The Charyn (Russian: Чарын) or Sharyn (Kazakh: Шарын, Şaryn) is a river in the Almaty Province of Kazakhstan.

It flows through the Charyn National Park and into the Ili River, which is considered to be the largest artery of Lake Balkhash.

[1] It runs through the territory of Kegen and Uighur regions, forming the 154-km long Charyn Canyon.

[4] The Sharyn river is full-flowing due to many tributaries that flow into it from the northern slope of the Terskei and Kungei Alatau ranges.

In the Zhalanash valley, the canyon is called Aktogay, which means white stream in Kazakh, due to its trapezoidal shape.