Meaning of the Name Gulai

Gulai means “flower + moon”. It comes from Classical Persian and Proto-Turkic elements. It is documented as a girl's name in Kazakh.

Gulai is a name of Persian and Turkic origin.
It is recorded for Kazakh.
2 syllables (counted from the spelling) and 5 letters.

What does Gulai mean?

“flower + moon”^[1,2,3]✓ Documented

Literal meaning

Building blocks

Gulai

Gulai (Гүлай) is a Kazakh girl's name recorded both on Wiktionary and in the KazPER name list. Wiktionary traces it to гүл ‘flower’ and ай ‘moon’ (Classical Persian and Proto-Turkic in origin), which gives the meaning “flower + moon”.^[1]

Gulai in Kazakh

What does Gulai mean in Kazakh?

In Kazakh the name is written Гүлай, Gülay (Wiktionary romanization) and Gulai (common romanization). No separate Kazakh gloss is recorded, so the general meaning “flower + moon” applies. It is recorded as a girl's name.^[1,4]

Where does the name Gulai come from?

Classical Persian and Proto-Turkic, compound. From гүл (gül, “flower”) + ай (ay, “moon”).^[1,2,3]✓ Documented

gül “rose; flower”, from Persian (Persian گل, Turkish gül, Kazakh / Kyrgyz гүл, Uyghur گۈل)
ay “moon; month”, from Proto-Turkic (Turkish ay, Kazakh / Kyrgyz ай, Uzbek oy, Uyghur ئاي)

Is Gulai a Kazakh name?

Yes. Gulai is documented as a given name in Kazakh. Etymologically it combines Turkic and Classical Persian elements.

Gulai across Turkic languages

Gulai by language: spelling, gender, meaning and evidence label
Language	Spelling	Gender	Meaning in this language	Label
Kazakh	ГүлайCyrillic	Girl	same as above: “flower + moon”	Documented^[1,4]

Similar spellings in different languages do not prove a shared origin: two languages can arrive at the same sound from different words. The origin section above states what the sources say.

Spelling variations of Gulai

Forms are shown as recorded, in their original script. Romanizations and rule-based conversions are labelled with their system and are not presented as attested spellings.

Recorded spellings of Gulai
Form	Language	Script	Type
Гүлай^[1,4]	Kazakh	Cyrillic	Native spelling
Gulai^[4]	Latin spelling	Latin	Variant
Gülay^[1]	Kazakh	Latin	Romanization (Wiktionary romanization)
Gulai	Kazakh	Latin	Romanization (common romanization)

Other names with gül

AiassemGirl“graceful as the moon”
AibaderGirl“moon, full moon”
AibalaUnisex“moon child”
AibanuGirl“moon lady”
AibibiGirl“moon lady”
AibikaGirl“moon lady”
AibikeGirl“moon + girl, lass”
AibubuGirl“moon lady”

All names with gül →

Sibling names for Gulai

Names recorded for the same language (Kazakh) that start with a different letter, so two children are not mixed up. Names that share a meaning theme or an element with Gulai rank first. Siblings do not have to match; these are only ideas.

AigerimGirl
“moon + noble, generous”
same language (kazakh) · also shares the element ay
AisaraGirl
“moon + clear, bright, lucid; excellent, perfect, first-class, first-rate, prime”
same language (kazakh) · also shares the element ay
ZhenisgulGirl
“flower of victory”
same language (kazakh) · also shares the element gül
KunaiGirl
“sun and moon”
same language (kazakh) · also shares the element ay
KumissaiGirl
“silver moon”
same language (kazakh) · also shares the element ay
AisuluGirl
“beautiful as the moon”
same language (kazakh) · also shares the element ay
NargulGirl
“pomegranate blossom”
same language (kazakh) · also shares the element gül
KenesgulGirl
“advice, guidance, counsel + flower”
same language (kazakh) · also shares the element gül

Open the sibling name finder →

Common questions about Gulai

What does the name Gulai mean?

Gulai means “flower + moon”. It comes from Classical Persian and Proto-Turkic elements. It is documented as a girl's name in Kazakh.

Is Gulai a girl's or a boy's name?

Gulai is recorded as a girl's name.

Where does Gulai come from?

Gulai is of Classical Persian and Proto-Turkic origin according to our origin records, and it is built from гүл + ай. Read the origin section above for the sources.

Which languages use Gulai?

Gulai is recorded for Kazakh. The table shows each language's spelling, gender and evidence label, and a language is listed only when our data records the name for it.

How is Gulai spelled in other scripts?

Recorded spellings: Гүлай (Cyrillic), Gulai (Latin). Romanizations and rule-based conversions are labelled as such in the spelling table.

How many syllables does Gulai have?

Gulai has 2 syllables by our approximate count of vowel groups in the spelling, and 5 letters. Pronunciation can differ by language.

Sources

Numbers in the text point to these sources. The descriptions on this page are written by a fixed template filled only with the stored source facts; source texts are not copied.

Some statements on this page come from TurkicNames' editorial research (labelled Editorial) and are not yet linked to a cited source; the numbered sources below support the rest.

Wiktionary contributors. Wiktionary entry “Гүлай”. Wikimedia Foundation, revision 71564196. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Supports: etymology: From гүл (gül, “flower”) + ай (ay, “moon”).; classified as Kazakh female given names, Kazakh given names; listed as a Kazakh given name; Kazakh given-name entry Гүлай (+1 more)
Wiktionary contributors. Wiktionary entry “гүл”. Wikimedia Foundation, revision 89918203. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Supports: Kazakh гүл ‘flower’
Wiktionary contributors. Wiktionary entry “ай”. Wikimedia Foundation, revision 93751413. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Supports: Kazakh ай ‘moon’
Rustem Yeshpanov. KazPER Kazakh person-name list. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC BY 4.0.
Supports: listed in KazPER; KazPER lists Гүлай; KazPER English spelling Gulai

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