Learning to speak a new language is exciting; learning to write a new language is even more exciting! It will open new worlds for you. So, dig into these tips and advice for learning how to master the Turkish alphabet easily - at TurkishClass101 we make it easy, fun and relevant for you!
Starting anything from scratch can be challenging, especially if you learn how to write in a language completely different from your own. It is really like navigating through a territory that is completely unknown to you.
However, this need not be a big hurdle or a problem! At TurkishClass101, we introduce you to Turkish writing in simple, easy-to-follow steps, and you can ask for advice or help anywhere along the way. It is important to master the Turkish alphabet completely from the start.
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The current Turkish alphabet is composed of 29 Latin letters: six additional characters not found in English alphabet are added, while Q, W, and X are removed. All of the letters represent one unique, single, and plain sound.
Turkish is a phonetic language: the ways of writing, reading and pronouncing sounds are exactly the same. In that sense, a letter can be used interchangeably as a sound, and vice versa.
Below is a table where each letter of the alphabet is found in a sequence. Basically, the vowels are read as they are, and consonants with an e sound (phonetically /e/) after.
Extra appearances: Rarely a type of accent mark called circumflex which is in the shape of a little, pointed hat appears on top of the vowels of A, İ and U, as â, î, û. This can be observed almost only in loanwords. This mark indicates the letter is a long vowel, or an interval sound between the back and front vowel couples (a-e, ı-i, u-ü). It is used mostly to distinguish between two words written exactly the same, yet with diverse meanings. This case almost always emerges when one word is original Turkish, and the other is a loan. This is more complex than the scope of this series, and not very essential to know, even for an intermediate speaker.
Turkey is a land with a long and complex history. Luckily the Turkish alphabet is much easier. Based on the Latin alphabet, the Turkish alphabet has 29 letters, 8 of which are vowels. Once a student learns the alphabet they will have no trouble being able to pronounce Turkish words since the language is largely phonetic in the way words are spelled. Even pronouncing the alphabet is fairly simple and students should have no trouble learning Turkish letters and their names.
The history of the Turkish alphabet includes a few different alphabets which were all used at one point or another until the late 1920s when the modern alphabet was adopted. A group of linguists, parliament members, and educators became responsible for the implementation of the new alphabet and it quickly became used by the public. Before the modern alphabet was invented, a mostly Arabic alphabet was used. Eventually the invention of a phonetic alphabet that closely matched true Turkish pronunciation allowed a higher literacy rate in the years following its implementation.
| Letter | Sounds like | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| A / a | o in “godfather” | merhaba |
| B / b | b in “brother” | bıçak |
| C / c | j in “jam” | caddes |
| Ç / ç | ch in “cherry” | çay |
| D / d | d in “does” | defol |
| E / e | a in “lay down” | ekmek |
| F / f | f in “fantastic” | fırtına |
| G / g | g in “get“ | otogar |
| Ğ / >ğ | no sound, only at the end | yoğurt |
| H / h | h in “hurry up” | hayvan |
| I / ı | a of “about” | pahalı |
| İ / i | i in “skin” | iyiyim |
| J / j | s in “pleasure” | jendarma |
| K / k | c in “castle” | köpek |
| L / l | l in “long” | lale |
| M / m | m in “money” | minik |
| N / n | n in “now” | nar |
| O / o | o in “bonus” | yok |
| Ö / ö | oe in “Goethe” | göreme |
| P / p | p in “present” | pamuk |
| R / r | r in “risk” | Izmir |
| S / s | s in “sorry” | sanat |
| Ş / ş | sh in “ship” | şerefe |
| T / t | t in “tower” | tavşan |
| U / u | oo in “food” | uçmak |
| Ü / ü | u in “future” | müdürlügü |
| V / v | v in “Virginia” | tuvalet |
| Y / y | y in “yes” | yumurta |
| Z / z | z in “zinger” | zincir |
If you are interested in learning the alphabet the first thing you should do is enroll in Turkish lessons either online or at a school. While both types of lessons can be a good choice which type you choose will all depend on your learning style. If you prefer to keep a very structured schedule, and you like to learn by following a teacher’s lesson plan then you will do better in a traditional school environment. However, if you need flexibility on time and location for your lessons and you like to learn at your own pace then an online Turkish podcast will be a better fit for you.
Turkish pod 101 has a number of different Turkish lessons available and students can quickly sign-up and get started. Lessons are accessible at any time of the day or night. Because they are online the lessons work around your schedule rather than you having to change your agenda to attend a class. Turkish pod 101 has lessons to teach the Turkish alphabet quickly and easily to students who are just beginning to learn the language. In addition, there are recordings available so that a student will have no difficulty knowing if they pronounced a letter correctly or not.
If you are interested in learning the Turkish language, then the alphabet is a good place to start. Once you learn it you will be able to sound out any Turkish word and from there phrases and full-on conversations will follow.
A language’s alphabet is its building blocks. Trying to learn how to write in Turkish without first learning its alphabet is a bit like trying to build a brick house without touching the individual bricks! It is impossible to do a good job that way. So don’t believe language schools and methods that try to teach you otherwise. You will regret it later.
Also, once you start recognizing symbols and words, you will be encouraged by your own progress and motivated to learn even faster. Even just learning the basics of the alphabet will allow you to start recognizing simple Turkish words, and it will feel great!
Furthermore, knowing the alphabet even helps with pronunciation, as learning the individual letters of any language will start uncovering nuances and intricacies that are not always apparent when you’re simply listening to the words.
Completely mastering the Turkish alphabet, no matter how long it takes, will give you an excellent head start in learning how to write and read the language. It will offer you a solid foundation on which to build the other language skills, so set a goal to learn the alphabet so well that you’re able to recite it in your sleep!
Read on for helpful tips and secrets to learning the Turkish alphabet quickly and effectively.
If you want to master the Turkish language and become fluent, get this Turkish eBook!
You need physical worksheets to practice on.
This eBook is a MUST-HAVE for all Turkish learning beginners!
Download your Free Turkish practice sheets PDF today and learn the Turkish language in no time!
This is a must-have guide for absolute beginners
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Let’s now take a closer look at how studying Turkish lessons in PDF format can help you reach your dream in up to half the time of normal video or audio lessons!
Learning Turkish through PDF lessons can dramatically reduce your data use. Once a lesson or tool is downloaded, you can then access it offline via your computer or smartphone any time or place regardless of Internet access. And once you’ve download the Turkish lessons in PDF format, you can actually access them faster than logging in and trying to do so via a live site. So not only will learning Turkish using PDF lessons save minutes on your data plan—it will save you some significant time as well as the lessons add up!
Sometimes, a tiny smartphone screen just isn’t adequate, especially when you are trying to learn something new. The great thing about PDF lessons, tools or files is that they can be quickly printed and taken anywhere after you download them. In fact, printing out Turkish lessons in PDF format can actually save you time when compared to going through the material on a smartphone with a small screen—even with the extra printing time!
Studying video or audio lessons online is a great way to learn a language because students can play and rewind sections as many times as needed until the lesson is mastered. But when you review the same Turkish lessons again in PDF format, an incredible thing happens: your retention dramatically improves! Thanks to Time Spaced Repetition, seeing the information again in written format helps reinforce the information in your mind and improves both retention and recall. The benefits of learning Turkish using PDF lessons quickly add up to significant time savings for you, your data plan, and your dream of learning a new language!
Learning to read and write is a must for all beginners. Although you get video lessons on how to write in Turkish at TurkishClass101, you’ll still need physical worksheets to practice on. That’s why you’re getting this printable tutorial PDFs as a gift.
With a language, like with anything you have to learn from scratch, having a few mnemonic devices handy are key to learning it fast. A mnemonic device is basically any method or technique that helps you to retain or commit something to memory more easily.
Here are a few mnemonic devices to memorize the Turkish alphabet so you can speed up learning how to write in Turkish.
Can you still remember your childhood alphabet song in your own language? The best way to commit it to memory so you can recite it is still your mom or first teacher’s way - with music, a song and/or a poem! Find a recording and learn to sing the song, or recite the poem along as best as you can. Ask your TurkishClass101 teacher to help you understand exactly what you are singing or saying, and soon you’ll have reciting the alphabet under your belt! Repeat it out loud as often as possible.
However, you still need to learn how to write it.
Remember when you were young and learning to write for the first time? You didn’t start with words or sentences; you started with letters, one at a time!
Decide on tackling only a few letters each week, and then don’t move on from these till you are completely familiar with them. Don’t take on too many at once, or you may become discouraged. Also, remember to ask your teacher at TurkishClass101 if you have questions!
Learn to incidentally spot the letters in books, road signs (If you’re living in the country), magazines, on TV, anywhere you encounter written Turkish. Remember to write them out!
Make it a goal to write out your week’s letters at least once a day, and commit to this goal. You can also do it every time you have a free moment. Get yourself a special notebook for this purpose that you can carry with you anywhere you go. Sitting on the train or bus? Waiting for someone somewhere? Whip out your notebook and write the Turkish alphabet, or the letters you are learning. Aim for about 20 repetitions, while silently saying the letter in your head as you write it out. This way, you will soon be able to form and write words all by yourself! Exciting, isn’t it?
Writing something down with a pen also seems to engrave it in the brain in a way that nothing else does. As an added benefit, it gives you the satisfaction of seeing a new language in your own writing!
Once you’ve mastered the whole alphabet, commit to writing it out in its entirety at least once a day, for at least one month. More repetitions are obviously better.
Research has shown that the more senses and actions we use to learn something, the quicker the new information sticks in the memory and becomes habitual. To apply this principle while learning the Turkish alphabet, write out huge letters by tracing them in the soil, or with chalk on the floor. Now, while saying the letter out loud, walk on the lines you have just traced. In this way, you ‘write’ the letter by moving your whole body!
Having fun just makes it even easier to learn something, so why not ‘write’ the letters out with dance steps while moving to your favorite Turkish music!
This is a simple trick that seems silly, but you’ll be surprised how quickly you will commit intricate letters to memory this way. It really works!
This technique would involve saying the Turkish letter out loud, and then thinking of a word in your own language that sounds the same as the letter. That would then create a phonic association that should make it easier for you to remember the letter. Better even if the association is something you can draw or picture.
If the script of the new alphabet is very different from your own, look at it closely, and see if you can find an image that the letter reminds you of
Try to write words from your own language in Turkish, and ask your friendly TurkishClass101 teachers for feedback! Or post them on the forum and see if anyone can read them. You will be so pleased with yourself when you start writing words that are readable and recognizable by native speakers.
Excellent efforts, Thanks for providing the basics of the Turkish language. Very helpful
Merhaba mayeda,
Çok teşekkürler for your kind comment! We are very happy to hear that! ❤️️
Good luck with your Turkish and feel free to contact us if you have questions. 😇
Sevgiler,
Levente
Team TurkishClass101.com
😄😄😄😄😄😄😄i watched ertugul dubbed in my language but the second season and after was all in Turkish no dubbing now i read the subtitles,but soon i will understand thanks to these lessons!!!!!!!!!!😎❤️️❤️️
Merhaba Muhammad,
Thank you for your kind words! We are here to help and so happy to hear you like the lessons!
Good luck with your Turkish and feel free to contact us if you have questions. 😇
Sevgiler,
Seda
Team TurkishClass101.com