Say it like a guest.

Merhaba

MEHR-ha-ba

Literal

From an old Arabic welcome whose root means "be at ease — there is room for you."

Carries

The neutral, safe hello of all Türkiye — any hour, any person, any register.

When — Anywhere, to anyone, first.

Selam

seh-LAM

Literal

"Peace."

Carries

The casual hi; younger, warmer, pocket-sized.

When — Friends, shopkeepers you already know, kids.

Selamün aleyküm → Aleyküm selam

seh-LAH-mewn ah-LEY-kewm / ah-LEY-kewm seh-LAM

Literal

"Peace be upon you" → "And upon you, peace."

Carries

The greeting of the mosque courtyard, the village square, the tradesmen's row. Religious register, worn lightly by millions.

When — Entering a traditional shop, a village, male company in conservative settings.

From a foreigner it lands as warm and surprising in traditional settings; in secular urban circles "merhaba" is the safer default.

Hoş geldin / Hoş geldiniz → Hoş bulduk

hosh GEL-din / hosh gel-di-NIZ → hosh bool-DOOK

Literal

"You came pleasantly" → "We found it pleasant."

Carries

Türkiye's door-hinge. You will hear it at every threshold — hotel, shop, home, restaurant. The reply is the secret handshake: it says "and being here is our pleasure."

When — Said TO you constantly; "hoş bulduk" is YOUR line, within the first second.

-iz makes it plural/formal. Quaint variant from elders: "Sefa geldiniz" → reply "Sefa bulduk".

Buyrun (buyurun)

BOOY-roon

Literal

"Command (me)!" — from buyurmak, to command, to deign.

Carries

The untranslatable all-purpose welcome: come in / sit down / here you go / after you / how can I help / go ahead, speak. One word that hands you the room.

When — Said TO you fifty times a day. Say it yourself when handing anything to anyone, or waving someone through a door.

Efendim?

eh-FEN-dim

Literal

"My master?" — descended, via Ottoman Greek, from the same ancient word that gives English "authentic."

Carries

The polite everything: "yes?" when your name is called, "hello?" on the phone, "pardon?" when you mishear.

When — Someone calls out to you — answer "Efendim?" (never "Ne?" — "What?", which is brusque).

Günaydın

gew-nigh-DUHN

Literal

"(May the) day (be) bright."

Carries

Morning cheer with the light built into the word.

When — Morning only, roughly until lunch.

İyi günler / İyi akşamlar / İyi geceler

ee-YEE gewn-LEHR / ak-sham-LAR / geh-jeh-LEHR

Literal

"Good days / good evenings / good nights" — always plural: Turkish wishes are wholesale, never retail.

Carries

Both hello and goodbye; "iyi günler" is the standard exit line from any shop.

When — Greeting or leaving, matched to the hour.

Nasılsın? / Nasılsınız? → İyiyim, teşekkürler — siz?

NA-suhl-suhn(-uhz)

Literal

"How are you?" → "I am well, thanks — you?"

Carries

Asked doubled and often ("Nasılsın, iyi misin?" — how are you, are you well?). It is a real question here more often than in English.

When — After any greeting.

Memleket nere? / Memleketiniz neresi?

mem-leh-KET NEH-reh

Literal

"Where is the homeland?" — memleket is home-town, home-soil, the place that raised you.

Carries

The first question every traveller is asked, immortalised in Barış Manço's song "Hemşerim Memleket Nire". It is not small talk; it files you lovingly into the map.

When — Asked TO you in taxis, shops, çay gardens.

Teşekkür ederim / Teşekkürler

teh-shek-KEWR eh-deh-REEM / teh-shek-kewr-LEHR

Literal

"I make thanks."

Carries

The standard thank-you; "çok teşekkürler" adds warmth.

When — Everywhere.

Sağ ol / Sağ olun

SAA OL / SAA o-LOON

Literal

"Be alive — be healthy."

Carries

Thanks that is itself a blessing: you repay a favour by wishing the giver life. Warmer and more everyday than teşekkürler.

When — Casual thanks; "çok sağ ol" among friends.

Mersi

mehr-SEE

Literal

French "merci", naturalised a century ago.

Carries

A little old-İstanbul chic; grandmothers and boutique owners keep it alive.

When — Light thanks for small things.

Charming from a foreigner precisely because it is unexpected; not the workhorse — that's teşekkürler/sağ ol.

Rica ederim

ree-JAH eh-deh-REEM

Literal

"I make a request (that you not mention it)."

Carries

The standard "you're welcome," with a courteous bow inside it.

When — After being thanked; also as polite "please do" when granting permission.

Bir şey değil

beer SHEY deh-EEL

Literal

"It is not a thing."

Carries

"It was nothing" — friendly, weightless.

When — After being thanked for small favours.

Ne demek

NEH deh-MEK

Literal

"What does it (even) mean!"

Carries

The warmest of the you're-welcomes: "don't be absurd, no thanks needed between us."

When — When someone thanks you for hospitality-shaped help.

Estağfurullah

es-taa-fu-ROOL-lah

Literal

"I seek God's forgiveness."

Carries

The humility reflex. Someone praises you — estağfurullah: "I don't deserve such words." Someone calls themselves stupid — estağfurullah: "don't say such a thing about yourself." It deflects praise upward and self-blame away.

When — In answer to a compliment, effusive thanks, or someone's self-deprecation.

Phrasebooks that translate it "you're welcome" are wrong, and locals notice. Religious in origin, universal in use.

Allah razı olsun

al-LAH rah-ZUH OL-soon

Literal

"May God be pleased with you."

Carries

Thanks with its Sunday clothes on — for real favours, help carried up stairs, directions walked rather than pointed.

When — When someone has genuinely gone out of their way.

Religious register worn very lightly; from a foreigner it is disarming in the best way.

Eyvallah

ey-VAL-lah

Literal

"Yes, by God" — an old dervish-lodge word of assent.

Carries

Thanks / alright / deal / farewell, all in one gravelly syllable-cluster, often sealed with the right hand on the heart. Masculine-casual street register with Sufi roots.

When — Thanking the barber, the çaycı, the friend who passes you the ball.

Among young men it earns grins from a foreigner; skip it in formal settings. Women use it too, but it leans male.

Afiyet olsun

ah-fee-YET OL-soon

Literal

"May it be well-being (upon you)."

Carries

Bon appétit's harder-working cousin: said before, during AND after the meal, by the cook, the waiter, or a stranger passing your table.

When — To anyone eating or about to eat; also the cook's answer when praised.

Elinize sağlık / Eline sağlık

eh-lee-nee-ZEH sah-LUHK

Literal

"Health to your hand."

Carries

The eater's wage to the cook: the food was made by hands, and you bless the hands. The single most heart-opening thing a guest can say in a Turkish home or lokanta.

When — To whoever cooked, near the end of the meal or when leaving.

-inize = formal/plural "your"; "eline sağlık" for friends; "ellerine sağlık" (both hands) is the affectionate overflow. Use the formal one with hosts and cooks you've just met.

Emeğinize sağlık

eh-meh-ee-nee-ZEH sah-LUHK

Literal

"Health to your labour."

Carries

The same blessing widened beyond the kitchen — for the carpet-weaver, the musician, the guide at day's end.

When — Praising any made thing or performed work.

Ağzınıza sağlık

aa-zuh-nuh-ZAH sah-LUHK

Literal

"Health to your mouth."

Carries

For words instead of food: a beautiful toast, a song, a prayer, a well-told story.

When — After someone speaks or sings something that moved the table.

Ziyade olsun

zee-ya-DEH OL-soon

Literal

"May it be more — may it increase."

Carries

The guest's after-meal wish that the household's table never shrink: abundance answered with abundance.

When — Rising from a home-cooked meal; traditional register, alive in Anatolian and observant households.

Old-fashioned warmth; from a foreigner at a family table it is a small miracle.

Afiyet bal şeker olsun

ah-fee-YET BAL sheh-KEHR OL-soon

Literal

"May it be well-being, honey and sugar."

Carries

Afiyet olsun with sprinkles — playful, grandmotherly, said to children and favourite guests.

When — You'll hear it from elders and cheerful lokanta staff; saying it back to a child at the table is pure charm.

Kesene bereket / Kesenize bereket

keh-seh-NEH beh-reh-KET

Literal

"Abundance to your purse."

Carries

The thank-you aimed at whoever PAID — the third corner of the table triangle: cook gets "elinize sağlık", eaters get "afiyet olsun", payer gets this.

When — A friend picks up the bill; your host treats you.

Ayağınıza sağlık

ah-ya-uh-nuh-ZAH sah-LUHK

Literal

"Health to your feet."

Carries

The host's mirror-blessing: your feet carried you to their door, so the feet get blessed. Thanks FOR COMING, said to the departing guest.

When — Said TO you as you leave a home or gathering.

Şerefe!

sheh-reh-FEH

Literal

"To honour!"

Carries

The clink of rakı and wine glasses; drink to honour, and look each other in the eye.

When — Any toast.

Rakı-table micro-ritual worth teaching: a younger drinker clinks the RIM of their glass LOWER than the elder's — deference you can perform with one wrist. Tapping the glass once on the table before sipping is variously said to honour absent friends or seal table-confidence ("what's said here stays here") — folk explanations vary, the gesture is real.

Su gibi aziz ol(un)

SOO gee-bee ah-ZEEZ OL

Literal

"Be cherished like water."

Carries

Said to the person who brings you water — the giver of the most sacred substance is blessed with water's own status.

When — Someone hands you a glass of water, especially in a home or village.

An old blessing still heard in Anatolia.

Kolay gelsin

ko-LIE GEL-sin

Literal

"May it come easy."

Carries

The master key of Turkish courtesy. Said to ANYONE mid-task — the street sweeper, the waiter, the fisherman mending nets, the hotel clerk. It acknowledges the work and blesses it in three syllables. No English equivalent exists.

When — Passing anyone working; entering a shop; leaving a taxi; interrupting someone to ask directions ("Kolay gelsin — pardon, ...").

Bir yabancının ağzından duyulduğunda etki katsayısı en yüksek kalıp; Top 10'da 2 numara.

Hayırlı işler

ha-yuhr-LUH eesh-LEHR

Literal

"May the works be auspicious."

Carries

Kolay gelsin's commercial cousin — a blessing on the day's trade.

When — Entering or leaving any shop, to the esnaf at their counter.

Bereket versin

beh-reh-KET VEHR-sin

Literal

"May (God) give abundance."

Carries

What the traditional seller says as they take your money — thanking not you but the flow itself. Old esnaf good manners, still alive at market stalls and neighbourhood shops.

When — Said TO you at payment.

Siftah

seef-TAH

Literal

"The opening" — the first sale of the day.

Carries

Morning-market magic. The first customer sets the day's luck; you may hear "Siftahı senden, bereketi Allah'tan" — "the first sale from you, the abundance from God." Some sellers will sweeten a deal rather than lose the siftah.

When — You are the day's first customer — congratulations, you are now a good omen.

Rast gele!

RAHST geh-LEH

Literal

"May it come across (your path)."

Carries

The blessing for people trying their luck — above all FISHERMEN, also hunters. On any Turkish pier at dusk this is the password.

When — Passing the men with rods on Galata Bridge or any harbour wall.

Written as one word, "rastgele" also means "random" — the joke is available and the fishermen have heard it.

Sıhhatler olsun

suh-hat-LEHR OL-soon

Literal

"May there be healths" — plural again.

Carries

The blessing for water-and-blade renewals: said to someone fresh from the bath, the shower, the barber, a shave. English has nothing for this moment; Turkish refuses to let it pass unmarked.

When — Someone appears with wet hair or a fresh haircut; your barber says it TO you as he whisks the cape away; say it in the hamam changing room and watch faces open.

Often misheard as "Saatler olsun" — "sıhhatler olsun" is the correct form.

Geçmiş olsun

gech-MISH OL-soon

Literal

"May it be past."

Carries

Wider than "get well soon": illness, a cold, an exam, a missed flight, turbulence survived, a hard week, even "my in-laws are visiting." Any hardship, present or just survived, is ushered toward the past.

When — Hearing of anyone's trouble, however small.

Çok yaşa! → Sen de gör / Hep beraber

CHOK ya-SHA → SEN deh GUR / HEP beh-rah-BEHR

Literal

"Live long!" → "May you see it too" / "All together."

Carries

The sneeze liturgy, complete with congregation: the sneezer is blessed with long life and blesses the blessers back — either personally (sen de gör: may you live to see my long life) or communally (hep beraber: long life to us all).

When — Anyone sneezes.

After a second sneeze, friends may grin "İyi yaşa!" — "live WELL."

Maşallah

ma-SHAL-lah

Literal

"What God has willed!"

Carries

Praise armour. Beauty attracts the evil eye, so admiration is wrapped in maşallah to keep the gaze from burning what it touches. Painted on trucks, stitched over cradles, pinned to babies.

When — Complimenting anything precious — especially children. Praising a baby WITHOUT maşallah can genuinely unsettle a grandmother.

Folk arithmetic exists: "Kırk bir kere maşallah" — "maşallah forty-one times" — the traditional dose for serious beauty.

Nazar değmesin

na-ZAR DEH-meh-sin

Literal

"May the gaze not touch."

Carries

The evil-eye clause spoken aloud: praise plus protection.

When — After complimenting; often chained — "Maşallah, nazar değmesin."

Allah korusun

al-LAH ko-ROO-soon

Literal

"May God protect."

Carries

The verbal shield raised whenever misfortune is merely mentioned — accidents, illness, earthquakes.

When — Someone describes a near-miss or a feared possibility.

Şeytan kulağına kurşun

shey-TAN koo-lah-uh-NAH koor-SHOON

Literal

"Lead into the devil's ear."

Carries

Turkish for "knock on wood," with better special effects: molten lead is poured into the devil's ear so he cannot overhear your good news and spoil it. Said while knocking on wood, sometimes with an earlobe tug (see C8).

When — After saying anything is going well.

Ağzından yel alsın

aa-zuhn-DAN YEL AL-suhn

Literal

"May the wind take it from your mouth."

Carries

Spoken jinx-removal: someone voices a feared possibility ("what if the ferry sinks") and you blow the words away before they land.

When — In answer to someone's dark hypothesis.

Hayırlı olsun

ha-yuhr-LUH OL-soon

Literal

"May it be auspicious."

Carries

The all-purpose congratulation for anything NEW — job, shop, phone, haircut, marriage, purchase. Where English congratulates the person, Turkish blesses the thing's future.

When — Anyone shows you anything new.

Hayırlısı olsun

ha-yuhr-luh-SUH OL-soon

Literal

"May the most auspicious (version) of it come to be."

Carries

One suffix away from hayırlı olsun, a world away in mood: this is what you say when the outcome is UNKNOWN — exam results pending, visa in process. Serene surrender: whatever is best, let that happen.

When — Facing uncertainty, yours or theirs.

İnşallah

in-SHAL-lah

Literal

"If God has willed."

Carries

A full spectrum in four syllables: sincere hope ("inşallah the weather holds"), a schedule's fine print ("the bus comes at nine, inşallah"), and — tone depending — the softest possible no ("will you come to my carpet shop tomorrow?" "İnşallah" = don't wait up). Learn to read it more than to say it.

When — Attach it to any future plan and you will sound instantly local.

The tourist error is hearing it as a promise. Firm plans sound like "Kesin geliyorum — inşallah"; bare "inşallah" with a drifting gaze is the polite exit.

Kademli olsun

ka-dem-LEE OL-soon

Literal

"May it come with a lucky step" — kadem is an old word for foot/step.

Carries

A blessing for arrivals into new places and states: a new home, a new job, a bride at her threshold. The first footstep sets the fortune.

When — Someone moves house or starts something; heard at housewarmings.

Anadolu sıcaklığı; şehirde "hayırlı olsun" daha standart.

Gözün aydın / Gözünüz aydın

gur-ZEWN eye-DUHN

Literal

"May your eye be bright."

Carries

Congratulation aimed at the WITNESS of joy: someone's son back from military service, a long-awaited baby, a reunion. The good news lights up the beholder's eye, and you bless the light.

When — To someone who has just received happy news or a longed-for arrival.

Güle güle kullan / güle güle giy / güle güle oturun

gew-LEH gew-LEH kool-LAN / GIY / o-TOO-roon

Literal

"Use it laughing / wear it laughing / dwell in it laughing."

Carries

The purchase blessing, fitted to the object: kullan for gadgets, giy for clothes, oturun for a new home. Joy is prescribed along with the thing.

When — Someone shows you their new anything; shopkeepers say it TO you as they hand over the bag.

Analı babalı büyüsün

ah-na-LUH ba-ba-LUH bew-YEW-sewn

Literal

"May it grow up with-mother, with-father."

Carries

The baby blessing: not wealth, not beauty — the wish is simply that both parents live to raise the child. Devastatingly tender once you hear it literally.

When — Meeting a baby, with maşallah riding shotgun.

Allah bağışlasın

al-LAH baa-uhsh-la-SUHN

Literal

"May God spare them (to you)."

Carries

Said to parents about their children: may they be kept safe and never taken.

When — A parent shows or mentions their kids.

Bir yastıkta kocayın

beer yas-tuhk-TAH ko-ja-YUHN

Literal

"Grow old on one pillow."

Carries

The wedding blessing — from the era when the dowry chest held one long pillow for two heads. If a traveller is swept into a village wedding (it happens), this is the phrase to deploy.

When — To newlyweds.

Hayırdır? / Hayırdır inşallah

ha-YUHR-duhr

Literal

"It is (surely) good?"

Carries

The gentle interrogation of surprise: someone knocks unexpectedly, calls at midnight, looks troubled — "hayırdır?" means "what's going on — I hope it's good?" Also the ritual answer to hearing someone's DREAM: "hayırdır inşallah" — may the dream be read toward the good.

When — Said TO you if you show up somewhere unannounced; say it when a friend looks preoccupied.

Helal olsun

heh-LAL OL-soon

Literal

"May it be halal — lawfully, rightfully yours."

Carries

Admiration with a receipt: "you EARNED that." For the kid who nails the backflip, the team that deserved the win, the cook who outdid herself. Street form: just "Helal!"

When — Witnessing something genuinely impressive.

İyi bayramlar / Bayramınız mübarek olsun

ee-YEE by-ram-LAR

Literal

"Good festivals" / "May your festival be blessed."

Carries

The two registers of holiday joy — secular-light and religious-full. During Şeker Bayramı children knock on doors collecting candy; during Kurban Bayramı the roads fill and the cities empty.

When — The days of either bayram; shops close, so the traveller WILL notice.

Sağlık olsun

sah-LUHK OL-soon

Literal

"Let it be health (instead)."

Carries

The graceful shrug over broken things: the dropped tea glass, the lost umbrella, the dented bumper. Objects are replaceable; health is the real currency — so the loss is converted on the spot.

When — Said TO you when you break or lose something (yes, even their glass you just broke); say it when mishaps strike others.

Canın sağ olsun

ja-NUHN SAA OL-soon

Literal

"May your soul be well."

Carries

Sağlık olsun's warmer sibling: "forget the thing — YOU matter." The consolation that upgrades the object's funeral into a compliment.

When — Consoling someone over a loss or a failure that stings.

Başınız sağ olsun

ba-shuh-NUHZ SAA OL-soon

Literal

"May your head remain alive."

Carries

The condolence: a death has happened, and the living are blessed to stay. A traveller may genuinely need it — a shop shuttered with a funeral notice (cenaze), a host mentioning a recent loss, the national mourning of an earthquake anniversary (6 February) or of Atatürk on 10 November.

When — On learning of any bereavement, however distant.

Allah sabır versin

al-LAH sa-BUHR VEHR-sin

Literal

"May God give patience."

Carries

For grief and long ordeals — hospital corridors, hard caregiving, mourning. Endurance itself is prayed for.

When — Alongside or after başınız sağ olsun.

Yolun açık olsun / Yolunuz açık olsun

yo-LOON ah-CHUHK OL-soon

Literal

"May your road be open."

Carries

The traveller's blessing and this site's heartbeat: not "safe travels" but a prayer against every kind of closure — weather, checkpoints, fate. The road is a living thing that can open or shut.

When — To anyone departing on a journey.

Hayırlı yolculuklar / İyi yolculuklar

ha-yuhr-LUH yol-joo-look-LAR

Literal

"Auspicious journeys / good journeys" — plural, as always.

Carries

The standard send-off; bus captains announce it over the intercom as the coach pulls out.

When — Anyone boarding anything.

Sağ salim

SAA sah-LEEM

Literal

"Alive and sound."

Carries

The arrival word: "Sağ salim vardık" — we made it, whole. As a wish: "Sağ salim git, gel" — go and come back in one piece.

When — Texting your host that you've arrived (they WILL want to know); wishing someone a safe trip.

Kazasız belasız

ka-za-SUHZ beh-la-SUHZ

Literal

"Without accident, without calamity."

Carries

The insurance rider attached to travel wishes; rhythmic, rhyming, half-sung.

When — Sending someone onto the highway: "Kazasız belasız gidin gelin."

Su gibi git, su gibi gel

SOO gee-bee GIT, SOO gee-bee GEL

Literal

"Go like water, come like water."

Carries

The water-pouring farewell: as the traveller's car pulls away, someone tips a glass of water onto the road behind it — may the journey flow like water and the return come as easily. Şaman kökenli anlatılır, hâlâ canlı; mothers do it at airports' kerbsides.

When — You will SEE this more than hear it; if water is poured behind you, this is what it meant.

Hoşça kal / Hoşça kalın

HOSH-cha KAL(-uhn)

Literal

"Stay pleasantly."

Carries

The LEAVER's goodbye, aimed at those who remain.

When — You are the one walking out the door.

Güle güle

gew-LEH gew-LEH

Literal

"(Go) laughing, laughing."

Carries

The STAYER's goodbye — only ever said to someone who is leaving: may you go with a smile. The asymmetry is the whole point, and it is the single most common thing guides and phrasebooks get backwards.

When — Someone leaves YOU — the shopkeeper says it as you exit; say it to guests, never to your host.

You, the traveller, will almost never say güle güle — you are usually the one leaving. Your word is hoşça kalın.

Allah'a ısmarladık

al-la-HAH uhs-mar-la-DUHK

Literal

"We have entrusted (you) to God."

Carries

The old full-dress farewell of the LEAVER — goodbye as an act of consignment: I cannot protect you while we're apart, so I hand you to safer keeping.

When — Older and traditional speakers use it daily; from a young foreigner it is quaint-charming, like an English visitor saying "God be with you."

Beautiful, slightly antique — younger, urban speakers reach for "hoşça kal" or "görüşürüz" instead.

Görüşürüz

gur-rew-shew-REWZ

Literal

"We shall see one another."

Carries

The everyday "see you" — light, modern, universal.

When — Any casual parting.

Kendine iyi bak

ken-dee-NEH ee-YEE BAK

Literal

"Look well upon yourself."

Carries

"Take care," warm and modern.

When — Parting from someone you've actually connected with.

Sağlıcakla kalın

sah-luh-JAK-la ka-LUHN

Literal

"Stay with good health."

Carries

A folksy, radio-announcer-warm stay-well; the leaver's blessing with an Anatolian cadence.

When — Closing a visit with elders; you'll hear it at the end of TV programmes.

Selametle

seh-lah-MET-leh

Literal

"With soundness — in peace."

Carries

A compact traditional send-off from the one staying; cousin of uğurlar olsun.

When — Esnaf may send you off with it.

Uğurlar olsun

oo-oor-LAR OL-soon

Literal

"May there be good omens."

Carries

The stayer's blessing scattered after a traveller like rice — journey read as a thing needing luck, not just tickets.

When — Said TO the departing; conductors and hosts use it.

Allah kavuştursun

al-LAH ka-voosh-toor-SOON

Literal

"May God reunite (you)."

Carries

For separations that ache: the soldier's mother hears it, the emigrant's family, the summer friends at the ferry dock. Parting is framed as temporary by force of prayer.

When — Someone tells you their loved one is far away; or said TO you as you leave people who grew fond of you.

Yine bekleriz

yee-NEH bek-LEH-reez

Literal

"We await (you) again."

Carries

The shopkeeper's and restaurateur's farewell — not "come again" as sales patter but "our door now knows you."

When — Said TO you on the way out.

Yolcu yolunda gerek

yol-JOO yo-loon-DAH geh-REK

Literal

"The traveller belongs on their road."

Carries

The proverb that RELEASES the guest: hosts must insist you stay, and this is the courteous key that unlocks the door — leaving is not rejection, it is the traveller's nature. For a travel brand built on the road, this is a signature sentence.

When — When you must leave and your host protests (they will).