Kyrgyz som facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kyrgyz som
100 som note (2016)
ISO 4217 Code	KGS
User(s)	Kyrgyzstan
Inflation	7.3% (December 2023)
Subunit
1⁄100	tyiyn
Symbol	⃀
Plural	The language(s) of this currency does not have a morphological plural distinction.
Coins
Freq. used	1, 3, 5, 10 som
Rarely used	1, 10, 50 tyiyn
Banknotes
Freq. used	20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1,000 som
Rarely used	1, 10, 50 tyiyn, 1, 5, 10, 2,000, 5,000 som

The som is the official money used in Kyrgyzstan. It has its own special code, KGS, and a unique symbol: ⃀. Just like how we use dollars or euros, people in Kyrgyzstan use the som to buy things and pay for services.

What Does "Som" Mean?

The word som comes from old Turkic languages. It means "pure". This word was used to describe pure silver or gold. So, when they named their money "som", it was like saying "pure money". This is similar to how the British currency, sterling, also has a meaning related to pure silver.

The Som's Special Symbol

The official symbol for the Kyrgyz som

Every currency has a symbol, like the dollar sign ($) or the euro sign (€). For the Kyrgyz som, the official symbol is an underlined letter "С" (which looks like an 'S'). The National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic approved this symbol in February 2017. You can find this symbol in computer systems as something called "SOM SIGN".

How the Som Started

For a long time, Kyrgyzstan was part of the Soviet Union. All the countries in the Soviet Union used the same money, called the Soviet ruble.

When the Soviet Union broke up in 1991, many countries became independent. At first, some leaders hoped to keep using the ruble together. But it was hard for all the new countries to agree on how to manage the money. Each country started printing a lot of money, which caused problems.

So, in July 1993, Russia decided to stop using the old ruble. This meant all the other former Soviet countries needed their own money.

Kyrgyzstan introduced its own currency, the Kyrgyz som, on May 10, 1993. It replaced the old Soviet ruble. One som was worth 200 rubles. At first, only paper money was made. Coins came much later, in 2008.

Coins of the Som

Coins were first used in Kyrgyzstan in January 2008. Before that, people only used banknotes. Coins became popular because they were easier for things like slot machines and collecting bus fares.

The first coins were made in small amounts called "tyiyn" (10 and 50 tyiyn). They also made coins for 1, 3, and 5 som. A 10 som coin was added in 2009.

All Kyrgyz coins are made in Kazakhstan. They look a bit like the coins used in Russia.

Coins of the som (2008–present)

Image	Value	Technical details			What they show			Dates
		Diameter	Weight	Material	Edge	Front	Back	Minted	Issued	Withdrawn	Stopped
	1 tyin	14 mm	1.0 g	Brass-plated steel	Grooved	A flower (гүл/ gul)	Emblem of Kyrgyzstan, country name, year	2008	1 January 2008	Still valid, but not often used
	10 tyin	15 mm	1.3 g							Still valid
	50 tyin	17 mm	1.8 g
	1 som	19 mm	2.5g	Nickel-plated steel	Grooved	A leather bottle called a "kookor" with a triangle symbol ("tumar").	Emblem of Kyrgyzstan, country name, year	2008	1 January 2008	Still valid
	3 som	21 mm	3.2 g
	5 som	23 mm	4.2 g
	10 som	24.5 mm	5.4 g					2009	1 December 2009
					Words "Он сом", a five-pointed star, «10 СОМ»				1 September 2014
These images are to scale at 2.5 pixels per millimetre. For table standards, see the coin specification table.

Special Collector Coins

A special 10 som coin from 2007

The National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic also makes special coins for collectors. These coins are often made of silver or gold. They are not meant for everyday shopping. They are like special art pieces for people who collect money.

Banknotes of the Som

Since 1993, Kyrgyzstan has released several series of banknotes. Each series has different designs and security features.

• First Series (1993): These were the very first banknotes. They included small values like 1, 10, and 50 tyiyn, and larger values like 1, 5, and 20 som. They were printed in Great Britain.
• Second Series (1994–1995): These banknotes had better protection against fake money. They featured important Kyrgyz people and famous places.
• Third Series (1997–2005): This series continued with similar themes but had updated designs. When coins were introduced in 2008, the smaller banknotes (1, 5, 10 som) slowly stopped being used.
• Fourth Series (2009–2016): This series introduced a very large 5,000 som note. These notes have even more advanced security features to prevent counterfeiting.
• Fifth Series (2023): The newest series of banknotes started coming out in 2023. These notes have updated designs and the latest security features.

First Series (1993)

These were the first banknotes of Kyrgyzstan. They were designed by Dmitry Lysogorov and A. P. Tsygank.

First series (1993)

Image		Value	Size	What they show			Dates
Front	Back			Front	Back	Watermark	Printed	Issued	Withdrawn	Stopped
		1 tyiyn	90×70 mm	Value, Kyrgyz eagle	Value, Emblem of Kyrgyzstan	Repeating eagle (1993). Mushroom design (1999 and 2001).	No date	10 May 1993	Still valid, but rarely seen.
		10 tyiyn
		50 tyiyn
		1 som	140×70 mm	Value, Manas	Value, Manas Ordo	Repeating eagle
		5 som
		20 som
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

Second Series (1994–1995)

These banknotes had better security features to prevent fake money.

Second series (1994–1995)

Image		Value	Size	What they show			Dates
Front	Back			Front	Back	Watermark	Printed	Issued	Withdrawn	Stopped
		1 som	135 х 65 mm	Abdylas Maldybaev	Komuz, kylkyak, Bishkek Philharmonic Orchestra	Toktogul Satylganov	No date	11 April 1994	Still valid, but rarely seen.
		5 som		Bubusara Beyshenalieva	Kyrgyz National Opera
		10 som		Kasym Tynystanov	Mountains of Kyrgyzstan and the Dzhety-Oguz tract			28 January 1994
		20 som		Togolok Moldo	Manas Mausoleum			11 April 1994
		50 som		Kurmanjan Datka	Uzgen architectural complex			29 August 1994
		100 som		Toktogul Satylganov	Toktogul Hydroelectric Power Station			20 March 1995
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

Third Series (1997–2005)

This series had improved designs. The smaller banknotes (1, 5, 10 som) were slowly replaced by coins starting in 2008.

Third series (1997–2005)

Image		Value	Size	What they show			Dates
Front	Back			Front	Back	Watermark	Printed	Issued	Withdrawn	Stopped
		1 som	120 × 60 mm	Abdylas Maldybaev	Komuz, kylkyak, Bishkek Philharmonic Orchestra	Same as portrait	1999	7 February 2000	Still valid, but not issued anymore.
		5 som	135 х 65 mm	Bubusara Beyshenalieva	Kyrgyz National Opera		1997	17 December 1997
		10 som		Kasym Tynystanov	Mountains of Kyrgyzstan and the Dzhety-Oguz tract
		20 som		Togolok Moldo	Manas Mausoleum	Same as portrait, and value	2002	15 August 2002
		50 som	145 × 70 mm	Kurmanjan Datka	Uzgen architectural complex
		100 som	150 × 72 mm	Toktogul Satylganov	Khan Tengri mountain
		200 som	155 × 74 mm	Alykul Osmonov	Lake Issyk Kul		2000	28 August 2000
							2004	2 August 2004
		500 som	160 × 76 mm	Sayakbay Karalaev	Sayakbay Karalaev and images from the Manas (epic)		2000	28 August 2000
							2005	1 November 2005
		1,000 som	165 × 78 mm	Jusup Balasagyn	Takhti Sulaiman, Mount Sulaiman		2000	28 August 2000
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

Fourth Series (2009–2016)

This series brought new designs and even better security features.

Fourth series (2009–2016)

Image		Value	Size	What they show			Dates
Front	Back			Front	Back	Watermark	Printed	Issued	Withdrawn	Stopped
		20 som	120 × 58 mm	Togolok Moldo	Tash Rabat	Same as portrait	2009	1 July 2009	Still valid
							2016	20 December 2018
		50 som	126 × 61 mm	Kurmanjan Datka	Minaret and mausoleum		2009	1 July 2009
							2016	1 March 2017
		100 som	132 × 63 mm	Toktogul Satylganov	Toktogul Hydroelectric Power Station		2009	1 July 2009
							2016	1 March 2017
		200 som	138 × 66 mm	Alykul Osmonov	Lake Issyk-Kul		2010	1 December 2010
							2016	1 January 2017
		500 som	144 × 68 mm	Sayakbay Karalaev	Manas Mausoleum		2010	1 December 2010
							2016	1 January 2017
		1,000 som	150 × 71 mm	Jusup Balasagyn	Takhti Sulaiman, Mount Sulaiman		2010	1 December 2010
							2016	1 January 2017
		5,000 som	156 × 73 mm	Suimenkul Chokmorov	Ala-Too Square		2009	2 March 2009
							2016	20 December 2018
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

Fifth Series (2023)

This is the newest series of banknotes.

Fifth series (2023)

Image		Value	Size	What they show			Dates
Front	Back			Front	Back	Watermark	Printed	Issued	Withdrawn	Stopped
		20 som	120 × 58 mm	Togolok Moldo	Tash Rabat	Togolok Moldo	2023	15 February 2024	Still valid
		50 som	126 × 61 mm	Kurmanjan Datka	Minaret and mausoleum	Kurmanjan Datka
		100 som	132 × 63 mm	Toktogul Satylganov	Toktogul Dam	Toktogul Satylganov
		200 som	138 × 66 mm	Alykul Osmonov	Lake Issyk-Kul	Alykul Osmonov		10 May 2023
		500 som	144 × 68 mm	Sayakbay Karalaev	Manas Mausoleum	Sayakbay Karalaev
		1,000 som	150 × 71 mm	Jusup Balasagyn	Takhti Sulaiman	Jusup Balasagyn
		5,000 som	156 x 73 mm	Suimenkul Chokmorov	Ala-Too	Suimenkul Chokmorov		10 May 2024

Special Collector Banknotes

Sometimes, special banknotes are made for collectors. These are not used for everyday shopping. For example, in 2014, special 100 and 200 som notes were made to celebrate the birthdays of famous Kyrgyz people. Only 3,000 of each were printed.

In 2017, a special 2,000 som banknote was released. This was to celebrate 25 years of Kyrgyzstan's independence and the som's introduction.

Commemorative banknotes

Image		Value	Size	What they show			Dates
Front	Back			Front	Back	Watermark	Printed	Issued	Withdrawn	Stopped
		100 som	132 × 63 mm	Toktogul Satylganov	Toktogul Hydroelectric Power Station	Toktogul Satylganov	2009	20 October 2014	Still valid
		200 som	138 × 66 mm	Alykul Osmonov	Lake Issyk-Kul	Toktogul Satylganov	2009
		2,000 som	156 × 73 mm	Monument of Manas, a stylised yurt, symbol of "Umai Ene"	Stylised tree, Khan Tengri mountain, eagle flying over lake Issyk-Kul	Toktogul Satylganov	2017	17 November 2017
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

Where to Exchange Money

One of many currency exchange kiosks in Bishkek's Dordoy Bazaar, showing foreign currency values in Kyrgyz som

If you visit Kyrgyzstan, you can exchange your country's money for Kyrgyz som. Places called currency exchange kiosks, like those found in Bishkek's Dordoy Bazaar, can help you do this. They show you how much foreign money is worth in Kyrgyz som.

See also

• Economy of Kyrgyzstan
• Uzbekistani sum