Capitals and the Apostrophe

Level 1

In Turkish, proper nouns (names of people, places, etc.) must start with a capital letter. When you add a case ending or a possessive suffix to these names, you must separate the name from the suffix using an apostrophe (').

How It Works

Turkish orthography follows strict rules regarding proper nouns to ensure clarity.1. Capitalization (Büyük Harf):
Always capitalize the first letter of:

  • Names and titles of people (Ali, Ayşe Hanım, Profesör Aydın)
  • Countries, cities, and languages (Türkiye, İstanbul, Almanca)
  • Religions and beliefs (İslamiyet, Hristiyanlık)
  • Specific institutions and organizations (Türk Dil Kurumu)

2. When to use the Apostrophe:
Use an apostrophe when adding inflectional suffixes (like accusative, dative, or genitive) to:

  • Names and titles (Ahmet'e, Ayşe Hanım'ın)
  • Geographical locations (İstanbul'da, Türkiye'den)
  • Specific dates and numbers (29 Ekim'de, 1923'te)
  • Abbreviations (TDK'ye, ABD'den)

3. Important Exceptions:

  • Plurals: The plural suffix never takes an apostrophe (e.g., Ahmetler).
  • Derivational Suffixes: Suffixes that change the meaning, like -ce (languages) or -li (origin), do not use an apostrophe (e.g., Türkçe, İstanbullu). Crucially, any suffix that follows these also does not take an apostrophe (e.g., Türkçenin, İstanbulludan).
  • Institutions: Official organization names do not take an apostrophe (e.g., Türk Dil Kurumuna), except for the European Union (Avrupa Birliği'ne).

Examples (5)

  1. Ankara'dan geliyorum.

    I am coming from Ankara.

    Word by Word: Ankara-from I-am-coming.

    Ankara is a proper noun (city), so it is capitalized and the ablative suffix -dan is separated by an apostrophe.

  2. Mehmet Bey'e sordum.

    I asked Mr. Mehmet.

    Word by Word: Mehmet Mr.-to I-asked.

    Titles like 'Bey' or 'Hanım' are capitalized and take an apostrophe before case endings like the dative.

  3. Türkçenin kuralları zordur.

    The rules of Turkish are difficult.

    Word by Word: Turkish-of rules-its difficult-is.

    Because 'Türkçe' already contains a derivational suffix (-çe), the following genitive suffix does not use an apostrophe.

  4. Avrupa Birliği'ne üye olmak istiyoruz.

    We want to become a member of the European Union.

    Word by Word: Europe Union-to member to-be we-want.

    The European Union is a rare exception among institutions; it requires an apostrophe before case endings.

  5. 2023'te Türkiye'ye gittim.

    I went to Turkey in 2023.

    Word by Word: 2023-in Turkey-to I-went.

    Both the year (number) and the country name take an apostrophe before their case endings.

Common Mistakes

  • Using an apostrophe after a language name or other words with derivational suffixes.

    Türkçe'nin grameri.
    Türkçenin grameri.

    Once a derivational suffix (like -ce or -li) is added to a name, no further suffixes attached to that word can take an apostrophe.

  • Changing the spelling of a name to match pronunciation (softening).

    Burağa gidiyorum.
    Burak'a gidiyorum.

    Even if you pronounce the 'k' as a 'ğ' due to consonant softening, the written form of a proper name must remain unchanged.

  • Using an apostrophe with the plural suffix.

    Ayşe'ler geldi.
    Ayşeler geldi.

    The plural suffix is an exception and is always written attached to the name without an apostrophe.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Capitals and the ApostropheLevel 1

Learn This First

To learn capitalization and the use of apostrophes with proper nouns, you first need to be familiar with the Turkish alphabet. Additionally, because these proper nouns often take suffixes, you must understand vowel harmony and consonant assimilation to correctly form and attach those suffixes after the apostrophe.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.