Turkish Alphabet and Letter Formation

Letter Formation

Ottoman Script Influence

The modern Turkish alphabet was derived from the Latin alphabet, but it still retains some features from the Ottoman Turkish script.

Vowel Modifications

• Turkish vowels are represented by the letters A, E, I, İ, O, Ö, U, and Ü.
• The letters İ and İ (dotless i) are distinct from I and i.
• The letters Ö and Ü are similar to their German counterparts.

Consonant Modifications

• The letter Ç represents the "ch" sound in "church".
• The letter Ğ represents a soft "g" sound, similar to the "g" in "girl".
• The letter Ş represents the "sh" sound in "shoe".
• The letter J represents the "j" sound in "yes".
• The letter X represents the "ks" sound.

Letter Combinations

• The combination of ÇH represents the "ch" sound in "church".
• The combination of GH represents a soft "g" sound, similar to the "g" in "girl".
• The combination of KH represents the "ch" sound in the Scottish "loch".

Punctuation

• The Turkish alphabet uses the same punctuation marks as the Latin alphabet.
• The cedilla (¸) is used to indicate the soft "g" sound in the letter Ğ.

Learn about the Ottoman script influence, vowel and consonant modifications, letter combinations, and punctuation in the Turkish alphabet.