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Essential Turkish phrases
for travellers (printable)
how to say hello in turkish
Merhaba — MER-hah-bah — is how you say hello in Turkish. It works at any hour, anywhere the language is spoken, with anyone. Pair it with Teşekkürler (teh-shek-kewr-LER) for thank you and you already have the two words you will use most.
Below are 36 phrases worth knowing before you land, grouped by the situation you will need them in. Every one has a plain-English respelling — stressed syllable in capitals — because IPA is no use to anyone standing at a pharmacy counter. Turkey and Northern Cyprus — around 85 million speakers, and mutually intelligible in part with Azerbaijani. Also searched as Turkey, Türkiye.
take it with you
The whole card, on one page
All 36 phrases on a single sheet — print it, fold it into a passport, or keep it on your phone. Free, no signup, no watermark.
The essentials
The six words that carry most of a trip.
| English | Turkish |
|---|---|
| Hello | MerhabaMER-hah-bah |
| Goodbye | Hoşça kalHOSH-chah kahlSaid by the one leaving. The one staying says Güle güle (gew-LEH gew-LEH). |
| Please | LütfenLEWT-fen |
| Thank you | Teşekkürlerteh-shek-kewr-LERSağ ol (sah OL) is the short, friendly version. |
| Yes / No | Evet / Hayıreh-VET / hah-YUHR |
| Excuse me / Sorry | Affedersinizahf-feh-DER-see-neez |
Getting by
What to say when the conversation outruns you.
| English | Turkish |
|---|---|
| Do you speak English? | İngilizce biliyor musunuz?een-gee-LEEZ-jeh bee-lee-YOR moo-soo-nooz |
| I don't understand | Anlamıyorumahn-lah-MUH-yoh-room |
| Could you repeat that? | Tekrar eder misiniz?tek-RAR eh-DER mee-see-neez |
| Please speak slowly | Yavaş konuşun lütfenyah-VAHSH koh-NOO-shoon LEWT-fen |
| My name is… | Benim adım…beh-NEEM ah-DUHM |
| Nice to meet you | Memnun oldummem-NOON ol-DOOM |
Getting around
Streets, stations and the one question everyone needs.
| English | Turkish |
|---|---|
| Where is…? | … nerede?… NEH-reh-deh |
| How do I get to…? | …’ya nasıl giderim?… yah NAH-suhl gee-deh-REEM |
| Where is the toilet? | Tuvalet nerede?too-vah-LET NEH-reh-deh |
| Left / Right | Sol / Sağsol / sah |
| Straight ahead | Düz gitdewz geet |
| Is it far? | Uzak mı?oo-ZAHK muh |
Food and drink
Ordering, allergies, and asking for the bill.
| English | Turkish |
|---|---|
| A table for two, please | İki kişilik masaee-KEE kee-shee-LEEK MAH-sah |
| The menu, please | Menü lütfenmeh-NEW LEWT-fen |
| I would like… | … istiyorum… ees-tee-YOH-room |
| Water, please | Su lütfensoo LEWT-fen |
| I am allergic to… | …’ya alerjim var… yah ah-ler-ZHEEM vahr |
| The bill, please | Hesap lütfenheh-SAHP LEWT-fen |
Shopping and money
Prices, cards, and politely not buying anything.
| English | Turkish |
|---|---|
| How much is it? | Ne kadar?neh kah-DAHR |
| That's too expensive | Çok pahalıchok pah-hah-LUH |
| Do you take cards? | Kart geçer mi?kahrt geh-CHER mee |
| I am just looking | Sadece bakıyorumsah-deh-JEH bah-kuh-YOH-room |
| Do you have…? | … var mı?… vahr muh |
| A receipt, please | Fiş lütfenfeesh LEWT-fen |
Emergencies
Worth reading once before you need them.
| English | Turkish |
|---|---|
| Help! | İmdat!eem-DAHT |
| Call the police | Polisi arayınpoh-lee-SEE ah-rah-YUHN |
| Call an ambulance | Ambulans çağırınahm-boo-LAHNS chah-uh-RUHN |
| I need a doctor | Doktora ihtiyacım vardok-toh-RAH eeh-tee-yah-JUHM vahr |
| I am lost | Kayboldumkai-bol-DOOM |
| Where is the hospital? | Hastane nerede?hahs-tah-NEH NEH-reh-deh |
<!-- saying it right -->
Four things that fix
most of the accent
ı and i are two different letters
Dotless ı is an "uh" made at the back of the mouth; dotted i is the "ee" you expect. The capitals follow suit: İstanbul has a dotted capital, Işık a dotless one. Getting it wrong is the most common foreign error.
Turkish spelling is completely regular
ş = sh, ç = ch, c = j, ğ is silent and simply lengthens the vowel before it. Once you know those four, you can read any Turkish word aloud correctly on the first attempt.
Vowel harmony makes endings shift
Suffixes change their vowels to match the word they attach to — evde but okulda, both meaning "at the". You do not need to produce it, but it explains why the same ending looks different everywhere.
Stress usually lands on the last syllable
Teşekkürler is teh-shek-kewr-LER, not teh-SHEK-kewr-ler. Place names are the main exception — İSTANbul, ANkara.
Spotted a mistake in the Turkish? Tell us and we will fix it.
You will not remember
all 36
Nobody does. OmniTalk speaks Turkish for you in real time — point the camera at a menu, or put the phone between you and let it translate both sides of the conversation as you talk. It works offline once you download the language, so it keeps going when your roaming does not.