hangi

Which

Level 1

Hangi means 'which' and is used as an adjective before a noun to ask for a choice from a limited set.

How It Works

In Turkish, hangi is a question word that functions as an interrogative adjective.

1. Position in the Sentence:
It is placed directly before the noun it modifies, just like a regular adjective. For example: Hangi araba? (Which car?).

2. Suffixes and Case Endings:
When hangi is used as an adjective, it remains in its base form. It does not change for vowel harmony or take plural or case suffixes. If the sentence requires a case ending (like the accusative or locative), that suffix is attached to the noun, not to hangi.

  • Hangi evde oturuyorsun? (In which house do you live?)
  • Hangi kitabı istiyorsun? (Which book do you want?)

3. Plural Usage:
While some question words like kaç (how many) require a singular noun, hangi can be used with both singular and plural nouns depending on whether you are asking for one item or a group of items.

  • Hangi çocuk? (Which child?)
  • Hangi çocuklar? (Which children?)

4. Hangi vs. Hangisi:
It is important to distinguish hangi (adjective) from hangisi (pronoun). Use hangi when the noun is present (Hangi kalem?). Use hangisi when you want to say 'which one' without repeating the noun.

Examples (5)

  1. Hangi renk daha güzel?

    Which color is more beautiful?

    Word by Word: Which color more beautiful?

    Here, 'hangi' acts as a simple adjective modifying the noun 'renk' (color).

  2. Hangi okulda okuyorsun?

    Which school do you study at?

    Word by Word: Which school-in you-are-studying?

    Notice the locative suffix '-da' is attached to the noun 'okul', not to 'hangi'.

  3. Hangi kitabı aldın?

    Which book did you buy?

    Word by Word: Which book-(acc) you-bought?

    The accusative case suffix '-(y)i' is attached to 'kitap' because it is the specific object of the verb.

  4. Hangi filmleri izledin?

    Which movies did you watch?

    Word by Word: Which movies-(acc) you-watched?

    'Hangi' can be used with plural nouns like 'filmler' when asking about a specific group.

  5. Hangi durakta ineceksin?

    At which stop will you get off?

    Word by Word: Which stop-at you-will-get-off?

    A common everyday question using the locative case on the noun.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding case suffixes directly to 'hangi' when a noun follows.

    Hangiyi kitabı aldın?
    Hangi kitabı aldın?

    When 'hangi' is an adjective (followed by a noun), it never takes suffixes. The suffix belongs to the noun.

  • Using 'hangisi' (the pronoun) together with a noun.

    Hangisi kalem senin?
    Hangi kalem senin?

    'Hangisi' means 'which one' and stands alone. If you mention the noun (kalem), you must use the adjective form 'hangi'.

How It Connects

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

hangiLevel 1Which

Learn This First

To understand 'hangi' (which), a learner needs to be familiar with how Turkish uses words as adjectives before nouns and the basic concept of question words.

Words in This Pattern

hangi