The #1 Easy Guide To Animal Names In Turkish For Beginners

Animal names in Turkish - Ling

Learning Turkish would be incomplete if you don’t know animal names in Turkish, while Turkey is known for its cute stray cats on the streets of İstanbul.

If you’ve traveled to Turkey before, you can attest to the animal love of Turks. They look after stray cats and dogs as if they’re one of their own pets. You can see many plates filled with cat and dog food while walking on the sidewalk in Turkey. People put them for stray animals to eat, so they won’t starve.

To be honest, I sometimes get tired of stopping to pet every cat I see on the street (yep, I’m a cat person). By the way, I must say that most street cats in Turkey look as beautiful as the ones at your home but anyway; less talking, more learning! Let’s get to the vocabulary for animals in Turkish!

Animal names in Turkish:

Turkish Van Cat

Evcil Hayvanlar (Pets)

In almost all Turkish homes you can see a pet let it be a cat, dog, or bird… Did you know that some of the Turkish animal breeds are world-famous?

The popular Turkish cat breeds are Turkish Angora cats (Ankara kedisi) and Van cats (Van kedisi) which are naturally born with unique eye colors, usually one is green and the other is blue.

And some of the popular Turkish dog breeds include Kangal dogs, Akbash dogs, and Anatolian Sheperd dogs. The common sense of these Turkish dogs is that they are extremely loyal to their families and protective of each family member.

Here is a vocabulary list for pets in Turkish:

EnglishTurkishPronunciation
CatKedi Kedi
DogKöpek Köpek
ParrotPapağan Papağan
BudgerigarMuhabbet kuşu Muhabbet kuşu
RabbitTavşan Tavşan
HamsterHamster Hamster
GoldfishJapon balığı Japon balığı

Çiftlik Hayvanları (Farm Animals)

Farms are very common in the villages of Turkey. Farm animals are bred to benefit from their meat, milk, eggs, and wool. Most of the cattle farming is performed in the central and eastern parts of the country.

Here is a vocabulary list for farm animals in Turkish:

EnglishTurkishPronunciation
HorseAt At
Cowİnek İnek
PigDomuz Domuz
RoosterHoroz Horoz
ChickenTavuk Tavuk
GooseKaz Kaz
GoatKeçi Keçi
SheepKoyun Koyun
LambKuzu Kuzu
DuckÖrdek Ördek
CamelDeve Deve

Vahşi Hayvanlar (Wild Animals)

Most wild animals are kept in zoos as Turkey is not a natural habitat for wild animals like lions, tigers, and elephants. But bears, deer, wolves, and some wild cats can be seen in the forests located in the various parts of the country.

Here is a vocabulary list for wild animals in Turkish:

EnglishTurkishPronunciation
LionAslan Aslan
BearAyı Ayı
ElephantFil Fil
DeerGeyik Geyik
TigerKaplan Kaplan
WolfKurt Kurt
LeopardLeopar Leopar
MonkeyMaymun Maymun
FoxTilki Tilki
ZebraZebra Zebra
GiraffeZürafa Zürafa
SquirrelSincap Sincap

Deniz Hayvanları (Sea Animals)

Since Turkey is surrounded by the sea on three sides and has around 5178 miles of shoreline, it has a growing fishing industry. However, the unique fish species that live in the waters of Turkey are rapidly decreasing due to overhunting and pollution.

Here is a vocabulary list for sea animals in Turkish:

EnglishTurkishPronunciation
OctopusAhtapot Ahtapot
WhaleBalina Balina
SeahorseDeniz atı Deniz atı
LobsterIstakoz Istakoz
ShrimpKarides Karides
SharkKöpek balığı Köpek balığı
CrabYengeç Yengeç
DolphinYunus Yunus
JellyfishDeniz anası Deniz anası
Lovebirds

Kuşlar (Birds)

Turkey’s moderate climate is suitable for many different species of birds. Some of the bird species in Turkey are migratory birds so they visit Turkey during the wintertime.

Here is a vocabulary list for birds in Turkish:

EnglishTurkishPronunciation
WoodpeckerAğaçkakan Ağaçkakan
OwlBaykuş Baykuş
DoveKumru Kumru
CrowKarga Karga
EagleKartal Kartal
PigeonGüvercin Güvercin
SeagullMartı Martı
CanaryKanarya Kanarya
NightingaleBülbül Bülbül
HawkŞahin Şahin

Sürüngenler (Reptiles)

The most popular reptile species in Turkey is the Caretta Caretta sea turtle, which lives on the southern shores of the country. The beaches they live on are currently under protection. They are closed at certain hours, May through August, during which period the sea turtles lay their eggs. And they put warning signs for visitors to be aware that it’s Caretta Carettas’ area.

Here is a vocabulary list for reptiles in Turkish:

EnglishTurkishPronunciation
ChameleonBukalemun Bukalemun
LizardKertenkele Kertenkele
FrogKurbağa Kurbağa
TurtleKaplumbağa Kaplumbağa
Sea turtleDeniz kaplumbağası Deniz kaplumbağası
CrocodileTimsah Timsah
SnakeYılan Yılan

Böcekler (Bugs)

Did you know that there’s a bug museum in İstanbul where a range of different bug species has been put on display since 1937? If you’re into bugs, you can visit the museum if you ever travel to Turkey.

Here is a vocabulary list for bugs in Turkish:

EnglishTurkishPronunciation
BeeArı Arı
FireflyAteş böceği Ateş böceği
GrasshopperÇekirge Çekirge
Silkwormİpek böceği İpek böceği
AntKarınca Karınca
ButterflyKelebek Kelebek
FlySinek Sinek
MosquitoSivri sinek Sivri sinek
SpiderÖrümcek Örümcek
LadybugUğur böceği Uğur böceği

Body Parts Of Animals In Turkish

And, lastly, here is the vocabulary list that includes words related to the body parts of animals in Turkish:

EnglishTurkishPronunciation
HornBoynuz Boynuz
TrunkFilin hortumu Filin hortumu
BeakGaga Gaga
WingKanat Kanat
FeatherTüy Tüy
TailKuyruk Kuyruk
FurKürk Kürk
PawPati Pati
ClawPençe Pençe
FinYüzgeç Yüzgeç

So, you’ve learned Turkish animal names in today’s blog post. If you’re interested in learning more Turkish, check out Ling today! Read below to learn more about our app!

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