• In 2020, the Ministry of Reintegration asked Google to include the Crimean Tatar language in the Google Translate service.

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