Turkish grammar · A1 · Lesson 4 of 29
Turkish Vowel Harmony: Rules and Chart
Ünlü Uyumu
A suffix’s vowel follows the word’s last vowel: kitaplar, evler, kızım
A Turkish suffix has no fixed vowel. It copies the last vowel of the word it joins, so one suffix is written several ways: kitaplar but evler, okulum but gözüm. Reading the last vowel of the word is the whole skill.
Two-way harmony (büyük ünlü uyumu) covers every suffix written with a or e, such as the plural -ler/-lar and the locative -de/-da. Back vowels (a, ı, o, u) call for a; front vowels (e, i, ö, ü) call for e.
Four-way harmony (küçük ünlü uyumu) covers every suffix written with ı, i, u or ü, such as the possessive -im and the question word mi. The last vowel picks one of four: a, ı → ı; e, i → i; o, u → u; ö, ü → ü.
The rule
Two-way: suffixes written with a / e
- aıoua
back vowels: kitaplar, okulda
- eiöüe
front vowels: evler, gözde
Four-way: suffixes written with ı / i / u / ü
- aıı
adım, kızım
- eii
evim, dilim
- ouu
telefonum, okulum
- öüü
gözüm, gülüm
Form
Two-way on the plural -ler / -lar
Last vowel
books
schools
houses
eyes
Two-way on the locative -de / -da
Last vowel
on the table
at school
at home
on the bridge
Four-way on the possessive -im
Last vowel
my name
my house
my phone
my rose
Four-way on the question word mi
Last vowel
a car?
good?
a school?
Turkish?
Good to know
Only the last vowel counts
Whatever came earlier in the word is ignored: the last vowel of öğretmen is e, so öğretmenler. When suffixes stack, each one looks at the vowel right before it: kitap → kitaplar → kitaplarım → kitaplarımda. The first vowel of the root never gets a vote.
Watch out
A few borrowed words take front suffixes
saat, kalp and harf have a written a as their last vowel, yet take e: saatler, kalpler, harfler. Their final consonant is pronounced soft, and the suffix follows the sound rather than the spelling. This is a short list to learn by ear, not a second rule: kitap, also borrowed, harmonizes normally as kitaplar.
Examples
Çocuklar bahçede oynuyor.
The children are playing in the garden.
Öğretmenler odada bekliyor.
The teachers are waiting in the room.
Telefonum masada.
My phone is on the table.
Kedim kapıda bekliyor.
My cat is waiting at the door.
Okulun uzak mı?
Is your school far?
Saatler duvarda.
The clocks are on the wall.
First speaker:Adın ne?
Second speaker:Adım Ayşe.
What is your name? My name is Ayşe.
Cheat sheet
- a ı o ua
- e i ö üe
- a ıı
- e ii
- o uu
- ö üü