Days of the Week, Months, and Seasons in Turkish: The Complete Guide
The Fascinating History Behind the Turkish Calendar
Learning the days of the week and months in Turkish offers a fascinating window into Turkey's rich cultural history. Some days are derived from Persian, some from Arabic, while others are purely native Turkish descriptive words.
Once you understand why the days are named the way they are, memorizing them takes just a few minutes.
1. The 7 Days of the Week (Haftanın Günleri)
Notice how the weekend revolves around the word Pazar (Market/Bazaar):
| Day | Turkish | Cultural & Etymological Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Pazartesi | Pazar ertesi = "The day after the Bazaar / Sunday" |
| Tuesday | Salı | Derived from Arabic (the 3rd day of the traditional week) |
| Wednesday | Çarşamba | From Persian Chahar-shanbeh (4th day) |
| Thursday | Perşembe | From Persian Panj-shanbeh (5th day) |
| Friday | Cuma | From Arabic Jum'ah (Day of congregation/gathering) |
| Saturday | Cumartesi | Cuma ertesi = "The day after Friday" |
| Sunday | Pazar | "Bazaar / Market Day" |
2. How to Say "On Monday", "On Fridays"
In English, we say "on Monday". In Turkish, you have two natural ways to express this:
- Specific Day: "Pazartesi günü buluşalım." (Let's meet on Monday.) — You can say just Pazartesi or Pazartesi günü.
- Every Monday (Recurring): Add the plural suffix: "Pazartesileri / Pazartesi günleri spor yapıyorum." (I work out on Mondays.)
3. The 12 Months (Aylar)
Literally means "Hearth / Stove" (keeping warm in winter!)
From Syriac / Babylonian calendar
Named after Mars (like Roman calendar)
Month of blossoms & spring rain
From Latin / European roots
From Syriac (summer heat)
Ancient Mesopotamian summer deity
Named after Emperor Augustus
From Syriac (harvest time)
From ekmek = "Sowing seeds" in autumn
From Arabic (the divider of winter)
Means "Interval / Space" (between old and new year)
4. The Four Seasons (Mevsimler)
- 🌸 İlkbahar / Bahar: Spring (İlk = First, Bahar = Spring)
- ☀️ Yaz: Summer
- 🍂 Sonbahar / Güz: Autumn / Fall (Son = Last, Bahar = Spring/Season)
- ❄️ Kış: Winter
To say "in summer" or "in winter", you use special temporal suffixes (not the Locative -da/-de, but the specific seasonal forms -ın/-in):
"Yazın Antalya'ya gidiyoruz." (In summer we go to Antalya.) or "Kışın çok kar yağıyor." (In winter it snows a lot.)
Want to tell people exactly when you're arriving? Master telling the time in Turkish to pair perfectly with days and months.
5. Essential Time Words Cheat Sheet
Ready to put this into practice?
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