The Turkish alphabet (Türk alfabesi) consists of 29 letters, adapted from the Latin alphabet. Most letters are pronounced similarly to English, but some are unique:

Unique Turkish Letters:

• Ç (ç): like 'ch' in 'church'. Example: çocuk (child)
• Ğ (ğ): 'yumuşak ge' (soft g). Often lengthens the preceding vowel or is silent. Example: dağ (mountain, pronounced daa), değil (not)
• I (ı): like the 'e' in 'open' or 'a' in 'serial'. A short, unrounded vowel. Example: ılık (warm), kapı (door)
• İ (i): like 'ee' in 'see'. Example: ip (rope), dil (tongue/language)
• Ö (ö): like 'ur' in 'burn' (British English) or German 'ö'. (A rounded, front vowel). Example: göz (eye), köy (village)
• Ş (ş): like 'sh' in 'shoe'. Example: şeker (sugar), baş (head)
• Ü (ü): like 'ew' in 'few' or German 'ü'. (A rounded, front vowel). Example: üzüm (grape), süt (milk)

Phonetic Language:

Turkish is a highly phonetic language, meaning words are generally pronounced as they are written. Each letter usually corresponds to a single sound, which makes learning pronunciation relatively straightforward once you know the letter sounds.