Mirziyoyev signs law on new Uzbek alphabet in Latin

As Gazeta.uz writes, the updated alphabet has 28 letters and an apostrophe, whereas previously there were 26 letters and three letter combinations. The letters Sh, Ch, Oʻ and Gʻ are replaced by Ş, Ç, Ö and Ğ, and Ng ceases to be a separate unit. The Legislative Chamber adopted the document in early July, the Senate approved it in early September.

According to the head of the Presidential Administration, it will not be necessary to massively redo documents: existing documents, securities and national currency remain in force. The replacement of textbooks, signs and signs will be carried out gradually, after the expiration of their service life. Specific transition dates and the procedure for introducing new letters are not named in the statement.

Saida Mirziyoyeva recalled that she proposed to refine the alphabet on December 11, 2023, at a conference on the heritage of the Jadids. "Finally, a long-standing historical mistake has been corrected," she wrote. According to her, there was no other way to eliminate the shortcomings of the writing system and strengthen the position of the Uzbek language in the digital environment.

The Latin alphabet was introduced in Uzbekistan in 1993, and the first edition already included the letters Ş, Ç, Õ and Ğ. In 1995, they were replaced by letter combinations. It was planned to completely switch to Latin by 2000.