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.