15 Turkish Slang Words & Expressions You Won't Find in a Textbook

Speaking Street Turkish

Textbook Turkish is incredibly polite and formal. However, step onto the streets of Kadıköy or Taksim, and you'll hear a very different linguistic melody. Here are some of the most common slang expressions to help you blend in.

For Exclamations

• Oha! → Used to express extreme shock, surprise, or disbelief. Similar to "Whoa!" or "Holy cow!"
• Eyvallah → A magic word of Arabic origin. It means "Thank you," "Okay," "Take care," and "Goodbye" all rolled into one. Heavily used by men, but understood by all.
• Maşallah → Used to express praise, joy, or thankfulness for an event or person. Often said to protect against the "evil eye" when complimenting someone.
• İnşallah → "God willing." Used constantly to mean "hopefully" when discussing future plans.

For Everyday Situations

• Boşver → "Never mind" or "Let it go." A great way to brush off a minor inconvenience.
• Hadi canım! → "You don't say!" or "Come on!" Used when someone tells you an unbelievable story.
• Aynen → "Exactly" or "I totally agree." The ultimate filler word in Turkish conversations.
• Naber? → A contraction of Ne haber? (What's the news?). Used informally to say "What's up?"
• Kanka / Kanki → Slang for "Best friend" or "Bro/Sis". Derived from kan kardeşi (blood brother).
• Vallahi / Valla → "I swear to God" or "Honestly." Used constantly to emphasize that you are telling the truth or are serious.
• Bakıcaz → Literally "we will look," but used constantly to mean "we'll see" or to non-committally delay a decision.
• Kolay gelsin → "May it come easy." Said to anyone working or doing a task to show appreciation and wish them an easy time.

Describing Things

• Harika → Great, wonderful.
• Berbat → Terrible, awful.
• Manyak → Crazy. Can be used negatively (a lunatic) or positively (manyak güzel = crazy beautiful).
• Fena → Literally "bad," but often used by youth to mean "wicked" or "awesome" (e.g., Fena güzel!).
• Müthiş → Terrific, spectacular, amazing.

Ready to put these into practice in context? Check out our Advanced Idioms Deck to master even more native expressions.