Turkish with BuseThe Turkish Alphabet: 29 Letters, One Sound Each
Good news: Turkish is written exactly the way it sounds. Every letter has one sound, so once you know these 29 letters you can read almost any Turkish word out loud.
The 29 letters at a glance
The Turkish alphabet uses Latin letters. It has 8 vowels (a, e, ı, i, o, ö, u, ü) and 21 consonants. There is no Q, W or X. Tap 🔊 to hear each example word.
| Letter | Sounds like | Example | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A a | a in “father” | araba (car) | |
| B b | b in “boy” | baba (dad) | |
| C c | j in “jam” | cam (glass) | |
| Ç ç | ch in “chair” | çay (tea) | |
| D d | d in “dog” | deniz (sea) | |
| E e | e in “bed” | ev (house) | |
| F f | f in “fish” | fil (elephant) | |
| G g | g in “go” (always hard) | göz (eye) | |
| Ğ ğ | silent – makes the vowel before it longer | dağ (mountain) | |
| H h | h in “hat” | hava (weather, air) | |
| I ı | like the “e” in “taken” (no dot!) | ılık (warm) | |
| İ i | ee in “see” | iki (two) | |
| J j | s in “measure” | jilet (razor blade) | |
| K k | k in “kite” | kedi (cat) | |
| L l | l in “lemon” | limon (lemon) | |
| M m | m in “mother” | masa (table) | |
| N n | n in “name” | nar (pomegranate) | |
| O o | o in “more” (short) | okul (school) | |
| Ö ö | like German ö / French “eu” | öğretmen (teacher) | |
| P p | p in “pen” | para (money) | |
| R r | a light, tapped r | renk (colour) | |
| S s | s in “sun” (never z) | su (water) | |
| Ş ş | sh in “shoe” | şeker (sugar) | |
| T t | t in “top” | tatlı (dessert, sweet) | |
| U u | u in “put” | uçak (plane) | |
| Ü ü | like German ü / French “u” | üzüm (grapes) | |
| V v | v in “van” (soft) | var (there is) | |
| Y y | y in “yes” | yol (road) | |
| Z z | z in “zoo” | zaman (time) |
The 6 letters English doesn’t have
Most learners only need to practise these six. Learn them well and reading Turkish becomes easy.
I and İ are two different letters
This is the most famous Turkish surprise. I ı (no dot) and İ i (with a dot) are different letters with different sounds — even in capitals.
How to read a Turkish word
Turkish has no silent letters (except ğ) and no letter pairs like English “th” or “ph”. Read every letter, from left to right. Stress usually falls on the last syllable.
Letter names: vowels are said as they sound (a, e, ı, i…). Consonants add an “e”: be, ce, çe, de, fe, ge… Ğ is called yumuşak ge (“soft g”).
Quick quiz: test yourself
1. How many letters does the Turkish alphabet have?
2. Which letter sounds like “ch” in “chair”?
3. How do you say the Turkish letter C?
4. What does ğ (yumuşak ge) do?
5. Which spelling is correct?
Practise this with Buse – free
Interactive lessons, listening, a speaking coach and a step-by-step path from A0 to C1. Start for free, no card needed.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Turkish alphabet hard to learn?
No. It uses Latin letters and every letter has one sound. Most learners can read Turkish words aloud after one or two short lessons.
Which letters are not in the Turkish alphabet?
Q, W and X are not used in Turkish words. You will only see them in foreign names and brands.
What is the difference between I and İ?
They are two different letters. I/ı (no dot) is a short, relaxed vowel; İ/i (with a dot) sounds like “ee” in “see”.