6 Turkish Tongue Twisters To Try Out

Blog
02 January 2024
By Sarah Angela Almaden
Japanese House

Unsplash: Joshua Kettle

You know what I find annoying, tripping because my shoelaces are loose or that they are untied for some odd reason. It doesn’t happen that often (anymore), but that memory is just there as if this would happen sometime soon. Eek. Another kind of tripping that I don’t find annoying is the tripping that happens when I try to say a tongue twister as fast as I can. It never is easy, that’s for sure. But this kind of tongue gymnastics is way more fun and less likely to get anyone physically hurt. So, yeah I prefer that kind of tripping. Besides, there are sooo many tongue twisters out there, especially tongue twisters in different languages. Which makes it more interesting and amusing and challenging. Like Turkish tongue twisters or Tekerlemeler, for example, they are so fun to say and really great for practicing your Turkish pronunciation skills.

Tekerleme: Al şu takatukaları, takatukacıya götür. Takatukacı takatukaları takatukalamam derse, takatukaları, takatukacıdan takatukalatmadan geri getir.
Pronunciation: Al shoo ta-ka-tu-ka-la-ri, ta-ka-tu-ka-ji-ya goh-tur. Ta-ka-tu-ka-ji ta-ka-tu-ka-la-ri ta-ka-tu-ka-la-mam der-se, ta-ka-tu-ka-la-ri, ta-ka-tu-ka-ci-dan ta-ka-tu-ka-lat-ma-dan ge-ri ge-tir
English translation: Take these takatukas to the man who repairs takatukas. If the man who repairs takatukas says I don’t repair takatukas, then take the takatukas back from the man who repairs takatukas

Tekerleme: Dal kalkar kartal sarkar kartal salkar dal kalkar.
Pronunciation: Dal kal-kar kar-tal sar-kar, kar-tal sal-kar dal kal-kar
English translation: The branch rises as the eagle sinks, the eagle sinks as the branch rises.

Tekerleme: Bir berber bir berbere bre berber beri beri gel, gel beraber bir berber dükkanı açalım demiş.
Pronunciation: bir ber-ber bir ber-be-reh breh ber-ber beh-ri beh-ri gel gel bir ber-ber dook-kah-nuh ah-chuh-luhm deh-mish
English translation: A barber said to another barber "Hey Barber, come here, Let's open a barber shop together.”

Tekerleme: Değirmene girdi köpek, değirmenci vurdu kötek; hem kötek yedi köpek, hem kepek yedi köpek.
Pronunciation: Deh-geer-meh-neh geer-dee koh-pek, deh-geer-men-jee vur-doo koh-tek hem koh-tek yeh-dee koh-pek, hem keh-pek yeh-dee koh-pek
English translation: The dog entered the mill, the miller has beaten it, it both has been beaten and it also ate the bran.

Tekerleme: Kırk küp, kırkının da kulpu kırık küp.
Pronunciation: Kurk koop kur-kin-in da kul-poo kur-uhk koop
English translation: Forty jars with broken handles.