Аннотация
This article examines the mythopoetic foundations and genre system of toponymic folklore in Kazakh oral tradition. The study analyzes the genetic connection between folklore and toponymy within the framework of mythological worldview. It clarifies the symbolic, cognitive, and factual functions of place names (toponyms) and investigates their role in folkloric texts. The genre structure of toponymic folklore is systematized in relation to examples of folk prose and is classified into toponymic legends, myths, narratives, and stories. As a result, the study concludes that toponymic folklore represents an artistic and cognitive model of national cultural memory.