Basic Turkish Words and Phrases for Tourists (With Pronunciation)

The basic Turkish words a tourist needs first are merhaba (hello), teşekkür ederim (thank you), lütfen (please), evet and hayır (yes and no), Bu ne kadar? (How much is this?) and Hesap, lütfen (The check, please). Turkish is spelled the way it sounds, so learn five letters (c, ç, ş, ğ, ı) and you can read every phrase below.

How to read Turkish letters

Turkish spelling is highly regular: each letter keeps its sound, so the written word tells you how to say it. These are the letters that trip up English speakers.

Dotted and dotless i are two separate letters, each with its own capital: i becomes İ, and ı becomes I. That is why İstanbul is written with a dotted capital. The letters q, w and x are not part of the Turkish alphabet. Stress usually falls on the last syllable of a word, with exceptions such as place names and some suffixes.

Greetings and goodbyes

Goodbye comes in two halves. If you are leaving a shop, you say Hoşça kal, and the person staying sends you off with Güle güle. When you walk in, staff may greet you with Hoş geldiniz; the set reply is Hoş bulduk ("hosh bool-DOOK"), which works as a thank you. For more set phrases with audio, see the Turkish greetings phrases.

Turkish has two words for "you". Use siz with strangers, shop staff, drivers and anyone you meet for the first time, and sen with friends, family and children. That is the difference between Nasılsınız and Nasılsın. As a visitor, siz forms are always the safe choice.

Thank you, please and the phrases Turks use every day

Three of these have no neat English match. Say kolay gelsin to a shopkeeper, a waiter or anyone in the middle of a job. Afiyet olsun works before or after a meal. If you tell the cook Elinize sağlık, the standard reply is Afiyet olsun.

Yes, no and getting unstuck

Yok is one of the most useful words you will hear. In a shop or restaurant it means "we don't have it", so Yok after İndirim var mı? means no discount.

Shopping and markets

Point and say Bu (this) or Şu (that one over there), and Bu ne kadar? covers most of the conversation. There are more in the Turkish shopping phrases, with audio.

Restaurants and cafés

Acısız is acı (spicy) plus -sız, a suffix meaning "without", so you can build your own: şekersiz (unsweetened) works the same way. For more, see the Turkish restaurant phrases.

Taxis and getting around

Notice sağ: it means "right", and it is also the sağ in Sağ ol, from its other meaning, "healthy". For more, see the Turkish travel phrases.

Numbers

Turkish builds numbers in the same order as English, tens first and then ones, as separate words. Twenty-one is yirmi bir, "twenty one". And a noun after a number stays singular: iki çay (two tea), never iki çaylar.

Vowel harmony: just enough to recognize endings

Turkish adds meaning with suffixes, and most suffixes change their vowel to match the word. Knowing the pattern means a word with a new ending still looks familiar.

The question word goes after the word you are asking about: Var (there is) becomes Var mı? (is there?).

Traps English speakers fall into

• Reading c as k. Acı is "ah-JUH", and geceler is "geh-jeh-LER". Turkish c is always the j of "joy".
• Turning ı into i. The missing dot changes the sound. Altı (six) ends in "uh", not "ee".
• Pronouncing ğ as g. Sağ ol is "SAA ol"; there is no g sound in it.
• Stressing the negative. The -me- or -ma- in a negative verb pulls the stress to the syllable before it: an-LA-mıyorum, BİL-miyorum.
• Adding a plural after a number. Say üç bilet (three tickets), not üç biletler.
• Using sen with strangers. Nasılsın to a hotel receptionist sounds too familiar; use Nasılsınız.

When the phrases feel comfortable, short Turkish stories by level are the next step. Saying the phrases out loud, rather than reading them, is what makes them stick, and you can practice them with Polly, the PollyStop tutor.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most basic Turkish words for tourists?

Start with merhaba (hello), teşekkür ederim (thank you), lütfen (please), evet (yes), hayır (no), Bu ne kadar? (How much is this?), Hesap, lütfen (The check, please) and Tuvalet nerede? (Where is the restroom?). Add the numbers one to ten and you can handle most shops, cafés and taxis.

How do you say thank you in Turkish?

Teşekkür ederim is the standard thank you, and teşekkürler is a shorter thanks. Sağ olun is another common polite thank you, and sağ ol is the casual form. The usual reply is rica ederim, you are welcome.

How do you pronounce the Turkish letters c, ç and ş?

Turkish c sounds like the English j in joy, ç like the ch in chair, and ş like the sh in show. So acı (spicy) is ah-JUH, çay (tea) is chai, and beş (five) is besh.

What is the difference between ı and i in Turkish?

They are two separate letters. Dotted i sounds like the ee in cheese, while dotless ı is a short uh sound, close to the o in ballot. Their capitals are also different: i becomes İ and ı becomes I.

What does kolay gelsin mean?

Kolay gelsin literally means may it come easy. It is said to people who are working or have a hard task ahead, such as a shopkeeper or a waiter, and it is a friendly way to greet someone on the job.