How to Write Turkish

The Turkish alphabet appears similar to the English alphabet, with a few small exceptions. However, there are wide variations in pronunciation of several letters, especially vowels and the letter C. Learning how to write Turkish will aid you in communicating with those who speak Turkish as well as pronouncing Turkish names and words correctly.

Things You'll Need

• Pencil Paper

Instructions

1. Note how the first four letters of the Turkish alphabet go from simple to confusing. The first two letters don't pose a challenge:
   Aa - aah
   Bb - bay
   The third and fourth letters are the tricky pair:
   Cc - jey
   Çç - chey
   Notice that the C is pronounced as a J, and that the fourth letter, chey, has a hook on it.

2. Continue the next four letters as you would the English alphabet:
   Dd - day
   Ee - ahe
   Ff - fay
   Gg - gay
   The next letter looks like a G, but has a mark over it:
   Ğğ - Yumushak gay
   The letter yumushak gay does not have a sound and merely lengthens the vowel that comes before it. The letter yumushak gay will never begin a word and only appears after a vowel. It may be followed by another vowel or consonant.

3. Follow yumushak gay with the next four letters, which have some key differences with the English alphabet:
   Hh - hey
   Iı - uh
   ii - ee
   Jj - Jj
   The h is always pronounced. This is especially important for native English speakers, who tend to drop the "h" sound before another consonant - and even more important for words that have a t followed by an h!
   The letter after H looks just like an I with no dot, and is pronounced as a very weak "uh" sound.
   After that is the i with a dot. Both capital and lower case take dots above them; the capital is written as a long stick with a dot. This is pronounced ee.
   The J has a soft j sound, like in the name "Zsa" or in the word "pleaSure."

4. Write the next four letters of the Turkish alphabet as you would the English alphabet:
   Kk - kaa (or key)
   Ll - ley
   Mm -may
   Nn - nay

5. Proceed with the alphabet as written in English, with a slight addition.
   Oo - Ooo
   í-ö - Oou
   Pp - pay
   Rr - ray
   The letter í-/ö does not have an equivalent sound in English but may be familiar to those who have studied German. The sound is made like an "O" but with a high circular mouth. The letter "R" is not as strong as in English and is often pronounced as a sound that is between an "R" and an "S." For instance, in the word "Akşamlar" (nights), the word sounds close to "akshamlarsh", with the rsh representing a very soft R.

6. Notice that in the next group of five letters, there is the same basic letter structure as in English, with some modifications and different pronunciation:
   Ss - say
   Şş - shay
   Tt - tay
   Uu - uu
   Üü - ewe
   The letter ş looks just like an S but with a little hook on the bottom, similar to the ç. The letter ü has no equivalent in English, and is pronounced like the ö, but with a more closed mouth, closer to a "u" sound.

7. Finish the alphabet similarly to the English alphabet, but leaving out a few letters:
   Vv - ve
   Yy - yeh
   Zz - zey
   The letter v represents both "w" sounds as well as hard "v" sounds.

Tips & Warnings

• Instead of two dots above the ö or ü, some authors will write a horizontal line. Remember that, especially at the end of a word, a very soft "sh" sound may be an "R."

• Practice reading words with the letter C in it, because it tends to trip up native English speakers.

Resources

• Turkish Alphabet With Pronunciation Guide