TASHKENT, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Uzbekistan will introduce a revised version of its Latin-based Uzbek alphabet on April 22, 2027, following a new law signed by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Wednesday.
Under the legislation, all existing documents, national currency, and official securities issued prior to the effective date will remain fully valid. Official state symbols, signage and organizational insignia will also remain in use until replaced through natural wear or per an implementation program to be approved within two months.
The revised writing system updates the alphabet structure to 28 letters and an apostrophe. Several multi-letter combinations and specific character representations are replaced with individual letters, while the overall alphabet count is streamlined.
Uzbekistan first adopted a Latin-based script in 1993, which underwent subsequent modifications in 1995. While a full phase-out of Cyrillic was originally planned for 2000, both writing systems have continued in dual usage. The current reform stems from a 2020 presidential decree aimed at modernizing language policy and finalizing the transition. ■