The Most Useful Words in Turkish for Travel and Dining

If you’re planning to visit Istanbul, it’s always helpful to know a few words in Turkish for travel. Here are some of the most useful words and phrases you can use during your visit:

Greetings and Polite Phrases

  • Merhaba (mehr-hah-bah): Hello
  • İyi günler (ee-yee-goon-ler): Good day
  • İyi akşamlar (ee-yee-ahk-shahm-lahr): Good evening
  • Nasılsın? / Nasıl gidiyor? (nah-suhl-suhn / nah-suhl gee-dee-yor): How are you?
  • Teşekkür ederim (teh-sheh-kur eh-deh-reem): Thank you
  • Rica ederim (ree-jah eh-deh-reem): You’re welcome
  • Lütfen (lewt-fen): Please
  • Pardon / Affedersiniz (par-dohn / ah-feh-dehr-see-neez): Excuse me

Basic Travel Phrases

  • Nerede? (neh-reh-deh): Where?
  • Ne zaman? (neh zah-mahn): When?
  • Kaç? (kahch): How many?
  • Ne kadar? (neh kah-dahr): How much?
  • Hangi? (hahn-gee): Which?
  • Bilet, lütfen (bee-leht, lewt-fen): Ticket, please.
  • Yardım! (yahrdim): Help!

Food and Drink

  • Su (soo): Water
  • Kahve (kah-veh): Coffee
  • Çay (chai): Tea
  • Bira (bee-rah): Beer
  • Şarap (shah-rahp): Wine
  • Yemek (yeh-mehk): Food
  • Et (et): Meat
  • Sebze (sehb-zeh): Vegetable
  • Meyve (may-veh): Fruit
  • Öğle yemeği (oh-leh yeh-meh-ee): Lunch
  • Akşam yemeği (ahk-shahm yeh-meh-ee): Dinner
  • Fiyat (fee-yat): Price
  • kaç lira? (kahch lee-rah): How much is it?
  • Bir, iki, üç (beer, eek-ee, ewch): One, two, three

Transport

  • Ulaşım (oo-lah-suhm): Transport
  • Otobüs (oh-toh-booos): Bus
  • Taksi (tahk-see): Taxi
  • Metro (meh-troh): Metro
  • Tramvay (trahm-vahy): Tram
  • Tren (trehn): Train
  • Uçak (oo-chahk): Plane
  • Araba (ah-rah-bah): Car
  • Motor (moh-tor): Motorcycle
  • Bisiklet (bees-ee-klet): Bicycle
  • Durak (doo-rahk): Stop (for public transport)
  • Nereye gidiyor? (neh-reh-yeh gee-dee-yor): Where is it going?

Shopping and Money

  • Ne kadar? (neh kah-dahr): How much?
  • Pahalı (pah-hah-luh): Expensive
  • Ucuz (oo-jooz): Cheap
  • Nakit (nah-keet): Cash
  • Kredi kartı (kreh-dee kar-tuh): Credit card
  • Hesap, lütfen (heh-sahp, lewt-fen): The bill, please.
  • Bahşiş (bah-sheesh): Tip
  • İndirim (een-deer-eem): Discount

Directions

  • Sağ (sah): Right
  • Sol (sohl): Left
  • İleri (ee-leh-ree): Straight ahead
  • Geri (geh-ree): Backwards
  • Burada (boo-rah-dah): Here
  • Orada (oh-rah-dah): There
  • Giriş (gee-reesh): Entrance
  • Çıkış (chuh-kush): Exit

Learning a few Turkish words can go a long way in making your trip more enjoyable. These words help you buy street food or find your location! Don’t be afraid to practice these phrases with the locals – they’ll appreciate your effort to communicate in their language.

Leave a Reply