The Turkish Language Association (TDK), established by Atatürk in 1932 for conducting research on Turkish language, also undertook the initiative to replace Arabic and Persian loanwords with their Turkish counterparts. The Association succeeded in removing several hundred Arabic words from the language. While most of the words introduced into the language in this process were newly derived from existing Turkish verbal roots, TDK also suggested using old Turkish words which had not been used in the language for centuries.
Older and younger people in Turkey tend to express themselves with different vocabulary. While the generations born up to the 1940s tend to use the old Arabic origin words (even the obsolete ones), the younger generations favor using the new expressions. Some new words are not used as often as their old counterparts or have failed to convey the intrinsic meanings of their old equivalents. In addition, many new words have inevitably taken up somewhat different meanings, and therefore cannot be always interchangeably used with their old words.
The list gives the Ottoman Turkish word, the modern spelling of the word in Turkish (as suggested by TDK), the modern Turkish equivalent, and its meaning in English.
Ottoman Turkish word and its transliteration
Modern spelling of the Ottoman Turkish word
Modern Turkish equivalent
Meaning in English
Remarks
عضلهˤaḍale
adale
kas
muscle
from the verbal version kasmak which means "to oppress"
ˤaff etmek*
affetmek
bağışlamak
to forgive
In Turkish, etmek is an auxiliary verb which verbalizes a noun corresponds to the verb "to do" in English. In this case af is the Arabic loan word. Affetmek is still in popular use.
عقدˤaqd *, مقاوله mukâvele
akit, mukavele
sözleşme, anlaşma
contract
عاملˤâmil
amil
etken
factor
بارز bâriz *
bariz
kesin, belli
obvious
بسيطbasîṭ *
basit
kolay
easy, simple
the old word is used for the meaning of simple, while the new word for easy
جنوب cenûb
cenup
güney
south
ceraat
ceraat
irin
pus
جواب cevâb *
cevap
yanıt
answer.
Cevap is still in popular use
جمله cümle *
cümle
tümce**
sentence.
Cümle is still in popular use.
چهره çehre
çehre
yüz
face
çeşit*,***
çeşit
tür
kind, variety
Çeşit is still in popular use.
دفعهdefˤa *, کره kere *
defa, kere
kez
times (repetition)
An example is: I did this three times. Both defa and kere are still in popular use.
درد derd *
dert
ağrı
pain
Dert changed meaning and is now used as "problem"
دور devr *
devir
çağ
era
دوره devre *
devre
dönem
semester
The old word is used in many other meanings, and not used anymore in the meaning of "semester".
ابعادebˤâd *
ebat
boyut
dimension, size. ebˤâd is the plural of بعد (buˤd, buut).
ابدى ebedî *
ebedî
sonsuz
forever
اجداد ecdâd
ecdat
ata
ancestry
اجل ecel
ecel
ölüm
(predestined time of) death
اجنبی ecnebî
ecnebi
el, yabancı
stranger, foreigner
امنيت emniyyet *
emniyet
güvenlik
security
اثر eser *
eser
yapıt
production (music, film)
اسير esîr *
esir
tutsak
hostage
اوراق evrâk *
evrak
belge
paper document
In Arabic, evrāk is the plural of vārāk; in modern Turkish, evrak is used as a singular.
اول evvel *
evvel
önce
before
فعالfaˤâl *
faal
etkin
active
فن fenn *, علم ˤilm *
fen, ilim
bilim
science
فعل fiˤl *
fiil
eylem
verb
غرب garb
garp
batı
west
غير gayr
gayri
olmayan, başka, dışı
non-, other
In Arabic, "gayr-i" is a prefix which means non- as in "he is a non-Muslim"; "he is not a Muslim". The term gayrimüslim (non-Muslim) remains the politically correct term in Turkey, used frequently in newspapers etc.
گزيده güzîde ***
güzide
seçkin
élite
hadise *
hadise
olay
event, happening, fact, occurrence
حافظه hâfıza *
hafıza
bellek
memory
The new word is commonly used in electronics, like computer memory, i.e. önbellek for RAM
حفريات hafriyyât
hafriyat
kazı
excavation
حق hakk *
hak
pay
portion
The old word hak has many other meanings in Turkish.
حقيقت hakîkat *
hakikat
gerçek
reality
حاكم hâkim *
hâkim
yargıç
judge
حال hâl *, وضعيت vazˤiyet *
hâl, vaziyet
durum
situation
خليطه halîta
halita
alaşım
alloy
خراب harâb *, ویران viran ***
harap, viran
yıkık
ruin
حرارت harâret *
hararet
ısı ¹, sıcaklık ²
heat¹, temperature²
The old word can be used in both meanings in Turkish language.
حرف harf *
harf
ses **
letter
The new word is homophonic with "sound".
hassas *
hassas
duyarlı
sensitive
حشره haşere *
haşere
böcek
insect
خطا hatâ *, قصور kusûr *
hata, kusur
yanlış
mistake
خاطره hâtıra *
hatıra
anı
memoir
حيات hayât *, عمر ömr *
hayat, ömür
yaşam
life
حيثيت haysiyyet *
haysiyet
saygınlık
respectability
هديه hediyye *
hediye
armağan
gift
هنوز henüz *, ***
henüz
daha
(not) yet
حدت hiddet *
hiddet
kızgınlık, öfke
anger
خلاف hilâf
hilaf
karşıt
opposite
خواجه hôca *
hoca
öğretmen
teacher
خصوص husûs
husus
konu
subject
حضور huzûr *
huzur
dirlik **
comfort
هجوم hücûm *
hücum
saldırı
attack
حرمت hürmet *
hürmet
saygı
respect
ابتدائی ibtidâ'î
iptidai
ilkel
primary; primitive
افتخار iftihâr *
iftihar
övünme
pride
ihtiyâc
ihtiyaç
gereksinim
need
اختيار ihtiyâr *
ihtiyar
yaşlı
old (age)
احتياط ihtiyât
ihtiyat
yedek
backup, spare
الهام ilhâm *
ilham
esin
inspiration
عمار ˤimâr *
imar
bayındırlık
construction, development
امكان imkân *
imkân
olanak
opportunity, possibility
imlâ *
imla
yazım
spelling
imtihân
imtihan
sınav, yazılı
examination
imtiyâz *
imtiyaz
ayrıcalık
franchise
inhisâr
inhisar
tekel
monopoly
insân *
insan
kul **
human
The new word is used almost only in religious context.
intiba
intiba
izlenim
impression
irtifâˤ
irtifa
yükseklik
altitude
The old word is only used in aviation, as in "the altitude of the plane".
ارثی irsî *
ırsi
kalıtsal, kalıtımsal
hereditary
اسم ism *
isim
ad
name
istirâhat *
istirahat
dinlenme
rest
استثناء istisnâ' *
istisna
aykırı
exception
iştigâl
iştigal
uğraş / uğraşı
occupation
iştirâk
iştirak
ortaklık
association
izâh *
izah
açıklama
clarification
izdivâc
izdivaç
evlilik
marriage
kâbiliyet *
kabiliyet
yetenek / yeti
talent, ability
kader *
kader
yazgı **
fate
kâfi
kâfi
yeter
enough
كائنات kâ'inât
kâinat
evren
universe
kalb *
kalp
yürek
heart
kânûn *
kanun
yasa
law
kâfiye *
kafiye
uyak**
rhyme
كانون اول kânûn-ı evvel
aralık
December
كانون ثانی kânûn-ı sânî
ocak
January
كلمه kelime *
kelime
sözcük
word
kısm *
kısım
bölüm
part
kuvvet *
kuvvet
güç or erk
power, force
In physics, the old word is used for force and the new word is used for power.
لطيفه lâtîfe
latife
şaka
joke
لسان lisân *
lisan
dil
language
Dil means both tongue in the physical sense and language, while "lisan" does only tongue in the language sense.
لغات lûġat
lügat
sözlük
dictionary
لزوملو lüzûmlu *
lüzumlu
gerekli
necessary
معاش maˤâş *
maaş
aylık
salary
maˤbed *
mabet
tapınak
temple
mafsal *
mafsal
eklem
ligament
The old word is used for "hinge" (non-anatomical).
mağdûr *
mağdur
kıygın **
wronged, injured
The new word is almost never used.
mahlûk *
mahluk
yaratık
creature
Sometimes the plural of the old word ("mahlukat") is used by its singular meaning.
mahsûl *
mahsul
ürün
product
The old word is used for the noun "produce".
mahsûs *
mahsus
özgü
peculiar
maksad *, gaye *, hedef *
maksat, gaye, hedef
amaç or erek
goal
maˤkûl *
makul
uygun, elverişli
reasonable
maˤnâ *
mâna
anlam
meaning
مانعmâniˤ *
mani
engel
obstacle
مصرف masraf *
masraf
gider, harcama
cost
مجبور mecbûr *
mecbur
zorunlu
obligation, obligatory
Both the new and the old words can be used as either a noun or an adjective.
مجهول mechûl *
meçhul
bilinmeyen
unknown
مفهوم mefhûm *
mefhum
kavram
concept
مهتاب mehtâb ***
mehtap
ay ışığı
moonlight
مکروه mekrûh
mekruh
iğrenç
disgusting
The old word also has the religious meaning: Disliked, used by all Muslims.
melez *
melez
kırma
hybrid
مملکت memleket *
memleket
ülke
country
The old word is used for "one's native region"
مراسم merâsim *
merasim
tören
ceremony
مرثيه mersiye
mersiye
ağıt
elegy
meselâ
mesela
örneğin
for example
mesele
mesele
sorun
problem
مسعود mesˤûd
mesut
mutlu
happy
مشهور meşhûr *
meşhur
ünlü
famous
مشروبات meşrûbât
meşrubat
içecek
beverage
موقعmevkiˤمكان mekân *
mevki, mekân
yer, konum
location
ميدان meydân *, ساحه sâha
meydan, saha
alan **
open area, plaza
While the new word is used mainly in mathematics (as in the "area" of a triangle), it is seldom used with the same meaning of the old words except in compound words like havaalanı (airport), not hava meydanı (older version).
ميل meyl
meyil
eğim, eğilim
inclination
mirâs *
miras
kalıt **
inheritance
The new word is almost never used, but its derivatives are in use, such as kalıtımsal (hereditary).
مسافر misâfir *
misafir
konuk
guest
مثال misâl *
misal
örnek
example
مسکين miskîn
miskin
uyuşuk
supine
معامله muˤâmele *
muamele
davranış
treatment, behavior
معما muˤammâ
muamma
bilmece
puzzle, trivia
معاصر muˤâsır
muasır
çağdaş, güncel
contemporary
معاون muˤâvin *, yaver ***
muavin, yaver
yardımcı
helper
معجزه muˤcize *
mucize
tansık **
miracle
The new word is almost never used.
محقق muhakkak*
muhakkak
kesin(likle)
certain(ly)
محاربه muhârebe, حرب harb, جنگ cenk ***
muharebe, harp, cenk
savaş
war
محتويات muhteviyyât
muhteviyat
içindekiler
ingredients
مقدس mukaddes
mukaddes
kutsal
sacred
منتظم muntazam *
muntazam
düzgün, düzenli
tidy
مربع murabbaˤ
murabba
kare
square
معتدل muˤtedil
mutedil
ılım(lı)
moderate(ly)
موفقيت muvaffakıyyet
muvaffakiyet
başarı
success
مبالغه mübalâga
mübalağa
abartma
exaggeration
مجادله mücâdele *
mücadele
çaba, uğraş
endeavor
مدافعه müdâfaˤa
müdafaa
koruma
sustain, protect, defend
مداخله müdâhale *
müdahale
karışma
intervention
مدت müddet *
müddet
süre
duration
مؤسسه mü'essese
müessese
kurum
foundation
مهم mühim *
mühim
önemli
important
مؤمن mü'min
mümin
inanan, inançlı
believer
مناسبت münâsebet *
münasebet
ilişki
relation
مراجعتmürâcaˤat
müracaat
başvuru
application
mürekkeb
mürekkep
birleşmiş, birleşik
composed of
The word mürekkep is still used in Turkish in another meaning: ink.
مسابقه müsâbaka
müsabaka
karşılaşma
match, competition
مسامحه müsâmaha
müsamaha
hoşgörü
tolerance
مستهجن müstehcen *
müstehcen
uygunsuz
inappropriate, obscene
مسوده müsvedde *
müsvedde
taslak
draft
مطالعه mütâlâˤa
mütalâa
düşünce
thought
متارکه mütâreke
mütareke
antlaşma
armistice
متفرق müteferrik
müteferrik
dağınık
untidy
متخصص mütehassıs
mütehassıs
uzman
expert
mütevâzî
mütevazi
alçakgönüllü
humble
مزمن müzmin
müzmin
süreğen
chronic
The new word is seldom used.
نغمه nağme
nağme
ezgi
melody
nafile *
nafile
boşuna
futile
نصيحت nasîhat *
nasihat
öğüt
advice, counsel
nâzır
nazır
bakan
minister
نفس nefes *
nefes
soluk
breath
nesl *
nesil
kuşak
generation
نتيجه netîce *
netice
sonuç
result
نهايت nihâyet *
nihayet
son(unda)
final(ly)
نكاح nikâh *
nikâh
düğün
wedding
In modern Turkish, nikâh is generally used for the wedding ceremony, while düğün is used for the wedding reception or party.
نسبت nisbet *
nispet
oran
ratio
نطق nutk *
nutuk
söylev
speech
پاپوش pabuç
pabuç
ayakkabı
shoe
رأی re'y
rey
oy
vote
رئيس re'îs
reis
başkan
president
rutûbet *
rutubet
nem
moisture
رؤيا rü'ya *
rüya
düş
dream
روزگار rüzgâr *, ***
rüzgâr
yel
wind
ساده sâde *,***
sade
yalın
plain
سطح sath
satıh
yüzey
surface
سياره sayyâre
seyyare
araba
car
سبب sebeb *
sebep
neden
reason
سلامت selâmet
selamet
esenlik
health, soundness
سما semâ
sema
gök
sky
سنه sene *
sene
yıl
year
صحت sıhhat
sıhhat
sağlık
health
صحبت sohbet *
sohbet
söyleşi
chat
The new word is used in somewhat different contexts.
سؤال su'âl
sual
soru
question
صلح sulh
sulh
barış
peace
سکوت sükût
sükût
sessizlik
silence
sürˤat *
sürat
hız
velocity, speed
In physics, the old word word is used for speed (scalar) and the new word is used for velocity (vectoral).
şâhid *
şahit
tanık
witness
شرق şark
şark
doğu
east
şart *
şart
koşul
condition
şatafat(lı)
şatafat(lı)
gösteriş(li)
spectacular (noun and adjective)
شمال şimâl
şimal
kuzey
north
şuˤûr *
şuur
bilinç
conscience
şübheli
şüpheli
sanık
suspect; someone charged with an offense
طبيعت ṭabîˤat *
tabiat
doğa
nature
طبيعى ṭabîˤî *
tabii
doğal
natural
taˤbîr, ifâde*
tabir, ifade
deyiş**
narration
طلب ṭaleb *
talep
istek
request, demand, wish
طلبه ṭalebe
talebe
öğrenci
student (plural of طالب ṭâlib, "seeker" [of knowledge])
تعمير taˤmîr *, تعديلات taˤdîlât *
tamir, tadilat
onarım
repair, renovation
tasavvur
tasavvur
canlandırma, tasarı
imagine
tasdîk
tasdik
onay
approve
tashîh
tashih
düzeltme
correction
تصوير tasvîr *
tasvir
betimleme
description
طياره tayyâre
tayyare
uçak
airplane
توصيه tavsiye *
tavsiye
öneri
advice
تعادل teˤâdül
teadül
denklik
equivalence
تعامل teˤâmül
teamül
tepkime, davranış
reaction, behavior
tebessüm
tebessüm
gülümseme
smile
تبديل tebdîl
tebdil
değişiklik
change
تبريك tebrîk *
tebrik
kutlama
congratulate
The new word also has the meaning "celebration".
تجلى tecellî
tecelli
belirme
emerge, appear
تجسم tecessüm
tecessüm
görünme
appearance, manifestation
tecrübe *
tecrübe
deneyim
experience
techîzât
teçhizat
donanım
equipment
tedbîr *
tedbir
önlem
precaution
te'essür
teessür
üzüntü
agony
تكامل tekâmül
tekamül
evrim, başkalaşım
maturation, metamorphosis, evolution
تقاعد tekaˤüd
tekaüt
emeklilik
retirement
tekeffül
tekeffül
yükümlenme
standing surety
تكليف teklîf *
teklif
öneri
proposal
tekrar *
tekrar
yine
again
تلاش telâş *
telaş
tasa, kaygı
worry
tenâsüb
tenasüp
uyum
congruity
تنبيه tenbîh *
tembih
uyarı
warning
تنبل tenbel *, ***
tembel
haylaz
lazy
tercîh etmek *
tercih etmek
yeğlemek
to prefer
tercüme *
tercüme
çeviri
translation
تشرين اول teşrîn-i evvel
ekim
October
تشرين ثانی teşrîn-i sânî
kasım
November
usûl *
usul
yöntem
method
vaˤd *
vaat
söz
promise (noun)
vakˤâ
vaka
olay
event
vakûr
vakur
ağır başlı
dignified
The Turkish expression literally means heavy headed.
vasf *
vasıf
nitelik
feature, quality
vâsi
vâsi
engin
vast
vaz geçmek *
vazgeçmek
caymak **
to change one's mind; to give up (on something7someone)
Here, vaz is the Persian loan word, and geçmek is a Turkish auxiliary verb.
وضيفه vazîfe *
vazife
görev
task, mission
vilâyet*
vilayet
il
province
yekpâre ***
yekpare
bütün
whole
tefsîr *
tefsir
yorum
interpretation, analysis, comment
ضمير zamîr *
zamir
adıl **
pronoun
زور zôr *, ***,مشكل müşkül
zor, müşkül
çetin **
difficult
* Old words that are still used in modern Turkish together with their new Turkish counterparts.
** New words that are not as frequently used as the old words.
*** Old words that are of Persian origin.