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. Despite the changes, 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. It must be nurtured, loved, and cared for. Knowing how to address your relatives is the first step to connecting!

Turkish Family Vocabulary

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