Turkish Alphabet – الأبجدية التركية
The Turkish alphabet is based on the Latin alphabet and contains 29 letters. It includes 6 extra letters: ç, ğ, ı, ö, ş, and ü, while the letters q, w, and x are not used.
الأبجدية التركية تُكتب بالأحرف اللاتينية وتحتوي على 29 حرفًا. تشمل 6 حروف إضافية: ç، ğ، ı، ö، ş، و ü، بينما الحروف q و w و x لا تُستخدم.
Most Turkish letters have pronunciations similar to their English equivalents, except for a few letters with unique pronunciations specific to Turkish.
Consonants:
– Cc: is pronounced as -d+j
– Çç: is pronounced as -ch in English
– Şş: is pronounced as -sh in English
– Gg: is always ornounced as in /Gorilla/ not as is in /Giraffe/.
Vowels:
-A: pronounced like the “a” in father or car.
-E: Pronounced like the “e” in bed or red.
-Iı: Pronounced similar to the “i” in cousin. It’s a close vowel, not as open as in English.
– İi: Pronounced like the “ee” in see, but with the tongue positioned slightly higher. This is a distinct sound from ı (not interchangeable).
-Oo: Pronounced like the “o” in dog or hot. It’s a rounded vowel sound.
-Öö: Pronounced like the “O” but a bit softer.
-Uu: Pronounced like the “oo” in food or moon, but with rounded lips.
-Üü: Pronounced like the “u” but a bit softer.
- In brief, these are the key differences between vowels:
ı vs. i: ı is a back, closed vowel (like the “uh” sound), while i is a front, closed vowel (like the “ee” in “see”). - o vs. ö: o is a back vowel with rounded lips (like the “o” in “dog”), while ö is a front vowel with rounded lips (similar to the “i” in “bird”).
- u vs. ü: u is a back vowel with rounded lips (like the “oo” in “food”), while ü is a front vowel with rounded lips (similar to the “u” in “cute”).
Finally, the “Yumuşak ge” (Ğ ğ), or “soft g,” is the only silent letter in Turkish. It doesn’t have a sound in itself. It always follows a vowel and lengthens the sound of that vowel.