You will say c and ç correctly and tell word pairs such as cam and çam apart by spelling. No recording is attached to this lesson, so it teaches through spelling and mouth position.
The idea
c is a voiced sound, like the j in English jam: the tongue lies flat against the ridge behind the upper teeth and the voice vibrates. ç has the same mouth position with no voice, like the ch in chair: çam, çay. The cedilla is part of the letter, and in the alphabet ç comes right after c.
| Plain c: the j sound | Cedilla ç: the ch sound |
|---|---|
| cam | çam |
| can | çan |
| acı | açı |
Examples
- Çocuk camı açıyor.The child is opening the window.
- Ben çay içiyorum.I am drinking tea.
- Annem pazardan çiçek alıyor.My mother is buying flowers at the market.
- Çocuk ağacı çiziyor.The child is drawing the tree.The word ağaç ends in ç, but before the ending -ı it becomes ağacı: the sound changes from ch to j, and the spelling follows.
- camglassPlain c is said like the j in jam, so cam sounds like “jam” with a shorter vowel. With a cedilla the first sound is the ch of chair: çam, pine tree. One mark separates the two words.
- çampine tree
- Saçı kısa.His or her hair is short.The short word saç keeps its ç before the vowel ending: saçı, not sacı. Do not copy the change ağaç → ağacı onto every word.
- Bu biber çok acı.This pepper is very hot.
- açıangle
Read-aloud uses a synthetic Turkish voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
No Turkish device voice is available. You can still read the text.
Watch out
Do not read c as k, s or ts, as the spelling of many European languages suggests: cam is not “kam” and cep is not “sep”. And never drop the cedilla: cam (glass) and çam (pine tree) are different words, just like acı (hot, bitter) and açı (angle).
Try it yourself
Type the Turkish word for tea. It starts with the ch sound.
Show answer or example answer
çay
çay: the word starts with the sound of ch in chair, and that sound is written ç. A plain c would give “jay”, which is not a Turkish word.
Type the Turkish word for glass. It starts with the j sound.
Show answer or example answer
cam
cam: it starts with the voiced j of jam, so it takes the plain c. With the cedilla it would be çam, the pine tree.
Add the ending -ı to ağaç (tree): the tree, as an object.
Show answer or example answer
ağacı
ağacı: ağaç has two syllables, and words like this usually turn their final ç into a voiced c before an ending that starts with a vowel.
Add the ending -ı to saç (hair): his or her hair.
Show answer or example answer
saçı
saçı: saç is a short word and keeps its voiceless ç. Short words are learned one by one: saç stays, but borç becomes borcu.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Type the Turkish word for tea. It starts with the ch sound.
Type the Turkish word for glass. It starts with the j sound.
Add the ending -ı to ağaç (tree): the tree, as an object.
Add the ending -ı to saç (hair): his or her hair.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Keep your progress
Sign up for free to save your practice results in your account.
Sign up to saveI already have an accountUse it today
Say these pairs aloud and write them with their meanings: cam glass, çam pine tree; can soul, çan bell; acı hot, açı angle.