The analysis of the semantic structure of the word, the identification or restoration of its meaning in the epic work is a difficult task, which is due to the chronological heterogeneity of different versions of the epic, the loss or ambiguity of the semantics of the word, its transition from active to passive vocabulary, or a change of its form. The solution of such a task requires a rigorous analysis of lexical units, taking into account the nature of the contextual environment and the co-occurrence of words, the peculiarities of their semantic definition in lexicographical sources, grammatical and accentological features of the units under consideration.

The article provides the analysis of the semantic structure of lexemes bärŋk and anchn, used in the heroic epic “Dzhangar”. The analysis allows to identify and restore the meaning of a particular lexeme, which is interpreted differently or is considered to belong to non-equivalent vocabulary. The meaning ‘dagger’ of the lexeme bärŋk is indirectly confirmed by its use in the context of the epic (version of Dava Shavaliev). The lexeme anchn, used as epithets, may denote two different concepts. When used with the word zürkn ‘heart’, it means ‘state of excitement’, ‘agitated’, ‘beating quickly’. When used with the word bärŋk ‘dagger’, it can be interpreted as ‘huge, big’.