Turkish words you need to know to build your Turkish vocabulary

Common Turkish words: facts and figures

The Turkish language is estimated to be made out of a total of 150,000 words with the largest Turkish dictionary having over 100,000 words. This can look like a really big and frightening number to someone wanting to start learning Turkish, but here's the good news: you only need to know roughly 5% of the total words to be fluent in Turkish. This translates into knowing only the 5,000 most common Turkish words in order to be able to have fluent conversations in Turkish.

Let's start learning the top 15 most common Turkish verbs!
  • yemek: to eat
  • içmek: to drink
  • sahip olmak: to have
  • düşünmek: to think
  • bilmek: to know
  • sevmek: to like
  • söylemek: to tell
  • vermek: to give
  • almak: to take
  • görmek: to see
  • varmak: to arrive
  • gitmek: to come
  • gelmek: to come
  • yazmak: to write
  • sormak: to ask

Turkish flag
Common Turkish words

When you know the most common 100 Turkish words

You can understand 50% of the texts written in Turkish

Top 10 most common Turkish words pronounced by fluent Turkish speakers

  1. 1. Merhaba = Hello

    Let's naturally start with "Merhaba" which means "Hello" in Turkish. This is one of the most known words in Turkish and a great way to start a conversation with someone from Turkey. Click play below to listen to the actual pronunciation:

    Merhaba

  2. 2. Aşk = Love

    Love is a universal feeling and we definitely had to talk about it here. Turkish people have a lovely way of saying they love someone or something through the word "aşk". Hear it in action here:

    Aşk

  3. 3. Mutluluk = Happiness

    When there's love, there's definitely happiness. We are all chasing "mutluluk" as Turkish speaking people would say. Listen closely and you might just get some “happiness” in your life today:

    Mutluluk

  4. 4. Kedi = Cat

    Let's talk pets. There are two types of people in the world: cat people and dog people. We are going to talk about cats first or how people in Turkey would say: "kedi". Listen to how it sounds like:

    Kedi

  5. 5. Köpek = Dog

    But let's not forget our lovely and loyal companions, dogs. A dog in Turkish is "köpek", a really useful word for dog lovers worldwide. Here is how you would pronounce it:

    Köpek

  6. 6. Gülümsemek = Smile

    Now it is time to smile. Or how someone from France would say: "gülümsemek". Smiling makes us happy and helps us stay healthy, so that's why we all need to smile every day. Here's the Turkish pronunciation:

    Gülümsemek

  7. 7. Türk = Turkish

    Next, let’s see how people in Turkey say “Turkish”. The correct answer is "türk". Listen to how a Turkish speaker would pronounce it:

    Türk

  8. 8. Evet = Yes

    Yes, we have arrived at number 8 where “yes” is the subject to be discussed. Turkish speakers say “yes” by simply saying "evet". Enhance your understanding by listening to how a person from Turkey would pronounce it:

    Evet

  9. 9. Teşekkürler = Thank you

    Thank you for reading this far or should I say "Teşekkürler" as they say in Turkish. Here's a native speaker thanking you in Turkish:

    Teşekkürler

  10. 10. Güle güle = Goodbye

    No polite conversation can end without a good old goodbye or "Hoşçakalın!" how Turkish people usually say. Now it's time for a delightful Turkish voice to say "Goodbye" to you:

    Güle güle

Common Turkish words to know

Speaking Turkish

    Turkish words related to time

  • • yarın: tomorrow
  • • bugün: today
  • • dün: yesterday
  • • saat: hour
  • • dakika: minute
  • • saniye: second
  • • hafta: week

    Turkish words related to places

  • • köprü: bridge
  • • tünel: tunnel
  • • otopark: car park
  • • demiryolu: railway
  • • sokak: street
  • • plaj: beach
  • • alışveriş merkezi: shopping mall
  • • cami: mosque
  • • müze: museum
  • • konsolosluk: embassy
  • • fırın: bakery

  • Turkish words for transportation

  • • otobüs: bus
  • • havaalanı: airport
  • • otobüs/tren istasyonu: bus/train station
  • • bilet: ticket
  • • tren istasyonu: train station

Speaking Turkish

Additional Turkish words you should learn

People speaking Turkish

    Turkish words for people

  • • kız çocuk: girl
  • • erkek çocuk: boy
  • • kadın: woman
  • • erkek: man
  • • anne: mother
  • • baba: father

  • Turkish words related to drinks and foods

  • • şarap: vine
  • • süt: milk
  • • kahve: coffee
  • • çay: tea
  • • su: water
  • • kahvaltı: breakfast
  • • kek: cake
  • • ekmek: bread

People speaking Turkish

Turkish adjectives and adverbs

Top Turkish words

Learning adjectives and adverbs is a great way to improve your conversational skills in Turkish. They can help you describe people, places, and things more accurately, and express your thoughts and feelings more effectively. It is time to learn Turkish adjectives and adverbs to boost your conversational skills.

  • • zor: hard
  • • kolay: easy
  • • kuru: dry
  • • ıslak: wet
  • • erken: early
  • • geç: late
  • • hızlı: fast
  • • sol: left
  • • sağ: right
  • • soğuk: cold
  • • sıcak: hot
  • • oldukça: extremely
  • • ortalama: average
  • • orada: there
  • • burada: here
  • • ilk: first
  • • sonra: then
  • • sonrasında: afterward
  • • çok: very

Top Turkish words

Why learn the most common Turkish words first?

Make Turkish learning fun and easier

Starting with the Turkish basics means you will begin by learning the easiest words first and gradually increase difficulty. This way you will feel great while learning and see how your language knowledge broadens.

Have basic Turkish conversations in no time

You'll be able to speak to someone from Istanbul or Ankara about regular topics like weather, politics or family. This will make you confident in your Turkish skills and eager to learn more.

Become fluent in Turkish faster

By learning the most common Turkish words first you are learning the smart way. Why learn the most unusual words in Turkish when you might never use them in real life?

Improve your Turkish vocabulary

Each new Turkish word you learn piles up until your vocabulary builds stronger and stronger. Each lesson gets you one step closer to fluency.

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