The Turkish Letter Ğ: How the Soft G Sounds and Where It Goes

The Turkish letter ğ looks like a g with a small curve on top, but it is not said like a g. Turkish speakers call it yumuşak ge, the "soft g". It is the only letter in the Turkish alphabet that never starts a word, and it has almost no sound of its own. This guide explains what the letter does, where it goes in a word, how to type it, and twelve everyday words to try it on.

What is ğ?

Ğ is the ninth of the 29 letters in the Turkish alphabet. It comes right after g and before h. It has been part of the alphabet since Türkiye moved to Latin letters in 1928. The capital Ğ exists, but you only see it when a whole word is in capitals, such as DAĞ or YAĞMUR, because no word begins with it.

For all 29 letters with a word for each one, see our Turkish alphabet guide, or watch the Turkish alphabet in 30 seconds.

How does ğ sound?

It does not have a hard sound. It changes the sounds around it. These hints are close, not exact:

• After a, ı, o or u, it stretches the vowel before it. Dağ (mountain) sounds like "daa". Yağmur (rain) sounds like "yaa-moor".
• After e, i, ö or ü, it often turns into a light y. Değil (not) sounds like "deh-yeel". Eğer (if) sounds like "eh-yer".
• Between two vowels, it lets them slide together. Soğuk (cold) sounds like "so-ook", and yoğurt sounds like "yo-urt".

Two things it never does: it is never a hard g as in "get", and it is never the "gh" of English spelling. If you are not sure, say the word as if the letter were not there and make the vowel before it a little longer. You will be close.

Where does ğ go in a word?

• Never first. No Turkish word starts with ğ.
• In the middle. Ağaç (tree), yağmur (rain), soğuk (cold).
• At the end. Dağ (mountain), yağ (oil), bağ (vineyard).

It always follows a vowel. That is the reason it cannot go first: it needs a vowel in front of it to work on.

Why does k sometimes turn into ğ?

Many Turkish words that end in k change when an ending that starts with a vowel is added. The hard k softens to ğ:

• çocuk (child) becomes çocuğum (my child)
• bardak (glass) becomes bardağı (his or her glass)
• boncuk (bead) becomes nazar boncuğu (the blue eye bead)

So the letter is not rare at all. It turns up every time a word like these gets an ending.

12 everyday words with ğ

Yoğurt is a word that English borrowed from Turkish, so you have been close to this letter for years.

Ğ in names

If you know a Tuğba, a Çağla, a Doğan or an Oğuz, you already know the letter. In each name the vowel before it is held a little longer: "Too-ba", "Chaa-la", "Doh-an", "Oh-ooz".

How to type ğ

• On a phone: hold the g key and choose ğ from the small menu.
• On a computer: add the Turkish keyboard in the language settings. On the Turkish Q keyboard, ğ is the key to the right of P.
• If you cannot type it: a plain g is understood in a text message. In a card, a name or a gift, use the real letter. It shows a little extra care.

Three small games for ğ

1. The joker. In an alphabet game where each player says a word for a letter, ğ is the joker: nobody can start a word with it, so the player picks any word that has it inside.
2. Stretch it. Say dağ and hold the vowel as long as you can. The longest "daaa" wins.
3. Find it at home. Look for the letter on a yogurt pot, in a family name or on a Turkish tea box.

For more letters to play with, try our Turkish alphabet game, or print the alphabet chart on our downloads page.

The one-line version

Ğ, the soft g: never first, never hard. It stretches the vowel before it or turns into a light y.

Related

• Turkish alphabet for kids: 29 letters with a word for each
• The Turkish alphabet in 30 seconds: a short video
• 15 Turkish words every kid should hear before age 8
• Kolay Gelsin Meaning and Afiyet Olsun Meaning
• The Word Suitcase and the Flying Letters: a read-aloud story about the Turkish letters

The alphabet on the wall

Our Turkish Alphabet prints show all 29 letters, each with a Turkish word and a small picture. Ğ is in its place between g and h.