How to Say Thank You in Turkish

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There are several ways to say “thank you” in Turkish, including teşekkür ederim, informal sağ ol, and elinize sağlık for someone’s work, often a meal. Teşekkür ederim is a safe polite default; the alternatives add useful register and context.

As a Turkish native speaker, I’ve picked the most common phrases, which we’ll go through one by one. For each phrase, you’ll find examples, their English equivalents, and formal and informal variations.

A note from the Fluent in 3 Months team before we get started: You can chat away with a native speaker for at least 15 minutes with the “Fluent in 3 Months” method. All it takes is 90 days. Tap this link to find out more.

But first, here’s a quick summary of the Turkish phrases for “thank you”:

English	Turkish	Audio
“Thank you” (literal translation: “I thank you”)	Teşekkür ederim
“Thank you” (literal translation: “we thank you”)	Teşekkür ederiz
“Thank you so much”	Çok teşekkür ederim
“Thanks”	Teşekkürler
“Thanks a lot”	Çok teşekkürler
“Thanks”	Sağ ol
“Thanks for the meal”	Elinize sağlık
“I owe you my thanks”	Sana/size bir teşekkür borçluyum

How to Say Thank You in Turkish

Now let’s take a more detailed look at the most common phrases that express gratitude in Turkish:

Teşekkür ederim: The Most Common “Thank You” in Turkish

Teşekkür ederim is the most common way to say “thank you” in Turkish. Its literal translation is “I thank you,” and it can be used in both formal and more casual situations. If you’re thanking someone on behalf of a group, you’ll need to change ederim into ederiz. So it becomes teşekkür ederiz, meaning “we thank you.”

Here are some example sentences. They show the difference between teşekkür ederim and teşekkür ederiz in context:

• Teşekkür ederim, bana çok yardımcı oldunuz. – “Thank you, you really helped me.”
• Hediye için teşekkür ederim, gerçekten çok beğendim. – “Thank you for the gift, I really liked it.”
• Bizi davet ettiğiniz için teşekkür ederiz. Ailem harika zaman geçirdi. – “Thank you for inviting us. My family had a great time.”

Çok teşekkür ederim: “Thank You Very Much” in Turkish

When you want to express your gratitude with extra emphasis, çok teşekkür ederim is a natural choice. Çok means “a lot” or “very much”, so çok teşekkür ederim is the equivalent of “thank you very much”.

Add çok to the examples above to make the thanks stronger:

• Çok teşekkür ederim, bana çok yardımcı oldunuz. – “Thank you so much, you really helped me.”
• Hediye için çok teşekkür ederim, gerçekten çok beğendim. – “Thank you so much for the gift, I really liked it.”
• Bizi davet ettiğiniz için çok teşekkür ederiz. Ailem harika zaman geçirdi. – “Thank you so much for inviting us. My family had a great time.”

Teşekkürler: A More Casual Way to Say “Thanks” in Turkish

Teşekkürler means “thanks” and is common in everyday Turkish. It is usually less formal than teşekkür ederim, though both are polite in many situations.

Quick hint: When you say teşekkürler, you don’t have to think about the difference between teşekkür ederim and teşekkür ederiz. So when you’re in doubt, you can safely use teşekkürler!

Here are some new examples:

• Kahve için teşekkürler. – “Thanks for the coffee.”
• Yardımın için teşekkürler. – “Thanks for your help.”
• Hediye için teşekkürler. – “Thanks for the gift.”

Çok teşekkürler: “Thanks a Lot” in Turkish

Çok teşekkürler means “thanks a lot.” Adding çok makes the meaning of teşekkürler stronger.

In other words, çok teşekkürler makes your thanks sound stronger than teşekkürler:

• Kahve için çok teşekkürler. – “Thanks a lot for the coffee.”
• Yardımın için çok teşekkürler. – “Thanks a lot for your help.”
• Hediye için çok teşekkürler. – “Thanks a lot for the gift.”

Sağ ol: An Informal Way of Saying Thanks

Sağ ol is a friendly, informal way to say “thank you” in Turkish. It literally means “be alive”, and you’ll hear it in familiar, everyday settings.

You’ll often hear it between friends or peers:

• Beni aradığın için sağ ol. – “Thanks for calling me.”
• Yardımın için sağ ol. – “Thanks for your help.”

For a polite or plural address, say sağ olun.

Elinize sağlık: A Turkish Compliment for Food and Handiwork

Elinize sağlık is a compliment for something someone has made or done with their hands, especially food.

It literally means “health to your hands”. After a meal, it praises the person who prepared it, but you can also use it for good handiwork.

Here are some examples to put this phrase into context:

• Elinize sağlık, yemek çok güzeldi. – “Thanks for the meal, it was delicious.”
• Elinize sağlık, beni davet ettiğiniz için teşekkür ederim. – “Thank you for the meal and for inviting me.”
• Eline sağlık, fincanlar tertemiz oldu. – “Nice work, the cups came out spotless.”

Use eline sağlık with one person you address informally, and elinize sağlık for a polite or plural address.

Bir teşekkür borçluyum: “I Owe You My Thanks” in Turkish

Bir teşekkür borçluyum means “I owe a thank-you”. Add the person in the dative, as in sana bir teşekkür borçluyum or polite size bir teşekkür borçluyum. It sounds stronger and less routine than a simple teşekkür ederim.

Although it’s not as common as the other phrases, here are a few situations where you might hear it:

• Beni Yılmaz Bey’le tanıştırdığınız için size bir teşekkür borçluyum. – “Thank you for introducing me to Mr Yılmaz. I owe you my thanks.” (formal register)
• Bana İstanbul’da iş bulduğun için sana bir teşekkür borçluyum. – “Thanks for finding me a job in Istanbul. I owe you my thanks.” (informal register)

How to Reply to Thank You in Turkish

You’ve learned how to express your gratitude in Turkish. But what do you say when someone thanks you?

Just like in English, there are several ways to reply to “thank you” in Turkish, with equivalents of “no problem” and “you’re welcome.”

Bir şey değil: A Common Way to Say “You’re Welcome”

Bir şey değil is a common response to “thank you” in Turkish. It translates to “it’s nothing” and works much like “no problem”.

Let’s say you paid for your friend’s coffee, and they said:

Kahve için teşekkür ederim. – “Thank you for the coffee.”

You can reply bir şey değil, “no problem.”

Rica ederim: A Polite “You’re Welcome”

Rica ederim is a common, polite response to “thank you”, especially in service or formal contexts. Bir şey değil, ne demek and sorun değil can sound more casual; the best choice depends on the relationship and tone.

For example, someone may thank you after you help them with luggage at a bus station. They might say:

Valizimi taşıdığınız için teşekkür ederim. – “Thank you for carrying my luggage.”

You can also reply with rica ederim: “you’re welcome”.

Ne demek: “Don’t Mention It” in Turkish

Ne demek is a friendly way to say “don’t mention it”, and it’s common in everyday conversation.

Sorun değil: “No Problem” in Turkish

Sorun değil literally means “no problem”, and it can also work as a casual reply to thanks.

Teşekkür ederim, sağ ol, and teşekkürler: Say Thanks in Turkish!

Choose one phrase for a formal setting, one for friends and one response to thanks, then listen for how people around you use them. That will teach you more about Turkish register than memorising every option at once.

Take a look at our list of Turkish resources for books, tutoring platforms, dictionaries and pronunciation help. For structured audio lessons, read our TurkishClass101 review.

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