Merhaba and welcome to Turkish 101 class! If you’re looking to learn some of the most important Turkish words and phrases before your trip to Turkey, you’re in the right place. 🙂
This massive article is packed with the most common words and phrases in Turkish for every travel situation, including basic Turkish greetings and farewells, sightseeing, and transportation.
That’s not all: there are also essential Turkish phrases for shopping, eating out (including for travelers with allergies!), traveling (at the airport/bus station), and much more.
We’ll teach you…
- How to greet and introduce yourself in Turkish
- How to say please and thank you in Turkish
- How to ask for directions in Turkish & figure out where to go
- How to order food in Turkish
- How to talk about allergies and special diets in Turkish
- How to read a menu in Turkey
… and more!
Next to each word and phrase there is a helpful pronunciation guide, and at the end of each section you’ll find some fun facts and cultural insights.
We’re sure that these must-know Turkish phrases, expressions, and words will help you on your trip to Türkiye. İyi yolculuklar (bon voyage)!
BASIC TURKISH PHRASES
Let’s start off with some of the most important Turkish phrases for tourists — the basics!
You’ll learn how to say hello and goodbye in Turkish, as well as polite phrases when speaking to locals.
Greetings
Hello — Merhaba (formal) Mer-aa-baa
or Selam (informal) Seh-laa-m
Good morning — Günaydın Goon ayy-din
Good afternoon — İyi günler Eee-yee goon-laar
Good evening — İyi akşamlar Eee-yee ak-shah-m-laar
Good night — İyi geceler Eee-yee geh-je-lar
Turkish greetings are a very interesting thing. You can use the phrase İyi günler as a greeting (good afternoon) or as a way to say farewell (have a good day). The phrase literally translates to Good days.
The same thing can be said for İyi akşamlar: It literally means good evening, and can be used to greet someone or to wish someone a good evening when you part ways. This is typically used after 6 pm or when the sun goes down.
Goodbyes
FIRST OPTION:
Güle güle Gew-le Gew-le
Hoşça Kal Hosh-cha kaal (informal) OR Hoşça Kalın Hosh-cha kaal-in (formal)
Turkish locals have two phrases when bidding farewell to each other, depending on the situation. If you’re staying and the other person is leaving, you would say güle güle (literally: leave with a smile). The person who is leaving would reply Hoşça kal (literally: stay well).
If you’re a tourist in Turkey, you’re most likely going to use Hoşça kal(ın) most often, since you’ll be going in and out of stores, restaurants, cafes, and so on. 🙂
OTHER OPTIONS:
See you — Görüşürüz Gou-roo-shoo-rooz
Bye bye (informal) — Bay bay (pronounced the same as in English!)
As noted in Greetings above, you can also use İyi günler (have a good day) and İyi akşamlar (have a good evening) when parting.
Polite Phrases
Please — Lütfen Lewt-fen
Thank you — Teşekkürler (casual) Teh-sheh-kewr-lahr
Thank you very much —Teşekkür ederim (formal) Teh-sheh-kewr e-der-eem
You’re Welcome — Rica Ederim Ree-jah e-der-eem
Sorry – Pardon (casual) Paar-don (similar to French)
OR affedersiniz (formal) Ah-fe-ders-in-iz
Pardon is used in informal situations, such as when you’re trying to scoot between a crowded bus. Affedersiniz is when you’re trying to get someone’s attention (excuse me, how can I…). Don’t worry too much, they’re not really that different. 🙂
Welcome — Hoş geldin (informal) or Hoş geldiniz (formal)
If you’re stepping into a store, restaurant, or any other establishment, you’ll usually get greeted with a warm Hoşgeldiniz (literally: nice that you came here).
To acknowledge the welcome, you can say Hoş bulduk (Hoh-shh bool-dook) if you’re in a group or Hoş buldum (Hoh-shh bool-doom) if you’re by yourself. This phrase translates to something like glad to be here (literally: I/we found it pleasant).
Essential Turkish Phrases
The following examples are some of the most useful Turkish phrases for tourists, as you’ll be able to ask basic questions, answer greetings (where are you from, nice to meet you, etc) and ask for help.
Yes — Evet Eh-vet
No — Hayır Hi-yeer
Okay — Tamam Tam-mam
What is your name? — Adınız ne? (formal) Ad-in-iz neh?
My name is ___ — Benim adım _____ Ben-im ad-im _____
You can also say Ben (your name) , which literally means I am (your name).
Nice to meet you — Memnun oldum Mem-noon Ol-doom
How are you? — Nasılsın (informal) OR Nasılsınız? (formal) Nuh-sil-sin
I’m good — İyiyim Eee-yee-yeem
I’m super —Süperim Sewp-uhr-eem
Not bad — Fena değil Feh-na De-heel
Where are you from? — Nerelisin? Neh-reh-li-sin
I am from ____ …
The USA — Amerika’dan or Amerikalıyım
Australia — Avustralya’dan Avustralyalıyım
England — İngiltere’den İngiltereliyim
Do you know English? — İngilizce biliyor musunuz? In-ge-liz-jeh beel-me-your moo-su-nuz
I don’t know Turkish — Türkçe bilmiyorum Tewrk-cheh beel-me-yor-oom
Could you please help me? — Lütfen bana yardım eder misiniz? Lewt-fen bah-na yarr-dim eh-dar mi-sin-iz
I am lost — Kayboldum Kai-bol-doom
I feel sick — Hastayım Hasta-yihm
After saying you’re lost, you can also ask for directions:
Where is _____? — _____ nerede? Ner-e-de (although some people may omit the middle e and say ner-de!)
The toilet — Tuvalet Two-va-let
The restaurant — Restoran Res-toh-ran
The hotel — Otel Oh-tel
The bazaar — Çarşı Char-shi
*If you’re looking for the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, use Kapalıçarşı
The bus station (i.e. bus terminal) — Otogar Otto-gar
The bus stop — Otobüs durağı Otto-bews door-ah-i
The train station — Tren istasyonu Tren ee-stas-yon-oo
Can you call the police? — Polisi arayabilir misiniz? Po-lee-si ara-ya-bee-leer mi-sin-iz
Signs
| Open – Açik Ah-cheek Closed – Kapali Kap-a-luh Entrance – Giriş Gyeer-ee-sh Exit – Çıkış Chick-ish Stop – Dur Dew-r | Pull – İtiniz It-in-iz Push – Çekiniz Check-in-iz Dikkat! – Attention! Dih-kat Yasaktir! – Forbidden! Ya-sak-tir’ |
TRANSPORTATION & GETTING AROUND
Directions & Touristic Places
Capital — Başkent Baa-sh kent
City Center — Şehir merkezi Sheh-eer Mer-kez-i
Bank — Banka Bahn-ka
ATM Machine — Bankamatik Ban-ka-ma-teek
Hotel — Otel O-tel’
Mosque — Cami Jaa-mi
Church — Kilise Kill-ii-se
Museum — Müze Myoo-ze
Square — Meydan May-dan
Turkish Bath house — Hamam Hah-mum
Laundromat — Çamaşırhane Cham-a-shir-han-eh
Hospital — Hastane Ha-s-ta-n-eey
Pharmacy — Eczane Edge-za-ne
Mini market — Bakkal Bak-kal
Green grocer (fruits & vegetable store) — Manav Mah-nav
Police station — Karakol Car-a-kol
Consulate — Konsolosluk Kon-so-loss-look
Embassy — Büyükelçilik Bew-yook ell-chill-ik
—
Ticket — Bilet Bee-leht
One ticket please — Bir bilet lütfen Bii’ bill-leht lewt-fen
(Two) tickets please — (İki) bilet lütfen
You can easily customize this phrase depending on the number of tickets you want to buy. Just change the word in parentheses to three (üç – ooch), four (Dört – dohrt), and so on.
At the airport
Airport — Havalimanı Hav-ah-lee-man-ih
Airplane — Uçak Oo-chak
Check-in — Giriş Işlemi Geeh-riee-sh ish-le-me
Departures — Kalkış Kal-kish
Arrivals — Varış Var-ish
Baggage — Bagaj Ba-gah-juh
Passport — Pasaport Pas-a-port
At the bus or train station
The bus — Otobüs Otto-bews
The bus station (i.e. bus terminal) — Otogar Otto-gar’
The bus stop — Otobüs durağı Otto-bews Door-ah-hee
The train — Tren Tren
The train station — Tren istasyonu Tren ee-stas-yon-oo
Taxi — Taksi (Same as English)
Car — Araba Are-a-baa
Other Transport Vocabulary
Ferry — Vapur Va-purr
Port — Liman Pas-a-port
Port / Harbor — Liman Lee-mahn
Pier — İskele Ees-keh-leh
Directions
Left — Sol Sol
Right — Sağ Saa-h
Straight — Düz Dews
North — Kuzey Koo-zey
East— Doğu Dou-hoo
South — Güney Gewn-ayy
West — Batı Bah-ti
Here — Burada Burr-ah-da
There — Orada Or-ah-da
* Some locals may skip the middle a and say bur-da or or-da
Stop — Dur Duur
EATING OUT
It’s no secret that Turkish food is *chef’s kiss* — and you’re definitely going to be eating a lot of it on your trip! To make it easier, here are some Turkish phrases for restaurants and dining out.
Ordering & Paying
Table for (two), please — (İki) kişilik masa, lütfen (Number) kisi-lik mah-sa, lewt-fen
Waiter, waitress – Garson Gar-sohn
If you know French, you might be surprised to see this word — and that’s because Turkish borrowed garçon de café and its meaning!
To get the waiter’s (or waitress’) attention, all you need to do is put your hand up slightly and say Pardon, bakar mısınız. Literally this means excuse me, look here. You can also shorten it to just Pardon, which is slightly easier to remember. 🙂
The menu, please — Menü, lütfen Men-yew lewt-fen
Is there a house speciality? — Bir spesyaliteniz var mi? Bir’ spes-ee-yal-it-ten-iz var mih
I would like to order a ____ — Bir _____, lütfen Bir’ ___ lewtfen
For example, if you’d like to order one tomato soup, you would say Bir domates çorbası, lütfen
Two beers, please — İki bira, lütfen Eek-uh beer-a, lewtfen
Bir tabak eksik — One dish is missing Bir’ tah-bak ek-seek
I would like to pay, please — Ödeme yapmak istiyorum, lütfen Owe-de-me yap-mak ee-stee-yor-oom, lewt-fen
The check, please — Hesap, lütfen Heh-sap, lewtfen
Bill / check — Hesap Heh-sap
Credit card — Kart Karrt
Cash — Nakit Nuh-keet
Keep the change — Üstü kalsin Ew-stoo Kall-sin
Takeout — Paket servis Puh-ket sar-vees
Fun phrases
Enjoy your meal (i.e. bon appetit) — Afiyet olsun Af-yeht all-soon
When drinking, you can use one of these phrases…
Cheers! — Şerefe! Sheh-re-feh
To your health! — Sağlığınıza! Sah-lih-hin-za
Delicious — Lezzetli Leh-zet-lih
One phrase you might hear in restaurants or eateries is Elinize sağlık (Ell-in-izye sah-lick), which literally means health to your hands. When you think about it, it’s actually quite a sweet phrase: you would say this to the chef as a way to thank him/her for cooking such a delicious meal, and to keep their hands healthy so they can make more. A close translation might be compliments to the chef. 🙂
Allergies & Special Diets
I’m vegetarian — Ben vejetaryenim Ben veh-jeh-tar-ya-nim
I have diabetes — Şeker hastasıyım Sheh-kerr huh-stas-sih-yim
I am allergic to ____ — Benim ____ alerjim var Ben-eem ____ all-er-jeem var
For example: I am allergic to nuts is Benim fındığa alerjim var
I don’t eat ____ — ____ yemiyorum ____ Yem-ee-your-oom
You can fill in the blank ( ____ ) with the ingredients you don’t eat / are allergic to:
Celiac disease – Çölyak hastalığı Chol-yak hasta-lih-hi
Flour / wheat — un / buğday Oon / Booh-dai
Gluten — Gluten Glue-ten
Egg — Yumurta You-moor-ta
Nuts — Findik Fihn-dik
Soy — Soy Soi
Beans — Fasulye Fa-sool-ye
Seafood — Deniz ürünü Deh-neez Oo-rew-new
Fish — Balik Buh-lik
Shellfish — Kabuklu deniz ürünü Ka-book-lew deh-neez oo-rew-new
Shrimp — Karides Curry-des
I am allergic to dairy (products) — Süt ürünleri alerjim var Soot oo-roon-ler-ee Aler-jeem vahr
Milk — süt Soot
Lactose — laktoz Lak-tos
Cheese — peynir Pay-neer
Yogurt — yoğurt Yo-hurt
Psst! If you have a food allergy or restriction, we recommend checking out EqualEats. The company makes food allergy translation cards in more than 50 languages (including Turkish!) — you can simply show your card to the waiter to easily communicate your allergy or restriction. Click here to see their products and get 10% off 🙂
FOOD
Now that you know how to order in restaurants and cafes, let’s take a look at the menu and decipher some common ingredients in Turkish!
Food
Food — Yemek Yeh-mek
Drinks — Içecekler Ee-che-check-lar’
Appetizers — Başlangıçlar Bash-lung-gich-lar
Main Courses — Ana Yemekler Anah Yeh-mek-lehr
Soups — Çorbalar Chor-buh-lar
Salads — Salatalar Suh-lat-ah-lar
Desserts — Tatlılar Tat-li-lar
Breakfast — Kahvaltı Kah-val-tea
Lunch — Öğle yemeği Ou-le yeh-meh-hee
Dinner — Akşam yemeği Ak-sham ye-meh-hee
Meats
Chicken — Tavuk Ta-vook
Beef — Et (or Sığır Et) Ett
Calf — Dana Daa-na
Turkey — Hindi Heen-dee
Lamb — Kuzu Koo-zoo
Pork — Domuz eti Dou-mooz et-ee
Turkey is a Muslim-majority country, and to find pork on a menu is very rare (but not impossible — some cafes serve it and some specialty supermarkets carry it!)
How would you like it?
I would like my meat (rare / medium / well done) — Etimi (az / orta / çok pişmiş) istiyorum Et-im-i (az / or-tah / chok pish-mish) ees-tee-yor-oom
Grilled — Izgara Is-gar-ah
Hot — Sıcak Sih-jak
Cold — Soğuk Sou-huk
Baked — Fırında pişmiş Fir-in-da pish-mish
Boiled — Haşlanmış Hash-lan-mish
Fried — Kızarmış Kuh-zar-mish
Seafood
Seafood — Deniz ürünü De-neez oo-roon-oo
Fish — Balık Bah-lick
Fish of the day — Günün Balığı Gewn-oon ba-li-hee
Sea Bream — Çipura Chee-poor-ah
Sea Bass — Levrek Lev-rek
Jack Mackerel — İstavrit Eest-av-rit
Turbot — Kalkan balığı Kall-kan bal-ih-hee
Salmon — Somon So-mon
Red mullet — Barbunya Bar-boon-ya
Tuna —Tuna balığı Toon-a ba-lih-hee
Mussels — Midye Meed-yeh
Shrimp — Karides Car-ih-des
Calamari — Kalamar Kal-ah-mar
Octopus — Ahtapot Ah-ta-poht
Anchovies — Hamsi Hahm-sih
Drinks
Water — Su Soo
Sparkling water — Maden suyu Mai-dan soo
Still water — Normal su Nor-maal soo
Tea — Çay Chai
Coffee — Kahve Kah-veh
Beer — Bira Beer-ah
Bottle of wine — şişe şarap Shee-sheh sha-rap
Utensils & Etcetera
Napkin — Peçete Peh-che-teh
Knife — Bıçak Bie-chak
Fork — Çatal Cha-tal
Spoon — Kaşık Ka-sheek
Plate — Tabak Ta-bak
Glass — Bardak Bar-dak
Cup — Fincan Feen-jan
Sugar — Şeker Sheh-kar
Salt — Tuz Tooz
Pepper — Karabiber Car-a bee-ber’
Hot sauce — Acı sos Ah-jee soss
SHOPPING
From traditional bazaars to modern shopping malls, there are plenty of opportunities to go shopping in Turkey.
Be sure to remember some of these important shopping phrases in Turkish when looking at that gorgeous tea set or trying on a shirt!
Buyurun!— Come in! Booy-rune
Let’s start at the very beginning: When walking around a bazaar or near a tourist spot, you’ll surely hear this ubiquitous catchphrase!
The person is encouraging you to come inside or check out their products/menu/shop/whatever, and can be translated to Come in or Here you are.
How much (does this cost)? — Bu ne kadar? Boo neh ka-dar
I’m just looking, thanks — Sadece bakıyorum, teşekkürler Sah-de-je bak-yorum, te-sheh-kewr-lahr
I would like to buy this — Satın almak istiyorum Suh-tin all-mak ee-stee-yor-oom
May I try this on? — Bunu deneyebilir miyim? Boo-new deh-ne-yeh-bee-leer mee-yeem
[This is] Too small — Bu çok küçük Boo chok kew-chewk
[This is] Too large — Bu çok büyük Boo chok bew-yewk
Too expensive — Çok pahalı Chok pa-ha-liih
Expensive — Pahalı Pa-ha-liih
Cheap — Ucuz Oo-chew-z
Where do I pay? — Nereye ödüyorum? Ne-re-ye o-dew-yor-oom
Can I have a receipt? — Makbuz alabilir miyim? Mak-booz all-a-bill-eer mee-yeem
Can I have a bag? — Bir poşet alabilir miyim? Beer poh-shet all-a-bill-eer mee-yeem
Can you make a discount? — İndirim yapiyor musunuz? Een-deer-eem yap-ee-yor moo-suhn-ooz
Discount – Indirim Een-dir-eem
Bargaining – Pazarlik Pa-zar-lick
ACCOMMODATIONS
Hotel — Otel Oh-tel’
Hostel — Pansiyon Pahn-see-yon
Reservation — Rezervasyon Re-zar-vas-yon
Room — Oda O-da
Bathroom — Banyo Bahn-yo
Elevator — Asansör Ah-san-sohr
Air conditioning — Klima Klee-ma
Balcony — Balkon Ball-cone
Shower — Duş Doosh
Parking
Room service — Oda servisi O-da ser-vee-see
Clean — Temiz Teh-meez
Dirty — Kirli Keer-lee
I would like a double room [for two people] — [Çift kişilik] bir oda istiyorum Bee’ o-da is-tee-yor-oom
Can You give me the WiFi password? — Wifi şifresini verir misin? Wai-fai she-freh-si ver-eer mih-sin
When is the check-out time? — Otele çıkış saat ne zaman? Oh-tel-eh cik-ish saaht neh za-mahn
The hotel is very good — Otel çok iyi Oh-tel chok ee-yee
The room is too noisy — Oda çok gürültülü Oh-da chok goo-rool-too-lew
OTHER TIPS
Most words in Turkish are stressed on the final syllable.
A few letters that might be new to you:
Ç is pronounced like ch in chat
Ş is pronounced like shh in shoe
Ö is pronounced like the short e in early
Ü is pronounced like the eu sound in dew
I (an i without the dot, or ı) is pronounced like the short i in cousin or indeed
… and finally, we have the most confusing letter in Turkish: Ğ isn’t technically pronounced, but instead it’s used to lengthen the sound of the previous letter. For example, yağmur (rain) isn’t pronounced yag-moor, but yah-moor. To make it easier, pretend the ğ is a soft h sound. 🙂
The most important tip of all — Don’t be nervous about messing up! Turkish love when someone practices their language and will go out of their way to help you.
If you’re really into learning the correct pronunciation, we recommend checking out Forvo. It’s a free website where you can listen to the correct pronunciation of thousands of words and phrases from real natives.
Congratulations! Now you’re ready to take on Turkey and speak like a local 🙂
Yolun açık olsun: May your road be open!
Photo credits: Dolmabahçe via Meriç Dağlı | Bosphorus view via Despina Galani | Simit Seller via Zeki Okur | Turkish breakfast via Lala Azizli | Seats with Turkish flag via kub liz
