The Turkish family
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Sign up for freeIn the Turkish culture, family is very important and there is more than one word for uncle, aunt , grandmother and grandfather. There are special names for each person in the family. There are also special words for brother in-law, sister in-law etc. In this lesson, we will learn how to call your family members, your mother's mother, your mother's father, your sister's husband etc.
Lesson outline
HideFamily members in Turkish
| Turkish | English | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Çocuk | Child | - |
| Kız | Girl,daughter | - |
| Oğul | Son | - |
| Kardeş | Siblings | Both male and female |
| Kız kardeş | Sister | - |
| Erkek kardeş | Brother | - |
| Yeğen | Cousin | - |
| Torun | Grandchild | - |
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Sinan Ç. 
Irada I. 
Buse M.
Yunus E.
Enes B.
MURAT C.
Ezgi H.
Aysegül Ö.
Göksu A.
Hasan A.
Turkish family structure
Mother’s Side
Turkish | English | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Anne | Mother | - |
| Anneanne (Mother's mother) | Grandmother | Büyükanne is another word for grandmother but anneanne is more common |
| Dede | Grandfather | Both mother's and fathers's. Büyükbaba is another word but it is, just like ‘büyükanne’, not common word |
| Teyze (mother's sister) | Aunt | It is also used to address the elderly women in general |
| Dayı (Mother's brother) | Uncle | - |
Father’s side
Turkish | English | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Baba | Father | - |
| Babaanne (Father's mother) | Grandmother | Büyükanne is another word for grandmother but babaanne is more common |
| Dede | Grandfather | Both mother's and father's |
| Hala (father's sister) | Aunt | - |
| Amca (father's brother) | Uncle | It is also used to adress the elderly men in general just like teyze. |
Turkish family -law- / in law
Turkish | English |
|---|---|
| Kaynana | Mother-in-law |
| Kayın baba | Father-in-law |
| Yenge | Sister-in-law/aunt-in-law, auntie |
| Enişte | Brother-in-law |
| Baldız | Your wife's sister |
| Kayın birader (wife's or husband's brother ) | Brother in law |
| Elti | Your husband's brother's wife, his sister-in-law |
| Bacanak | Your wife's sister's husband, her brother-in-law |
Some of the close friends of the family are called teyze and amca by the children; like Jane teyze, Richard amca. Moreover, it is common to hear that some sellers address you as amca, teyze, abla, abi. To practice what we have learned, click on the exercises below.
Summary:
On this page we learned about Turkish family, family in law and the special names for each relative in family. Doing exercises will be helpful to understand the topic better.