To get by in Istanbul, learn five Turkish words: "merhaba" (hello), "teşekkürler" (thank you), "lütfen" (please), "evet / hayır" (yes / no) and "hesap, lütfen" (the bill, please). The tables below give each phrase in Turkish with a pronunciation in plain letters, and the meaning. In tourist areas waiters and shopkeepers often speak English, but a few words of Turkish change the welcome you get.
bir, iki, üç, dört, beş, altı, yedi, sekiz, dokuz, on
beer, ee-KEE, ooch, dirt, besh, al-TUH, yeh-DEE, seh-KEEZ, doh-KOOZ, on
numbers 1 to 10
yirmi, elli, yüz, bin
yeer-MEE, el-LEE, yooz, been
20 / 50 / 100 / 1,000
Emergencies
Local phrase
Simple pronunciation
Meaning
İmdat! / Yardım edin!
eem-DAHT / yar-DUHM eh-DEEN
help!
Polis
po-LEES
the police
Doktor lazım
dok-TOR la-ZUHM
I need a doctor
Pronunciation: three traps
Dotless ı sounds like a very short, muffled "uh" (written "uh" here); dotted i is our "ee".
ş = "sh"; ç = "ch"; c = "j" as in jam; ğ is silent and lengthens the vowel before it.
ö and ü are as in German (like "bird" without the r / "ee" with rounded lips).
Stress usually falls on the last syllable (capitals in our tables); do not aim for perfection, an effort is enough.
Where to use them
In a café or at a stall, say "merhaba" when you walk in and "teşekkürler" when you leave; in the market "Bu ne kadar?" opens the haggling and a smile with "Çok pahalı" lowers the price. A guided food tasting is the ideal place to practise: you hear the dish names, repeat them and order them. Turkey's single emergency number is 112 (check the official government site before you go, October 2026).
