The Turkish Alphabet & Pronunciation Guide: A Masterclass

The Alphabet Revolution

Before 1928, Turkish was written in the Arabic script. However, the Arabic script was poorly suited to Turkish's complex vowel system. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the modern Turkish Republic, instituted a language reform that switched the country to a customized Latin alphabet overnight.

The result? A perfectly phonetic alphabet. One letter = one sound. Always.

The 29 Letters

The alphabet consists of 21 consonants and 8 vowels. Noticeably absent are Q, W, and X. You will also find some letters equipped with dots, cedillas, and a little hat (the breve).

The Tricky Consonants

If you are an English speaker, these are the letters that will trip you up. Memorize them immediately:

C c

Pronounced like the J in "Jam".

Example: Cami (Mosque) is pronounced "Jah-mee".

Ç ç

Pronounced like the Ch in "Chat".

Example: Çay (Tea) is pronounced "Chai".

Ş ş

Pronounced like the Sh in "Shoe".

Example: Şehir (City) is pronounced "Sheh-heer".

J j

Pronounced like the S in "Measure" or French "Jacques".

Example: Jeton (Token).

The Yumuşak G (Soft G)

Ğ ğ

This letter is unique to Turkish. It has no sound of its own. It never starts a word. Its only job is to lengthen the preceding vowel.

Example: Dağ (Mountain) is pronounced like "Daah".Erdoğan is pronounced "Ehr-doh-ahn", not "Er-do-gan".

The Vowels: Dotted vs. Undotted

Vowels in Turkish are categorized into front (dotted) and back (undotted) vowels. This is crucial for Vowel Harmony.

I ı (Undotted I): Sounds like the "uh" in "cousin" or the "e" in "open". (Example: Işık - Light)
İ i (Dotted I): Sounds like the "ee" in "see". Important: It keeps its dot even when capitalized! (Example: İstanbul)
O o: Sounds like "o" in "so".
Ö ö: Sounds like the "u" in "burn" or the German ö. Round your lips and try to say "e".
U u: Sounds like "oo" in "boot".
Ü ü: Sounds like the French "tu" or German ü. Round your lips and say "ee".

Reading Practice

Because there are no silent letters (except ğ), you can read Turkish flawlessly once you know these rules. To put it to the test, try reading one of our beginner stories out loud! Browse Reading Stories.