The first 100 Turkish words to learn, with audio
A hundred words for your first weeks, grouped by topic. Each one has audio, its meaning, a short example you can play too and, where one exists, a link to the lesson that teaches it.
Start with these
"I" is ben and "you" is sen. Water is su, tea is çay and bread is ekmek. To want is istemek, so Su istiyorum means "I want water". "There is" is var, and "there is not" is yok. "What" is ne, and "where" is nerede.
We chose these words from our A1 vocabulary for a beginner’s first weeks. This is a starting list, not a frequency ranking.
Greetings and numbers have pages of their own:Turkish phrasesTurkish numbers
People and pronouns
Lesson: Turkish Personal Pronouns: ben, sen, o- ben
I
Example
Ben öğrenciyim.I am a student.
- sen
you (singular)
Example
Sen nasılsın?And how are you?
- o
he, she, it; that
Example
O bir öğretmen.He is a teacher.
- biz
we
Example
Biz sinemaya gidiyoruz.We are going to the cinema.
- siz
you (plural, formal)
Example
Siz de geliyor musunuz?Are you coming too?
- onlar
they
Example
Onlar okulda.They are at school.
- anne
mother
Example
Annem yemek yapıyor.My mother is cooking.
- baba
father
Example
Babam çok çalışıyor.My father works a lot.
- kardeş
sibling, brother or sister
Example
Benim üç kardeşim var.I have three siblings.
- çocuk
child
Example
Çocuk okula gidiyor.The child is going to school.
- arkadaş
friend
Example
Arkadaşım İstanbul'da yaşıyor.My friend lives in Istanbul.
- aile
family
Example
Ailemi çok seviyorum.I love my family very much.
Question words
Lesson: Turkish Question Words: kim, ne, nerede- ne
what
Example
Ne yapıyorsun?What are you doing?
- kim
who
Example
O kim?Who is that?
- nerede
where
Example
Anahtarlarım nerede?Where are my keys?
- ne zaman
when
Example
Ne zaman buluşuyoruz?When are we meeting?
- nasıl
how
Example
Nasıl hissediyorsun?How do you feel?
- neden
why
Example
Neden buradasın?Why are you here?
- kaç
how many, how much
Example
Kaç yaşındasın?How old are you?
- hangi
which
Example
Hangi gün geliyorsun?Which day are you coming?
First verbs
Lesson: Turkish Present Continuous Tense: -iyor- olmak
to be, to become
Example
Doktor olmak istiyorum.I want to be a doctor.
- gitmek
to go
Example
Okula gitmek istemiyorum.I don't want to go to school.
- gelmek
to come
Example
Yarın bize gel.Come over to our place tomorrow.
- yapmak
to do, to make
Example
Şimdi kahvaltı yapıyoruz.We are having breakfast now.
- istemek
to want
Example
Bir kahve istiyorum.I want a coffee.
- yemek
to eat
Example
Ekmek yiyorum.I am eating bread.
- içmek
to drink
Example
Biraz su içmek istiyorum.I want to drink some water.
- bilmek
to know
Example
Bunu biliyorum.I know this.
- anlamak
to understand
Example
Seni anlamıyorum.I don't understand you.
- konuşmak
to speak, to talk
Example
Seninle konuşmak istiyorum.I want to talk to you.
- görmek
to see
Example
Seni görmek istiyorum.I want to see you.
- almak
to take, to buy
Example
Marketten süt alıyorum.I am buying milk at the grocery store.
- vermek
to give
Example
Kitabı sana veriyorum.I am giving you the book.
- sevmek
to love, to like
Example
Seni çok seviyorum.I love you very much.
- çalışmak
to work, to study
Example
Bugün çalışıyorum.I am working today.
- öğrenmek
to learn
Example
Türkçe öğreniyorum.I am learning Turkish.
Small words
- ve
and
Example
Elma ve muz yiyorum.I am eating an apple and a banana.
- ama
but
Example
Hava soğuk ama güneşli.The weather is cold but sunny.
- bu
this
Example
Bu benim kalemim.This is my pen.
- şu
that (nearby)
Example
Şu kitap çok ilginç.That book is very interesting.
- var
there is, there are
Example
Masada bir kitap var.There is a book on the table.
- yok
there is not, there are not
Example
Buzdolabında ekmek yok.There is no bread in the fridge.
- değil
not
Example
Bu doğru değil.This is not true.
- çok
very, much, many
Example
Çok mutluyum.I am very happy.
- biraz
a little
Example
Biraz Türkçe konuşuyorum.I speak a little Turkish.
- için
for
Example
Bu kitap senin için.This book is for you.
- ile
with
Example
Babam ile konuşuyorum.I am talking with my father.
- daha
more
Example
Daha büyük bir oda istiyorum.I want a bigger room.
Food and drink
- su
water
Example
Bir bardak su, lütfen.A glass of water, please.
- çay
tea
Example
Bir çay daha, lütfen.One more tea, please.
- kahve
coffee
Example
Kahve istiyor musun?Do you want coffee?
- ekmek
bread
Example
Ekmek taze mi?Is the bread fresh?
- et
meat
Example
Bugün akşam yemeğinde et var.There is meat for dinner today.
- tavuk
chicken
Example
Akşam tavuk yiyoruz.We are having chicken this evening.
- peynir
cheese
Example
Bu peynir çok lezzetli.This cheese is very tasty.
- süt
milk
Example
Kahveye süt koyuyorum.I am putting milk in the coffee.
- meyve
fruit
Example
Her gün meyve yiyorum.I eat fruit every day.
- kahvaltı
breakfast
Example
Kahvaltı hazır.Breakfast is ready.
Time
- bugün
today
Example
Bugün evdeyim.I am at home today.
- yarın
tomorrow
Example
Yarın çalışıyor musun?Are you working tomorrow?
- dün
yesterday
Example
Dünden beri buradayım.I have been here since yesterday.
- şimdi
now
Example
Şimdi yemek zamanı.Now it's time to eat.
- gün
day
Example
Bugün güzel bir gün.Today is a beautiful day.
- hafta
week
Example
Bu hafta tatile gidiyorum.I'm going on vacation this week.
- yıl
year
Example
Bir yılda on iki ay var.There are twelve months in a year.
- saat
hour; clock, watch
Example
Saat kaç?What time is it?
- sabah
morning
Example
Sabah erken kalkıyorum.I get up early in the morning.
- akşam
evening
Example
Akşam televizyon izliyorum.I watch TV in the evening.
Places
Lesson: Turkish Locative Case: -de, -da- ev
house, home
Example
Ev çok büyük.The house is very big.
- okul
school
Example
Okul saat sekizde başlıyor.School starts at eight o'clock.
- iş
work, job
Example
Benim işim çok yoğun.My work is very busy.
- şehir
city
Example
Bu şehir çok kalabalık.This city is very crowded.
- sokak
street
Example
Bu sokak çok dar.This street is very narrow.
- hastane
hospital
Example
Hastane çok yakın.The hospital is very close.
- market
grocery store, market
Example
Markete gidiyorum.I am going to the market.
- restoran
restaurant
Example
Restoran deniz kenarında.The restaurant is by the sea.
- burada
here
Example
Kitap burada.The book is here.
- orada
there
Example
Top orada.The ball is there.
Describing words
- iyi
good
Example
Film çok iyi.The movie is very good.
- kötü
bad
Example
Hava bugün kötü.The weather is bad today.
- büyük
big, large
Example
Bu elma çok büyük.This apple is very big.
- küçük
small, little
Example
Küçük bir kahve, lütfen.A small coffee, please.
- güzel
beautiful, nice
Example
Bu çiçek çok güzel.This flower is very beautiful.
- yeni
new
Example
Yeni bir telefon istiyorum.I want a new phone.
- eski
old (not new)
Example
Bu kitap çok eski.This book is very old.
- sıcak
hot
Example
Bugün hava çok sıcak.The weather is very hot today.
- soğuk
cold
Example
Su çok soğuk.The water is very cold.
- kolay
easy
Example
Bu soru çok kolay.This question is very easy.
- zor
hard, difficult
Example
Türkçe zor değil.Turkish is not hard.
- aç
hungry
Example
Çok açım.I am very hungry.
Everyday things
- para
money
Example
Cüzdanımda para yok.I have no money in my wallet.
- telefon
telephone
Example
Telefon numaran ne?What is your phone number?
- kitap
book
Example
Bu kitabı okumak istiyorum.I want to read this book.
- araba
car
Example
Araba çok hızlı.The car is very fast.
- kapı
door
Example
Kapı açık.The door is open.
- oda
room
Example
Oda çok karanlık.The room is very dark.
- anahtar
key
Example
Anahtar masada.The key is on the table.
- Türkçe
Turkish (language)
Example
Türkçe çok güzel bir dil.Turkish is a very beautiful language.
- soru
question
Example
Bir sorum var.I have a question.
- isim
name
Example
Onun ismi Ali.His name is Ali.
Questions learners ask
- Which Turkish words should I learn first?
- Start with the pronouns (ben, sen, o), the question words (ne, nerede, nasıl) and a handful of verbs such as istemek and gitmek. With var and yok you can already say what there is and what there is not, and with değil what something is not.
- Is this a frequency list?
- No. Frequency lists are counted from large collections of text, so they rank words by how often they appear in writing, not by what a beginner needs to say first. This page is a starting list for speaking: words for your first weeks, grouped by topic.
- How do I remember Turkish words?
- Listen to each word and say it out loud, learn it inside a sentence rather than alone, and come back to it a few days later. Spaced review does the timing for you, and our guide to learning Turkish explains the method.