A1 · Alphabet and pronunciation · about 6 minutes
The soft g
the letter ğ
A letter you hardly hear — it lengthens or links the vowels.
Do you know this already?
“New to me”: the explanation first, then practice. “Test myself”: 3 short questions – get at least two right and you go straight to the harder exercises.
Words you will need12
They appear in this topic’s examples and exercises and are new at this point on the learning path.
- dağmountain
- yüksekhigh; loud (voice)
- bugüntoday
- yağmurrain
- yağmakto fall (rain, snow)
- soğukcold
- öğretmenteacher
- öğrencipupil, student
- cevapanswer
- ağaçtree
- oğulson
- dışarıout, outside
Understand
Rememberğ is not pronounced as a g — it lengthens or links.
- Signal words
- ğ
The form
How it is written and said
Each row gives the rule first, then examples in Turkish that show it.
| never at the start of a word | dağ, yağmur, değil |
| after a, ı, o, u: the vowel before it becomes long | dağ, ağaç, yağmur |
| between two vowels: the vowels flow into each other | soğuk, doğru, oğul |
| after e, i, ö, ü: like a faint y, or long | değil, öğrenci, öğretmen |
| often created by an ending | çocuk — çocuğu |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
ğ never comes at the start of a word.
Bu dağ çok yüksek.This mountain is very high.
After a, ı, o, u, ğ makes the vowel before it long.
Bugün yağmur yağıyor.It is raining today.
Between two vowels, ğ links them.
Su çok soğuk.The water is very cold.
After e, i, ö, ü, ğ often sounds like a faint y.
Ben öğretmen değilim.I am not a teacher.
Example sentences
Elif bir öğrenci.Elif is a pupil.
Bu cevap doğru.This answer is correct.
Bahçede büyük bir ağaç var.There is a big tree in the garden.
6 more example sentences
Oğlum on yaşında.My son is ten years old.
Hava soğuk mu?Is it cold?
Ağabeyim Almanya'da yaşıyor.My older brother lives in Germany.
Bu yoğurt çok lezzetli.This yoghurt is very tasty.
Öğle yemeği hazır.Lunch is ready.
Doğum günün kutlu olsun!Happy birthday!
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
Two mistakes come naturally to English speakers. In speech the ğ becomes a g: dağ then sounds like “dug”. And in writing the little curve gets dropped because the keyboard does not have it — değil becomes “degil”, a spelling mistake everyone notices.
Quick check
A warm-up: 2 questions, answered straight away. They do not count towards your progress.
Practise
8 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.
Now write it yourself7 sentences on this topic, typed and checked instantly.
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The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
ğ is called yumuşak ge, “soft g”, but it is not a g sound at all. It never comes at the start of a word, always after a vowel, and it sounds different depending on its neighbours.
After a, ı, o and u it makes the vowel before it long: dağsounds like “daa”yağmurlike “yaamoor” Between two vowels the two flow into each other: soğuksounds like “so-ook”doğrulike “doo-roo”
After e, i, ö and ü it often sounds like a faint y or lengthens the vowel too: değillike “de-yeel”öğretmenlike “öö-retmen” Either way: do not pronounce a g.
Many ğ only appear when an ending is added to a word: çocuk becomes çocuğu (his or her child). This softening has a topic of its own.
A closer look
Why it is written at all
In the past a sound was heard here, a voiced version of the “ch” in Scottish “loch”. In today’s standard Turkish it has all but disappeared; the spelling has kept it. For you, ğ is a sign that says: lengthen or link here — there was once a consonant here, just as the “gh” in English “night” records a sound nobody makes any more.
Worth knowing3
Worth knowing
Compared with English
English has silent letters that lengthen a vowel too: the “gh” in “high” or the r in British “car”. ğ after a, ı, o and u works in much the same way: not pronounced, but the vowel before it gets longer.
Dağ çok yüksek.The mountain is very high.
Worth knowing
A word you already know
“Yoghurt” comes from Turkish: yoğurt. The “gh” of the English spelling tries to render the ğ. In Turkish you hear almost nothing of it: “yo-oort”.
Yoğurt buzdolabında.The yoghurt is in the fridge.
Worth knowing
Written and spoken
In a few frequent words everyday speech swallows the ğ together with a vowel. ağabey (older brother) sounds like abi and is written that way in everyday use too.
Abim yarın geliyor.My big brother is coming tomorrow.
The verbs on this page, in every form: yağmak