Turkish/Contents/Pronunciation and Alphabet/Lesson Two - İ-R

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

Contents 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. The exact pronounciation is made by shaping your lips to say o (as in organ), but saying e (as in bread) instead.

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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