150+ Turkish Words for Everyday Conversations
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You don’t need every Turkish word before you can start a conversation. Begin with the words that come up in greetings, everyday plans and simple descriptions, then use them as building blocks as your Turkish grows.
This list groups 150+ common Turkish words and phrases into greetings, nouns, verbs, adjectives and more. Each table entry has audio, so you can hear the pronunciation as you learn it.
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.
Table of contents
Turkish Greetings
Greetings are usually your first words in any language, and Turkish is no exception. Here are different ways to say hello, goodbye, and how are you in Turkish:
| English | Turkish | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| “Hello” | Merhaba | |
| “Hi” | Selam | |
| “Good morning” | Günaydın | |
| “Good evening” | İyi akşamlar | |
| “Welcome” (informal) | Hoş geldin | |
| “Welcome” (formal) | Hoş geldiniz | |
| “See you later” | Görüşürüz | |
| “How are you?” (informal) | Nasılsın? | |
| “How are you?” (formal) | Nasılsınız? | |
| “I’m fine” | İyiyim |
Polite Words in Turkish
Use these phrases to sound kind and make a good impression. Besides your usual polite teşekkür ederim, which is thank you in Turkish, you’ll also find bonus phrases like “enjoy your meal” and “get well soon” below:
| English | Turkish | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| “Please” | Lütfen | |
| “Thank you” | Teşekkür ederim | |
| “Thanks” | Teşekkürler | |
| “Thanks” (informal) | Sağ ol | |
| “Sorry” | Özür dilerim | |
| “Get well soon” | Geçmiş olsun | |
| “Enjoy your meal” | Afiyet olsun | |
| Literal translation: “Health to your hands” (used when you want to compliment someone's cooking or handiwork) |
Elinize sağlık | |
| Literal translation: “May it be easy for you” (a polite phrase used to acknowledge someone's work or effort) |
Kolay gelsin |
The Most Common Turkish Nouns
Word lists work best when you categorize words into groups.
Here are the most common Turkish nouns related to food, family, places, and more. You’ll most likely use these words daily, so learning these is a good way to get started with the language:
Food and Drinks in Turkish
Whether you’re shopping in the supermarket or reading a recipe, it’s likely that you’ll see these common food and drink words in Turkish:
| English | Turkish | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| “Food” | Yemek | |
| “Drink” | İçecek | |
| “Bread” | Ekmek | |
| “Water” | Su | |
| “Tea” | Çay | |
| “Coffee” | Kahve | |
| “Meat” | Et | |
| “Fish” | Balık | |
| “Chicken” | Tavuk | |
| “Fruit” | Meyve | |
| “Onion” | Soğan | |
| “Pepper” | Biber | |
| “Tomato” | Domates | |
| “Cheese” | Peynir | |
| “Milk” | Süt | |
| “Egg” | Yumurta | |
| “Pasta” | Makarna |
False friend alert: The word pasta in Turkish means “cake.” If you forget makarna (the Turkish word for “pasta”) and say pasta instead, you may end up with a cake!
Family in Turkish
Turkish distinguishes between paternal relatives (father’s side), maternal relatives (mother’s side), blood relatives, and relatives by marriage.
Don’t worry, the Turkish words for other family members aren’t as complicated!
| English | Turkish | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| “Mother” | Anne | |
| “Father” | Baba | |
| “Sibling” | Kardeş | |
| “Older sister” | Abla | |
| “Older brother” | Abi | |
| “Spouse” | Eş | |
| “Grandfather” | Dede | |
| “Grandmother” | Nene | |
| “Uncle” (paternal) | Amca | |
| “Uncle” (maternal) | Dayı | |
| “Brother-in-law” or “uncle” by marriage | Enişte | |
| “Aunt” (maternal) | Teyze | |
| “Aunt” (paternal) | Hala | |
| “Sister-in-law” or “aunt” by marriage | Yenge |
Places in Turkish
Now let’s move on with the most common place names you’ll find in the city:
| English | Turkish | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| “House” | Ev | |
| “School” | Okul | |
| “Hospital” | Hastane | |
| “Restaurant” | Restoran | |
| “Hotel” | Otel | |
| “Bank” | Banka | |
| “Airport” | Havaalanı | |
| “Train station” | Tren istasyonu |
Time-related Vocabulary in Turkish
Words like “today,” “now,” or “tomorrow” help us talk about plans, activities, and events. Here are some important time-related Turkish words:
| English | Turkish | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| “Day” | Gün | |
| “Week” | Hafta | |
| “Month” | Ay | |
| “Year” | Yıl | |
| “Hour” | Saat | |
| “Minute” | Dakika | |
| “Second” | Saniye | |
| “Morning” | Sabah | |
| “Noon” | Öğle | |
| “Evening” | Akşam | |
| “Night” | Gece | |
| “Today” | Bugün | |
| “Yesterday” | Dün | |
| “Tomorrow” | Yarın | |
| “Now” | Şimdi | |
| “Later” | Sonra |
Describing People in Turkish
Let’s move on with words like “person,” “friend,” “woman,” or “man” that help us describe people:
| English | Turkish | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| “Person” | İnsan | |
| “Friend” | Arkadaş | |
| “Woman” | Kadın | |
| “Man” | Adam | |
| “Girl” | Kız | |
| “Boy” | Oğlan | |
| “Child” | Çocuk | |
| “Baby” | Bebek |
The Most Common Turkish Verbs
In the list below, we chose the most common Turkish verbs you’ll encounter and use in everyday conversations:
| English | Turkish | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| “To do/make” | Yapmak | |
| “To come” | Gelmek | |
| “To go” | Gitmek | |
| “To know” | Bilmek | |
| “To want” | İstemek | |
| “To see” | Görmek | |
| “To look (at)” | Bakmak | |
| “To give” | Vermek | |
| “To take” | Almak | |
| “To say” | Demek | |
| “To eat” | Yemek | |
| “To drink” | İçmek | |
| “To work/study” | Çalışmak | |
| “To read” | Okumak | |
| “To write” | Yazmak | |
| “To speak” | Konuşmak | |
| “To understand” | Anlamak | |
| “To learn” | Öğrenmek | |
| “To love” | Sevmek | |
| “To find” | Bulmak |
Important: Turkish word order isn’t the same as English. In Turkish, the verb usually comes at the end of the sentence. It might feel strange at first, but you’ll get used to it!
For example, to say “I’m learning Turkish,” we’ll conjugate the verb öğrenmek and put it at the end of the sentence — so it’s Ben Türkçe öğreniyorum.
Turkish often expresses the English verb “to be” with a suffix rather than a separate present-tense word. For example, Ben öğretmenim means “I am a teacher,” with the “am” meaning carried by the ending -im. Turkish does have olmak, but it is used for meanings such as “to be” or “to become” in other constructions.
For ordinary possession, Turkish commonly uses var (“there is”) or yok (“there isn’t”). For instance, Benim bir kedim var means “I have a cat.”
Turkish Adjectives
Adjectives give you a simple way to describe the nouns you already know. Here are some common Turkish adjectives and examples of how they work with nouns:
| English | Turkish | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| “Big” | Büyük | |
| “Small” | Küçük | |
| “Beautiful” | Güzel | |
| “Ugly” | Çirkin | |
| “Good” | İyi | |
| “Bad” | Kötü | |
| “New” | Yeni | |
| “Old” (for objects) | Eski | |
| “Young” | Genç | |
| “Old” (for people) | Yaşlı | |
| “Long/tall” | Uzun | |
| “Short” | Kısa | |
| “Hot” | Sıcak | |
| “Cold” | Soğuk | |
| “Easy” | Kolay | |
| “Difficult” | Zor | |
| “Fast” | Hızlı | |
| “Slow” | Yavaş | |
| “Expensive” | Pahalı | |
| “Cheap” | Ucuz |
When an adjective directly modifies a noun in Turkish, it normally comes before it. Here are some combinations using words from the tables above:
- Sıcak çay: “Hot tea”
- Soğuk su: “Cold water”
- Güzel ev: “Beautiful house”
- Yeni okul: “New school”
- Uzun gün: “Long day”
- İyi insan: “Good person”
- Pahalı restoran: “Expensive restaurant”
Turkish Colours
Colors are some of the most common adjectives in any language. In Turkish, you’ll hear these colors all the time:
| English | Turkish | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| “Red” | Kırmızı | |
| “Blue” | Mavi | |
| “Yellow” | Sarı | |
| “Green” | Yeşil | |
| “White” | Beyaz | |
| “Black” | Siyah | |
| “Orange” | Turuncu |
Turkish Subject Pronouns
Pronouns help you refer to people and things without repeating names. Here are the essential Turkish subject pronouns:
- Ben: “I”
- Sen: “You” (singular, informal)
- O: “He/She/It”
- Biz: “We”
- Siz: “You” (plural or formal singular)
- Onlar: “They”
Want to learn Turkish fast? Then check out our favourite Turkish course, TurkishClass101. It has loads of native-speaker audio to grow your Turkish vocabulary.
Turkish Conjunctions and Connectors
Conjunctions such as “and,” “but” and “or” help you join ideas and build longer sentences.
| English | Turkish | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| “And” | Ve | |
| “But” | Ama | |
| “Or” | Veya | |
| “Because” | Çünkü | |
| “If” | Eğer |
Turkish Question Words
These question words will help you ask for clarification when you don’t understand what people say:
| English | Turkish | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| “What” | Ne | |
| “Who” | Kim | |
| “Why” | Neden | |
| “How” | Nasıl | |
| “Where” | Nerede | |
| “Which” | Hangi | |
| “When” | Ne zaman |
Bonus: Words You’ll Hear in Turkish Series All the Time
If you’re a fan of Turkish dramas, these words will ring a bell. If not, why not watch some to practice your listening skills?
Here are some bonus words, mostly fillers and endearment words, that you’ll hear all the time:
| English | Turkish | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| “Yes” | Evet | |
| “No” | Hayır | |
| “Of course” | Tabii ki | |
| “Sure” | Olur | |
| “No way” | Olmaz | |
| “Never” | Asla | |
| “Oh my!” | Aman! | |
| “Oh!” (surprise or disbelief) | Yaa! | |
| “No way!” | Yok artık! | |
| “Come on!” | Hadi! | |
| “My dear” | Canım | |
| “My love” | Aşkım | |
| “God willing” | İnşallah | |
| “I swear” | Valla | |
| “Older brother” (also used as a respectful way to address a man) | Abi | |
| “Older sister” (also used as a respectful way to address a woman) | Abla | |
| “Unfortunately” | Maalesef |
Mix and Match These Words in Your Speech
These words turn up often in Turkish television, music and everyday conversation, so listen for them in complete sentences rather than trying to memorise the list in isolation.
Once you’ve heard them in context, choose a few and use them in sentences of your own. Our recommended Turkish resources will give you more audio, reading and practice material.
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