There are plenty of reasons to travel to Turkey, or any other place where Turkish is spoken, really. You might be in it for the food, or the sights, or the history. No matter the reason, you’re going to have to get around the country at some point. Navigating air travel and the transit in a new city is one of the most stressful parts of any vacation, however. You’ll want to give yourself a leg up by picking up the basics of Turkish transportation vocab before you travel.
We’ve collected some of the most important Turkish transportation vocab to prepare you for multiple modes of travel. You’ll need to get a grasp on basic Turkish grammar to put them into action, but even just being able to recognize the terms can give you an advantage when you’re trying to figure out signage. Click the play buttons next to each one to hear how they’re pronounced by a native speaker!
Turkish Transportation Vocab
Terms For Traveling By Plane
plane — uçak
airport — havalimanı
terminal — terminal
luggage — bagaj
hand baggage (carry-on) — el bagajı
flight — uçuş
flight attendant — kabin görevlisi
departure — kalkış
the security check — güvenlik kontrolü
to board — uçağa binmek
to land — inmek
to check in — check-in yapmak
Terms For Traveling By Train Or Bus
public transportation — toplu taşıma araçları
bus — otobüs
subway — metro
train — tren
tram — tramvay
train station — gar
ticket — bilet
platform — peron
stop — durak
passenger — yolcu
inspector — kontrolör
timetable — tarife
to catch — yakalamak
to validate — kullanmak
to change (trains, buses, etc.) — aktarma yapmak
Terms For Traveling By Car Or Bike
car — araba
driver — sürücü
windshield wipers — cam silecekleri
seat belt — anahtar
key — emniyet kemeri
driver’s license — ehliyet
to drive — sürmek
to park — park etmek
to break down — arıza yapmak
bicycle — bisiklet
cyclist — bisiklet sürücüsü
helmet — kask
to ride — gitmek