How To Address Family & Relatives In Turkish

Family culture in Turkish communities is big and important. And this explains why it's not unusual to have families across different generations living together under one roof. But with the shifts and migrations happening, this sense of family structure is slowly transforming. For example, families living in urban areas are more likely to prioritize their nuclear or immediate family. Whereas families living in rural areas are more likely to rely on their extended family for help and other things. Despite the changes and differences, the significance of family culture in Turkish communities is still going strong and here to stay.

To reiterate, family in Turkish culture is considered the pillar of life and culture. No matter how big or small it is. Family is family. And it must be nurtured, loved, cared for. And, it would be a lot of help if one knows how to talk about family and relatives in Turkish.

• family: aile (ay-leh)
• parents: ebeveynler (eh-beh-veyn-lair)
• grandmother: büyükanne (beu-yeu-kan-neh)
• grandfather: büyükbaba (beu-yeuk-ba-ba)
• wife: eş (esh)
• husband: koca (ko-ja)
• godmother: vaftiz anne (vaf-tiz an-ne)
• godfather: vaftiz babası (vaf-tiz ba-ba-suh)
• mother: anne (an-ne)
• father: baba (ba-ba)
• children: çocuklar (cho-jook-lar)
• son: oğul (oh-ool)
• daughter: kız (kuz)
• sister: kız kardeş (kuz-kar-desh)
• brother: erkek kardeş (er-kek kar-desh)
• cousin: kuzen (koo-zen)
• niece: yeğen (yeh-en)
• nephew: yeğen (yeh-en)
• mother-in-law: kayınvalide (kai-uhn-va-lee-deh)
• father-in-law: kayınpeder (kai-uhn-peh-der)