Lesson Two - İ-R

Know c, ç, ğ and ı off by heart? Good, now let's move on.

1 İ
2 J
3 K
4 L
5 M
6 N
7 O
8 Ö
9 P
10 R


Edit

İ

This is the opposite of an I, it's an İ! The lowercase version is a dotted i, just like in English. It's pronounced like the ee in see, but shorter.

For example:

• iyi - good
• inanç - belief
• iğne - needle

Edit

J

Or je. Pronounced like the s in pleasure, but a more accurate equivalent of it would be the j in the French word, jour.

For example:

• jeton - token
• jilet - razor blade
• jenerik - (film) credits

Edit

K

Or ka. Pronounced like the c in car. As you will see, Turkish has no Q, and therefore K is used instead of it.

For example:

• kurt - wolf
• kalem - pencil
• kahvaltı - breakfast

Edit

L

Or le. Pronounced like the l in little.

For example:

• lale - tulip
• lacivert - navy (colour)
• lanet - curse

Edit

M

Or me. Pronounced like the m in man.

For example:

• masa - table
• mutfak - kitchen
• mektup - letter

Edit

N

Or ne. Pronounced like the n in now.

For example:

• ne - what
• nane - mint
• namus - honour

Edit

O

Pronounced like the o in oh.

For example:

• o - he/she/it
• otobüs - bus
• oda - room

Edit

Ö

Pronounced like the eu in the French word seul, or the ö in the German word schön. There is no English equivalent, but the closest one I can think of is the i in bird.

For example:

• öğle - noon
• öğretmen - teacher
• ölçü - measurement

Edit

P

Or pe. Pronounced like the p in pet.

For example:

• parça - piece
• peynir - cheese
• para - money

Edit

R

Or re. I guess you're wondering, "Where's Q?". Well, in Turkish there is no letter Q.

This one's simple, just pronounce it like the Spanish and the Italians do, but a bit shorter.

For example:

• rahat - peaceful
• rakam - digit
• rakı - Raki (yup, the alcoholic drink)

This time it might be a good idea to learn i, j, and ö off by heart.

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