You will describe three physical greetings and a greeting without contact. The examples tell individual stories; they do not say what everyone in Türkiye does.
The idea
Tokalaşmak means to shake hands and is common when meeting someone. Close friends or relatives may greet with cheek kisses: yanaktan öpmek. In some families, a younger person kisses an elder’s hand and brings it to their own forehead as a sign of respect: el öpmek. The relationship, setting and people’s preferences matter. Start with merhaba and allow space for the other person’s response; physical contact is not compulsory.
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| tokalaşmak | to shake hands |
| yanaktan öpmek | to kiss on the cheek |
| el öpmek | to kiss a hand |
| el sallamak | to wave |
Examples
- İki komşu kapıda tokalaştı.Two neighbours shook hands at the door.
- Ece teyzesini yanağından öptü.Ece kissed her maternal aunt on the cheek.
- Mert dedesinin elini öptü.Mert kissed his grandfather’s hand.
- Sonra dedesinin elini alnına götürdü.Then he brought his grandfather’s hand to his forehead.
- Ece uzaktan el salladı.Ece waved from a distance.
- Mert sadece merhaba dedi.Mert just said hello.
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Watch out
Do not confuse el öpmek with el sıkışmak: the first is kissing a hand, the second shaking hands. Seeing a family hand-kissing custom does not mean you should kiss every older stranger’s hand. A greeting without touching need not be unfriendly.
Try it yourself
Complete with the past form of tokalaşmak: two neighbours shook hands at the door.
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tokalaştı
tokalaştı: the two neighbours performed a mutual action. The singular verb works with iki komşu; the scene describes a handshake, not a hand kiss.
Complete using yanak (cheek): Ece kissed her aunt on the cheek.
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yanağından
yanağından: the kiss lands on the aunt’s cheek. Yanak becomes yanağı before the remaining endings; Turkish uses this form with öpmek for a kiss on that body part.
Complete using el (hand): Mert kissed his grandfather’s hand.
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elini
elini: the hand belongs to the grandfather and is the specific object of the kiss. Dedesinin establishes the owner, so bare el would leave the phrase incomplete.
Complete with the past form of sallamak: Ece waved from a distance, without touching anyone.
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salladı
salladı: together with el, this means she waved. The distance in this scene rules out a handshake; waving needs no contact.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Complete with the past form of tokalaşmak: two neighbours shook hands at the door.
Complete using yanak (cheek): Ece kissed her aunt on the cheek.
Complete using el (hand): Mert kissed his grandfather’s hand.
Complete with the past form of sallamak: Ece waved from a distance, without touching anyone.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Describe a greeting between neighbours, a family greeting and a greeting from a distance in three past-tense sentences. For each, say who is greeting whom; do not turn your example into a rule for everyone.