Turkish Numbers: Counting, Time, and Dates in Turkish

Turkish Numbers: Counting, Time, and Dates in Turkish

Turkish numbers are refreshingly regular. Once you learn the basic number words, forming any number up to a billion follows a simple, consistent pattern. There are no exceptions or irregular forms to memorize.

Cardinal Numbers 1–20

  • 1 — bir
  • 2 — iki
  • 3 — üç
  • 4 — dört
  • 5 — beş
  • 6 — altı
  • 7 — yedi
  • 8 — sekiz
  • 9 — dokuz
  • 10 — on
  • 11 — on bir (ten one)
  • 12 — on iki
  • 20 — yirmi

Tens and Hundreds

  • 30 — otuz
  • 40 — kırk
  • 50 — elli
  • 60 — altmış
  • 70 — yetmiş
  • 80 — seksen
  • 90 — doksan
  • 100 — yüz
  • 1,000 — bin
  • 1,000,000 — bir milyon

To make compound numbers, simply combine: 365 = üç yüz altmış beş (three hundred sixty five). No connector words needed.

Ordinal Numbers

Add the suffix -inci/-ıncı/-üncü/-uncu (following vowel harmony) to make ordinals:

  • birinci — first
  • ikinci — second
  • üçüncü — third
  • dördüncü — fourth
  • onuncu — tenth

Telling the Time

The time is expressed using the word saat (hour/clock):

  • Saat kaç? — What time is it?
  • Saat üç — It is three o'clock
  • Saat üç buçuk — It is half past three (buçuk = half)
  • Saat dörde çeyrek var — It is a quarter to four
  • Saat üçü çeyrek geçiyor — It is a quarter past three

Days, Months, and Dates

Days of the week: Pazartesi (Monday), Salı (Tuesday), Çarşamba (Wednesday), Perşembe (Thursday), Cuma (Friday), Cumartesi (Saturday), Pazar (Sunday).

Months: Ocak, Şubat, Mart, Nisan, Mayıs, Haziran, Temmuz, Ağustos, Eylül, Ekim, Kasım, Aralık.

Dates are expressed as: 15 Temmuz 2024 (day + month + year), read as "on beş temmuz iki bin yirmi dört."

Numbers in Your Frequency Dictionary

Number vocabulary appears frequently in the 1,000 Most Common Turkish Words, embedded naturally in example sentences showing prices, dates, ages, and measurements. Seeing numbers in context is the fastest way to make them automatic.