Learn Turkish : Alphabet reading and rules
The Turkish alphabet is a modified version of the Latin alphabet, which was adopted in 1928 during the language reform initiated by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Before the adoption of the Latin alphabet, Turkish used the Arabic script. The Turkish alphabet contains 29 letters, all of which are written in the Latin script. These letters are used to represent the sounds of the Turkish language accurately, with specific rules for pronunciation.
How the Turkish Call Their Alphabet The Turkish alphabet is called "Türk Alfabesi" in Turkish. Uppercase Letters in Turkish (Büyük Harfler): The uppercase letters are simply called by their names in Turkish. Here’s how the uppercase letters are pronounced and called in Turkish:
A, B, C, Ç, D, E, F, G, Ğ, H, I, İ, J, K, L, M, N, O, Ö, P, R, S, Ş, T, U, Ü, V, Y, Z
A a
IPA: /ɑ/
IPA: /ɑ/
The sound "a" as in "cup."
B b
IPA: /b/
The sound "b" as in "book."
C c
IPA: /dʒ/
The sound "j" as in "joy."
Ç ç
IPA: /tʃ/
The sound "ch" as in "chat."
D d
IPA: /d/
The sound "d" as in "dog."
E e
IPA: /e/
The sound "e" as in "met."
F f
IPA: /f/
The sound "f" as in "fun."
G g
IPA: /ɡ/
The sound "g" as in "go."
Ğ ğ
IPA: Silent
Silent but lengthens the preceding vowel.
H h
IPA: /h/
The sound "h" as in "hat."
I ı
IPA: /ɯ/
The sound "ı" (dotless I) as in "cousin."
İ i
IPA: /i/
The sound "i" (dotted I) as in "machine."
J j
IPA: /ʒ/
The sound "j" as in "measure."
K k
IPA: /k/
The sound "k" as in "kite."
L l
IPA: /l/
The sound "l" as in "love."
M m
IPA: /m/
The sound "m" as in "man."
N n
IPA: /n/
The sound "n" as in "net."
O p
IPA: /o/
The sound "o" as in "more."
Ö ö
IPA: /ø/
The sound "ö" as in French "bleu."
P p
IPA: /p/
The sound "p" as in "pen."
R r
IPA: /ɾ/
The sound "r" as in "red," slightly trilled.
S s
IPA: /s/
The sound "s" as in "see."
Ş ş
IPA: /ʃ/
The sound "ş" as in "shoe."
T t
IPA: /t/
The sound "t" as in "top."
U u
IPA: /u/
The sound "u" as in "flute."
Ü ü
IPA: /y/
The sound "ü" as in German "über."
V v
IPA: /v/
The sound "v" as in "van."
Y y
IPA: /j/
The sound "y" as in "yes."
Z z
IPA: /z/
The sound "z" as in "zebra."
Same Vowel Letters, Different Sounds in the Turkish Alphabet
These vowel letters are written the same as in English but have different pronunciations in Turkish.
A
IPA: /a/
The sound "a" is pronounced like the "a" in "father."
E
IPA: /e/
The sound "e" is pronounced like the "e" in "bed."
I
IPA: /ɯ/
The sound "ı" is pronounced like the second syllable in "roses," but more neutral and without a direct English equivalent.
O
IPA: /o/
The sound "o" is pronounced like the "o" in "more" but without the diphthong.
U
IPA: /u/
The sound "u" is pronounced like the "oo" in "food" or "moon."
Unique Letters in the Turkish Alphabet
The Turkish alphabet includes a few letters that are unique and may be unfamiliar to English speakers. These letters have specific sounds and play an important role in the pronunciation and meaning of Turkish words.
C
IPA: /dʒ/
The sound "c" as in "juice."
Ç
IPA: /tʃ/
The sound "ç" as in "church."
Ğ
IPA: Silent or gliding sound
The letter "ğ" lengthens the preceding vowel or acts as a glide.
I
IPA: /ɯ/
The sound "ı" as in the second syllable of "roses," but more neutral.
İ
IPA: /i/
The sound "i" as in "see."
Ö
IPA: /ø/
The sound "ö" as in the German "ö" or French "eu."
Ş
IPA: /ʃ/
The sound "ş" as in "shoe."
Ü
IPA: /y/
The sound "ü" as in the German "ü" or French "u" in "lune."
