Good Morning and Good Night in Turkish

To say good morning in Turkish, say Günaydın, play (gü-nay-DIN). It works with everyone, from your family to your boss, and the reply is simply Günaydın, play back. At the end of the day, İyi akşamlar, play means “good evening”, and İyi geceler, play means “good night”, said when you leave in the evening or go to bed.

Below you will find what günaydın, play really means, the greetings for every part of the day, the sweet bedtime wishes Turks send each other, and the one mistake almost every learner makes with iyi geceler, play. Every example has a play button so you can hear it.

Günaydın: what it means and how to say it

Günaydın, play is one word made of two: gün, play (“day”) and aydın, play (“bright”). So it literally says “the day is bright”, a lovely way to greet someone in the morning. Say it like gü-nay-DIN, with a light stress at the end. The ü is an “ee” said with rounded lips, and the ı without a dot is a short, relaxed sound, close to the second vowel in “cousin”.

• Günaydın!

  Good morning!

• Günaydın, nasılsın?

  Good morning, how are you?

• Herkese günaydın!

  Good morning, everyone!

• Sana da günaydın!

  Good morning to you too!

The most common reply is just Günaydın!, play back. To sound warmer, say Sana da günaydın, play (“good morning to you too”), or Size de günaydın, play to someone you call siz. In messages you will also see the playful plural Günaydınlar!, play, a bit like “good mornings!”, and families often add a term of endearment: Günaydın canım, play.

Greetings for every time of day

Turkish time-of-day wishes follow one pattern: iyi, play (“good”) plus the time of day in the plural. Gün, play becomes günler, play, akşam, play becomes akşamlar, play, gece, play becomes geceler, play. The plural makes it a wish: “good days”, “good evenings”, “good nights”. The ending is -ler or -lar depending on the last vowel, which is vowel harmony at work.

• İyigoodgünler!days

  Word by word: good, days.

  Have a nice day!

• İyigoodakşamlar!evenings

  Word by word: good, evenings.

  Good evening! / Have a nice evening!

• İyigoodgeceler!nights

  Word by word: good, nights.

  Good night!

İyi günler, play is mostly a goodbye during the day: shopkeepers say it as you leave, and you can end any phone call with it. It can also open a formal conversation, for example when you call an office. İyi akşamlar, play works both ways: it greets people when you arrive in the evening and says goodbye when you leave.

There is no common “good afternoon”. A word for it, Tünaydın, play, exists, but almost nobody uses it today. After the morning, people simply say Merhaba or İyi günler, play.

Good night in Turkish: bedtime wishes

İyi geceler, play is the standard “good night”, and it works with anyone. At home and between close friends, Turks add warmer wishes. İyi uykular, play (“good sleeps”) is “sleep well”, and Tatlı rüyalar, play is “sweet dreams”.

The natural answer to any of these is Sana da, play (“to you too”), or Size de, play for someone you call siz. You can also just repeat the wish: İyi geceler!, play – İyi geceler!, play

• Ben yatıyorum, iyi geceler!

  I’m going to bed, good night!

• İyi uykular! – Sana da!

  Sleep well! – You too!

• İyi geceler canım, tatlı rüyalar.

  Good night, dear, sweet dreams.

• Allah rahatlık versin. – Size de.

  Have a restful night. – You too.

Morning questions and breakfast phrases

After günaydın, play comes the morning small talk. Most of these questions are in the past tense with -dı/-di, because you are asking about the night that just ended. You can read more in our guide to the Turkish past tense, and the mı/mi, play at the end is the question particle that turns a sentence into a yes/no question.

• İyiwelluyudunyou sleptmu??

  Word by word: well, you slept, ?.

  Did you sleep well?

• Uyandın mı?

  Are you awake? (literally: Did you wake up?)

• Kahvaltı yaptın mı?

  Have you had breakfast?

• Erken kalktın!

  You’re up early!

• Hadi, kahvaltı hazır!

  Come on, breakfast is ready!

In Türkiye

Breakfast is a big deal

In Türkiye, kahvaltı, play (breakfast) is not a quick coffee. On weekends families and friends sit for hours over cheese, olives, tomatoes, eggs, honey and endless glasses of tea. The word is usually traced to kahve altı, play, literally “under coffee”: the food you eat before your coffee. An invitation to breakfast is a real social event.

Pazar günü kahvaltıya gelir misin?

Would you like to come for breakfast on Sunday?

Wishes for the week and the weekend

The same iyi, play + plural pattern works for longer stretches of time. You will hear these at work on Fridays and Mondays, in shops and in messages.

To learn the names of the days and how to tell the time, see our guide to Turkish days, months and time. For more everyday expressions, read 50 common Turkish phrases.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say good morning in Turkish? Say Günaydın, play (gü-nay-DIN). It literally means “the day is bright”, and you reply with Günaydın, play too.

How do you say good night in Turkish? İyi geceler, play. With family and friends you can add İyi uykular, play (“sleep well”) or Tatlı rüyalar, play (“sweet dreams”).

How do you say good afternoon in Turkish? There is no common phrase. Say Merhaba or İyi günler, play instead.

What is the difference between iyi akşamlar and iyi geceler? İyi akşamlar, play is both hello and goodbye in the evening. İyi geceler, play is only a goodbye, when you leave late or go to bed.

Start your Turkish mornings with the free A1 lessons

Greetings like günaydın, play and iyi geceler, play become automatic when you hear and say them every day. Unit 1 of the A1 course is free and covers hello, goodbye and the greetings for each time of day, with audio for every phrase and speaking practice. Not sure where to begin? Take the 3-minute level test.

Want someone to say günaydın to? Book 1-on-1 live lessons with Kerem, a native Turkish teacher. İyi günler!, play