Turkish has two i letters, and mixing them up changes the word: kır means countryside, and kir means dirt. The other letters English doesn't have are ğ, ş, ç, ö and ü.
What Do the Turkish Letters Sound Like?
| Letter | How to Say It | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| I ı | Like oo, but with your lips spread flat | kır | countryside |
| İ i | The ee in see | kir | dirt |
| Ğ ğ | No sound of its own, and the vowel before it gets longer | dağ | mountain |
| Ş ş | The sh in shoe | şeker | sugar |
| Ç ç | The ch in chair | çay | tea |
| C c | The j in jam | cam | glass |
| O o | A short, pure o | gol | goal |
| Ö ö | Round your lips for o, then move your tongue forward | göl | lake |
| U u | The oo in food | kul | servant |
| Ü ü | Round your lips for u, then move your tongue forward | kül | ash |
Ğ is called yumuşak ge, which means soft g. It never starts a word and always comes right after a vowel, as in yağmur (rain) and öğretmen (teacher).
How Do You Tell the Two I Letters Apart?
Look for the dot. The dot stays when the letter becomes a capital, so the capital of i is İ, as in İstanbul. Plain I without a dot is the capital of ı, as in Irak (Iraq).
- ıdotlessU+0131idottedU+0069The dot is the only difference you can see, so check for it before you read the word.
- Icapital of ıU+0049İcapital of iU+0130City names follow the rule too: İzmir starts with İ, and Iğdır starts with I.
- ğsoft gU+011FşshU+015FçchU+00E7Ğ has a small curve on top. Ş and ç have a small tail under them.
- örounded oU+00F6ürounded uU+00FCThe two dots move the sound to the front of your mouth, while your lips stay round.
In capitals, kir is KİR and kır is KIR. Some apps use the English rule and turn kir into KIR, so check your capitals.
How Do You Type Turkish Letters?
Each letter in the box above has a Copy button. To type them yourself, use one of these.
- iPhone and iPadIn Settings, tap General, Keyboard, Keyboards and Add New Keyboard, then choose Turkish.
- WindowsAdd a Turkish keyboard under Settings, Time & language. Press the Windows key and the space bar to switch to it.
- Word on WindowsType the letter's code, such as 0131 for ı, select just those four characters, and press Alt and X together.
- MacPress the Fn or globe key and E to open the Character Viewer. Search for the letter's name, such as dotless i, and click it.
Where Did These Letters Come From?
Turkish was written in Arabic letters until 1928. A law passed on 1 November 1928 brought in a Latin alphabet of 29 letters, and its table already lists İ i and I ı as two different letters. The same table has ç, ğ, ö, ş and ü, and it has no q, w or x. The law required newspapers and signs to use the new letters from December 1928, and books from January 1929.
How Can You Learn These Sounds?
In the Turkish Alphabet course, you can play pairs like kır and kir one after the other and hear the difference before you say them.
Free Turkish Alphabet Course
- Audio for Every Word
- Real Example Words
0 of 2 Chapters Complete
Bubblegum, a language app, has this course as well, and Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Turkish lessons that match your level. Once the letters feel easy, the best way to learn Turkish helps you choose what to read next.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Many Letters Does the Turkish Alphabet Have?
It has 29 letters. Six of them are new to English readers: ç, ğ, ı, ö, ş and ü. Q, w and x aren't part of it.
Are Any Turkish Letters Silent?
Only ğ. In dağ (mountain), you hear a long a and no g, and every other letter is said out loud.
Which Turkish App Should a Beginner Choose?
If you are serious about learning Turkish, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Its Turkish Alphabet course opens with the six new letters, ı and ğ among them. Our Turkish app comparison covers more choices and what each one is good for.
Is Bubblegum Free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Law No. 1353 of 1 November 1928, On the adoption and use of the Turkish letters, with its table of 29 letters (Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi)
- Unicode CLDR, Turkish locale data (the 29 letters, with İ i and I ı as separate letters)
- Unicode Character Database, SpecialCasing.txt (in Turkish, i and İ are a case pair, and so are ı and I)
- Unicode Character Database, NamesList (U+0131 LATIN SMALL LETTER DOTLESS I, U+0130 LATIN CAPITAL LETTER I WITH DOT ABOVE, U+011F, U+015F, U+00E7)
- Apple, iOS and iPadOS feature availability (keyboards include Turkish)
- Apple Support, Add or change keyboards on iPhone
- Microsoft Support, Manage the input and display language settings in Windows (add a keyboard; Windows key + Space switches keyboards)
- Microsoft Support, Insert ASCII or Unicode character codes in Word (type the code, then press Alt+X)
- Apple Support, Use emoji and symbols on Mac (the Character Viewer)
