Are you a yeni başlayan (“beginner”) in Turkish?

If you’ve just started learning the language, it’s a good idea to begin with the basics. 

Acquiring a rudimentary vocabulary is the first step toward proficiency. By learning the essential Turkish words for beginners, you’re building a base upon which to further develop your language skills. With only a few words, you’ll be able to start communicating with native speakers and fulfilling your daily obligations while in Turkey. Then, you can start working on the grammar and building sentences using the simple words you’ve learned. 

In this article, we’ve compiled a masterlist of the most useful Turkish beginner words. We’ve included everything from numbers to conjunctions to ensure you’re not missing out on any essentials! 

Ready? Let’s start with something simple.

Table of Contents

1. Numbers
2. Pronouns
3. Nouns
4. Adjectives
5. Adverbs
6. Verbs
7. Conjunctions
8. Discover More About the Turkish Language on TurkishClass101.com

1. Numbers

One of the first things you should add to your Turkish vocabulary are numbers. We use them every day in a variety of contexts, from shopping to planning dates. 

Let’s count from 0 to 10 in Turkish:

0	Sıfır
1	Bir
2	İki
3	Üç
4	Dört
5	Beş
6	Altı
7	Yedi
8	Sekiz
9	Dokuz
10	On

Important note: 

When a Turkish noun is plural and preceded by a number, the noun does not take the usual -lar / -ler plural suffixes. Rather, it retains its singular form as the number indicates that it’s plural. 

Examples:

• Elma – “Apple”
• Bir elma – “One apple”
• İki elma – “Two apples”

2. Pronouns

As you start speaking Turkish, pronouns will have your back time and again. There are four categories of pronouns we’ll be looking at today: personal, demonstrative, possessive, and interrogative. 

Personal Pronouns

There are six personal pronouns in Turkish. Since Turkish has no grammatical gender, there’s only one personal pronoun for the third person singular (he / she / it).

I would like to point out one more thing: The second person plural pronoun (siz) also functions as the polite form of the second person singular.

Turkish	English
Ben	I
Sen	You
O	He / She / It
Biz	We
Siz	You
Onlar	They

Demonstrative Pronouns

Turkish	English
Bu	This
Şu	That
Bunlar	These
Şunlar	Those

Possessive Pronouns

Turkish	English
Benim	My
Senin	Your
Onun	His / Her / Its
Bizim	Our
Sizin	Your
Onların	Their

Interrogative Pronouns

Turkish	English
Ne	What
Kim	Who
Hangi	Which

You’ll see some of these pronouns used in example phrases below. Take note, because understanding their use in context will be helpful as you start learning how to build sentences with your new vocabulary. 

3. Nouns

Nouns are the words we use to label people, places, things, and concepts. Unlike some other languages, Turkish nouns do not have grammatical gender. 

Below, you’ll find the most essential nouns in Turkish for beginners grouped by category. If you want to pick up even more words, though, you should check out our dedicated Turkish nouns article! 

Time 

Here are the days of the week and some other words related to time.

Turkish	English
Pazartesi	Monday
Salı	Tuesday
Çarşamba	Wednesday
Perşembe	Thursday
Cuma	Friday
Cumartesi	Saturday
Pazar	Sunday
Gün	Day
Hafta	Week
Ay	Month
Yıl	Year
Saat	Hour
Dakika	Minute

Now, let’s use some of these words with numbers:

• Üç ay – “Three months”
• İki saat – “Two hours”
• Beş dakika – “Five minutes”

Places

Turkish	English
Dünya	World
Kıta	Continent
Ülke	Country
Şehir	City
Deniz	Sea
Restoran	Restaurant
Market	Market
Hastane	Hospital
Postane	Post office

Let’s see how these words might be used with the Turkish pronouns we saw earlier: 

• Şu market – “That market”
• Benim ülkem – “My country”
• Hangi restoran? – “Which restaurant?”

Transportation

While trying to get around in Turkey, you’ll benefit from knowing the basic words and terms for transportation. 

Turkish	English
Metro	Subway
Otobüs	Bus
Taksi	Taxi
Araba	Car
Tren	Train
Uçak	Airplane
Bisiklet	Bicycle
Yol	Road
Trafik ışıkları	Traffic lights
Otobüs durağı	Bus stop
Havaalanı	Airport
Tren istasyonu	Train station

And here’s how these beginner Turkish words might be used with pronouns:

• Bu otobüs durağı – “This bus stop”
• Benim arabam – “My car”
• Hangi otobüs? – “Which bus?”

Technology

Technology is everywhere. Who knows where and when you’ll need to know a few technology-related words?

Turkish	English
İnternet	Internet
Web sitesi	Website
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi
Bilgisayar	Computer
Dizüstü bilgisayar	Laptop
Tablet	Tablet
Cep telefonu	Cellphone
Şarj aleti	Charger

School

If you’ve decided to pursue your studies in Turkey, memorizing these essential school-related terms will prove useful. 

Turkish	English
Okul	School
Lise	High school
Ortaokul	Middle school
İlkokul	Elementary school
Ödev	Homework
Öğretmen	Teacher
Sınav	Exam
Kitap	Book
Defter	Notebook
Kalem	Pen / Pencil

Occupations

Knowing the terms for common occupations will come in handy when introducing yourself or someone else. 

Turkish	English
Doktor	Doctor
Hemşire	Nurse
Avukat	Lawyer
Mühendis	Engineer
Öğretmen	Teacher
İş adamı	Businessman
İş kadını	Businesswoman
Yönetici	Manager
Mimar	Architect

Family Members

Here are some nouns you can use to introduce your family:

Turkish	English
Aile	Family
Eş	Spouse
Kız evlat	Daughter
Erkek evlat	Son
Anne	Mom
Baba	Dad
Ebeveyn	Parent
Kardeş	Sibling
Kuzen	Cousin
Çocuk	Child

Body Parts

In case of a medical emergency, knowing the body parts in Turkish will be crucial. Here’s a handy list for your reference: 

Turkish	English
Vücut	Body
Baş / Kafa	Head
Omuz	Shoulder
Kol	Arm
El	Hand
Bacak	Leg
Ayak	Foot
Yüz	Face
Göz	Eye
Burun	Nose
Ağız	Mouth
Kulak	Ear
Parmak	Finger

Food and Beverages

Food is vital to our wellbeing, so these words should be some of the first you memorize! You’ll use them while grocery shopping, ordering at a restaurant, or cooking at home. 

Turkish	English
Sebze	Vegetable
Et	Meat
Tavuk	Chicken
Balık	Fish
Meyve	Fruit
Tatlı	Dessert
Su	Water
Bira	Beer
Şarap	Wine
Çay	Tea
Türk kahvesi	Turkish coffee

You can learn even more Turkish nouns for food, utensils, and tableware on our website. 

4. Adjectives

Adjectives are used to describe nouns, whether we’re talking about objects, people, feelings, situations, or environments. As a beginner in Turkish, learning a few common adjectives will help you better express yourself and add flair to your speech or writing.

Describing Objects

You just need two words to describe an object: the correct noun and the adjective of your choice. Below are some frequently used adjectives for describing objects.

Turkish	English
Büyük	Big
Küçük	Small
Uzun	Long
Kısa	Short
İnce	Thin
Kalın	Thick
Geniş	Wide
Dar	Narrow
Ağır	Heavy
Hafif	Light
Sivri	Sharp
Yassı	Flat
Sert	Hard
Yumuşak	Soft

Now, let’s use some of these adjectives with the nouns we learned above:

• Büyük şehir – “Big city”
• Dar yol – “Narrow road”
• Yumuşak kalem – “Soft pen/pencil”
• Küçük burun – “Small nose”

Describing People

Turkish	English
Güzel	Beautiful
Yakışıklı	Handsome
Çekici	Attractive
Çirkin	Ugly
Kısa boylu	Short
Uzun boylu	Tall
Zayıf	Thin
Şişman	Fat
Yaşlı	Old
Genç	Young

Examples:

• Güzel çocuk – “Beautiful child”
• Yakışıklı öğretmen – “Handsome teacher”
• Genç bir mühendis – “A young engineer”

Describing Emotions

Turkish	English
Mutlu	Happy
Üzgün	Sad
Heyecanlı	Excited
Şaşkın	Surprised
Neşeli	Joyful
Kızgın	Angry
Gergin	Tense
Sinirli	Nervous
Sakin	Calm
Endişeli	Worried

Examples:

• Mutlu bir anne – “A happy mother”
• Endişeli bir baba – “A worried father”

Describing the Weather

Turkish	English
Yağmurlu	Rainy
Bulutlu	Cloudy
Rüzgarlı	Windy
Güneşli	Sunny
Karlı	Snowy
Sisli	Foggy
Soğuk	Cold
Sıcak	Hot
Ilık	Warm

Examples:

• Yağmurlu bir gün – “A rainy day”
  Soğuk bir gün – “A cold day”

5. Adverbs

An adverb gives additional information about a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a phrase, or a clause. It basically answers questions regarding where, when, how, and why something happened. You can refer to our relevant blog article for more about adverbs.

Once we go over some verbs in the following section, you’ll see some examples of how these adverbs might be used. 

Qualitative Adverbs

Turkish	English
İyi	Well
Kolayca	Easily
Sessizce	Quietly
Hafifçe	Lightly
Basitçe	Simply
Açıkça	Frankly / Openly / Clearly

Adverbs That Indicate the Time of Action

Turkish	English
Dün	Yesterday
Dün gece	Last night
Bugün	Today
Bu sabah	This morning
Bu gece	Tonight
Yarın	Tomorrow
Gelecek hafta	Next week
Şimdi	Now
Hemen	Immediately
Hemen şimdi	Right now

Adverbs That Show Quantity / Measurement

Turkish	English
Az	Little / Few / A bit
Biraz	Some / A little
Çok	Much / Many / Very / Too much

Adverbs That Indicate Frequency

Turkish	English
Bazen	Sometimes
Asla	Never
Daima	Always
Sık sık	Frequently
Nadiren	Rarely

Interrogative Adverbs

Turkish	English
Ne zaman	When
Ne kadar	How much / How long
Nasıl	How
Niçin	Why

6. Verbs

Verbs are the most important building block of sentences. They show actions, occurrences, processes, conditions, and states of being.

Verbs Used for Daily Routine

Turkish	English
Uyumak	To sleep
Uyanmak	To wake up
Kalkmak	To get up
Gelmek	To come
Gitmek	To go
Yemek	To eat
İçmek	To drink
Çalışmak	To work
Ders çalışmak	To study

Examples:

• O sessizce gitti. – “He/she/it went quietly.”
• Dün gece çok az uyudum. – “I slept very little last night.”
• O ne kadar ders çalışır? – “How long does he study?”

Action Verbs

Turkish	English
Koşmak	To run
Oynamak	To play
Yürümek	To walk

Examples:

• O sık sık koşar. – “He/she/it frequently runs.”
• O ne zaman koşar? – “When does he/she/it run?”

Verbs of Emotion

Turkish	English
Sevmek	To love
Nefret etmek	To hate
İstemek	To want

Examples:

• Seni seviyorum. – “I love you.”
• Ondan niçin nefret ediyorsun? – “Why do you hate him/her/it?”

Possession Verbs

Turkish	English
Sahip olmak	To have / To own
Ait olmak	To belong

Example:

• Bu araba bana ait. – “This car belongs to me.”

Verbs Related to the Senses

Turkish	English
Duymak	To hear
Görmek	To see
Koklamak	To smell

Thought-related Verbs

Turkish	English
Düşünmek	To think
Bilmek	To know
İnanmak	To believe
Hatırlamak	To remember

 Example:

• Onu daima iyi hatırlayacağım. – “I will always remember him/her/it well.”

7. Conjunctions

Conjunctions are those small words we use to connect words or phrases together. These are essential beginner words in Turkish as they’ll allow you to sound more fluid when speaking and add clarity to your writing, even if you have a limited vocabulary. 

Here are some common conjunctions in Turkish:

Turkish	English
Fakat / Ama	But
Çünkü	Because
Ve	And
Veya	Or
Böylece	So

Examples:

• Okula bisiklet ile veya araba ile gidiyorum. – “I go to school by bike or by car.”
• Kuzenim mutlu ama endişeli. – “My cousin is happy but worried.”

8. Discover More About the Turkish Language on TurkishClass101.com

You’ve now learned quite a number of useful beginner Turkish words. However, there are many more words to memorize and grammatical concepts to explore. 

Learning Turkish is simple with TurkishClass101. We provide our students with numerous audio lessons and recordings, tons of vocabulary lists, and a variety of free resources (including this Turkish dictionary) that you can refer to. You can also utilize our MyTeacher service, which allows you to study and practice 1-on-1 with a native Turkish teacher. 

What’s more, you can download the app for free and use it wherever you are.

It’s our goal to help you learn Turkish in a fun and effective manner, all at your convenience. As such, we welcome any feedback or questions you may have! 

Before you go: How many of these words did you know already? Were most of them new to you? We look forward to hearing from you in the comments!