Essential Turkish Phrases for Tourists: Your Pocket Guide for Istanbul (2025)
Visiting Istanbul? Learn essential Turkish phrases for greetings, shopping, dining & transport. Basic Turkish words & pronunciation tips for tourists (2025). Enhance your trip!
Merhaba! Welcome to Istanbul! While you’ll find that many people in tourist areas speak some English, knowing a few basic Turkish phrases can truly enhance your experience. It shows respect for the local culture, can help you navigate situations more easily, and often brings a warm smile from the locals you interact with.
Don’t worry about perfect pronunciation – making an effort is what counts! This pocket guide covers essential Turkish phrases for greetings, asking questions, shopping, dining, and getting around Istanbul. Let’s dive in!
Okay, let’s craft that blog post on essential Turkish phrases!
Introduction
Merhaba! Welcome to Istanbul! While you’ll find that many people in tourist areas speak some English, knowing a few basic Turkish phrases can truly enhance your experience. It shows respect for the local culture, can help you navigate situations more easily, and often brings a warm smile from the locals you interact with.
Don’t worry about perfect pronunciation – making an effort is what counts! This pocket guide covers essential Turkish phrases for greetings, asking questions, shopping, dining, and getting around Istanbul. Let’s dive in!
A Quick Note on Pronunciation
Turkish is generally phonetic (you say it as it’s written), but a few letters differ from English:
- Ç ç: like ‘ch’ in ‘church’
- Ş ş: like ‘sh’ in ‘shop’
- Ğ ğ: (Soft G) Usually silent, lengthens the preceding vowel (like in sağ olun – saa-olun).
- I ı: (Undotted I) A tricky one! Like the ‘e’ sound in ‘taken’ or the ‘u’ in ‘radium’.
- Ö ö: like ‘ur’ in ‘burn’ (without the ‘r’ sound) or German ‘ö’.
- Ü ü: like ‘ew’ in ‘few‘ or German ‘ü’.
The best way to learn is by listening! Don’t be afraid to try.
Greetings & Basic Politeness (Selamlaşma ve Nezaket)
These are the most important phrases to learn and use generously!
- Hello (Formal/Anytime): Merhaba (MER-hah-bah)
- Hello (Informal, Hi): Selam (seh-LAHM)
- Good Morning: Günaydın (gew-nahy-DUHN)
- Good Day/Have a Nice Day: İyi günler (ee-YEE goon-LER)
- Good Evening: İyi akşamlar (ee-YEE ak-shahm-LAR)
- Good Night: İyi geceler (ee-YEE geh-jeh-LER)
- Goodbye (said by person leaving): Hoşça kalın (HOSH-cha kah-LUHN)
- Goodbye (said by person staying): Güle güle (gew-LEH gew-LEH)
- How are you?: Nasılsınız? (Formal) (NAH-suhl-suh-nuhz) / Nasılsın? (Informal) (NAH-suhl-suhn)
- I’m fine, thank you: İyiyim, teşekkür ederim (ee-YEE-yim teh-shek-KEWR eh-deh-rim)
- Thank you: Teşekkür ederim (teh-shek-KEWR eh-deh-rim) or simply Teşekkürler (teh-shek-kewr-LER)
- Thank you (more heartfelt/stronger): Sağ olun (Formal) (SAA-oh-loon) / Sağ ol (Informal) (SAA-ol)
- Please: Lütfen (LEWT-fen)
- You’re welcome: Bir şey değil (beer SHEY deh-YEEL) or Rica ederim (ree-JAH eh-deh-rim)
- Excuse me / Sorry: Affedersiniz (ahf-feh-DAR-suh-nuhz) or Pardon (PAR-dohn)
- Yes: Evet (eh-VET)
- No: Hayır (HAH-yuhr)
- Okay / Good: Tamam (tah-MAHM)
Basic Questions & Understanding (Temel Sorular ve Anlama)
- Do you speak English?: İngilizce biliyor musunuz? (een-gee-LEEZ-jeh bee-lee-YOR moo-soo-nooz)
- I don’t understand: Anlamıyorum (ahn-LAH-muh-yoh-room)
- I don’t know: Bilmiyorum (BEEL-mee-yoh-room)
- What is this?: Bu ne? (boo NEH)
- Where is…? : … nerede? (… NEH-reh-deh)
- Where is the toilet?: Tuvalet nerede? (too-vah-LET NEH-reh-deh)
- Where is the Blue Mosque?: Sultanahmet Camii nerede? (sool-tahn-AH-met JAH-mee NEH-reh-deh)
- Where is the metro station?: Metro istasyonu nerede? (MET-roh ee-stahs-YOH-noo NEH-reh-deh)
- How much is this?: Bu ne kadar? (boo NEH kah-dar) or Kaç para? (kahch PAH-rah)
- When?: Ne zaman? (NEH zah-mahn)
Numbers (Sayılar)
Knowing basic numbers is useful for prices, platforms, and quantities.
- 1: Bir (beer)
- 2: İki (ee-KEE)
- 3: Üç (ewch)
- 4: Dört (durt)
- 5: Beş (besh)
- 6: Altı (ahl-TUH)
- 7: Yedi (yeh-DEE)
- 8: Sekiz (seh-KEEZ)
- 9: Dokuz (doh-KOOZ)
- 10: On (ohn)
- 20: Yirmi (yeer-MEE)
- 50: Elli (el-LEE)
- 100: Yüz (yewz)
- 1000: Bin (been)
Shopping Phrases (Alışveriş)
Bargaining is common in markets like the Grand Bazaar, but less so in modern shops with fixed prices.
- How much is this?: Bu ne kadar? (boo NEH kah-dar)
- It’s too expensive: Çok pahalı (chok pah-hah-LUH)
- Do you have…? : … var mı? (… vahr muh)
- I’m just looking, thank you: Sadece bakıyorum, teşekkürler (SAH-deh-jeh bah-kuh-YOH-room teh-shek-kewr-LER)
- Can I pay by credit card?: Kredi kartı ile ödeyebilir miyim? (KREH-dee kar-TUH ee-LEH uh-deh-yeh-BEE-leer mee-yim)
- Discount?: İndirim var mı? (een-dee-REEM vahr muh?) (Use sparingly/appropriately)
Restaurant & Food Phrases (Restoran ve Yemek)
- Menu, please: Menü, lütfen (meh-NEW lewt-fen)
- Table for one / two / three people: Bir / İki / Üç kişilik masa (beer / ee-KEE / ewch kee-shee-LEEK mah-sah)
- Water: Su (soo)
- Tea: Çay (chahy) (Typically black tea)
- Coffee: Kahve (KAH-veh)
- Turkish Coffee: Türk kahvesi (tewrk KAH-veh-see)
- Beer: Bira (BEE-rah)
- Wine: Şarap (shah-RAHP)
- The bill, please: Hesap, lütfen (heh-SAHP lewt-fen)
- Delicious!: Çok lezzetli! (chok lez-zet-LEE)
- Enjoy your meal (said to others): Afiyet olsun! (ah-fee-YET ol-soon)
Transport Phrases (Ulaşım)
Refer to our Istanbul Airport Transfer guide and Public Transport guide for more details!
- Ticket: Bilet (bee-LET)
- One way ticket: Tek yön bilet (tek YUHN bee-LET)
- Return ticket: Gidiş dönüş bilet (gee-DISH duh-NEWSH bee-LET)
- Where is the bus stop?: Otobüs durağı nerede? (oh-toh-BEWS doo-rah-uh NEH-reh-deh)
- Where is the ferry terminal?: Vapur iskelesi nerede? (vah-POOR ee-skeh-leh-see NEH-reh-deh)
- To Taksim / Sultanahmet / Kadıköy: Taksim’e / Sultanahmet’e / Kadıköy’e (TAK-seem-eh / sool-tahn-AH-met-eh / KAH-duh-kuy-eh)
- Stop here, please (for taxi/dolmuş): Burada durun, lütfen (BOO-rah-dah doo-ROON lewt-fen) or İnecek var! (ee-neh-JEK vahr! – common on dolmuş/minibus)
Emergency & Help (Acil Durum ve Yardım)
Hopefully, you won’t need these, but they’re good to know.
- Help!: İmdat! (EEM-daht)
- Police: Polis (poh-LEES)
- Doctor: Doktor (DOK-tor)
- Pharmacy: Eczane (ej-zah-NEH) (Look for the red ‘E’ sign)
- Hospital: Hastane (hahs-tah-NEH)
Tips for Practicing
- Start Small: Begin with Merhaba and Teşekkür ederim. Locals appreciate the effort!
- Listen: Pay attention to how people around you speak.
- Don’t Be Shy: Mistakes are okay! Most people will be patient and helpful.
- Use Apps: Translation apps with audio can help with pronunciation.
- Smile! A smile goes a long way, even if your Turkish isn’t perfect.
Learning even a handful of these essential Turkish phrases will undoubtedly enrich your visit to Istanbul. It opens doors to more authentic interactions and helps you navigate the city with a bit more confidence. So, practice a few, be brave, and enjoy immersing yourself in the vibrant Turkish culture!
İyi yolculuklar! (Have a good trip!)
