How to Say Thank You in Turkish (and How to Reply)

The standard way to say thank you in Turkish is Teşekkür ederim, play. It works everywhere: in a shop, at work, with a friend or with your teacher. Shorter and more casual is Teşekkürler, play (“thanks”), and in everyday speech you will hear Sağ ol, play (literally “be healthy”) all the time. The usual reply is Rica ederim, play (“you’re welcome”).

Below you will find every common thank-you, from the polite to the very casual, how to pronounce teşekkür ederim, play, how to say what you are thankful for, the replies people expect, and the special thank-yous Turks use after a meal or a favor. Every example has a play button so you can hear it.

Teşekkür ederim: the thank you that always works

Teşekkür ederim, play is two words: the noun teşekkür, play (“thanks”) and the verb etmek (“to do”), so it literally means “I do thanks”. Many Turkish expressions are built like this, with a noun plus etmek: yardım etmek, play (to help), rica etmek (to request), dans etmek (to dance).

Say it like te-shek-KÜR e-de-RIM. The ş sounds like English “sh”, the ü is an “ee” said with rounded lips, and the double kk is held for a moment. Notice that et becomes ed in ederim, play: a t between two vowels softens to d. You will see the same change in gitmek → gidiyorum.

• Teşekkür ederim.

  Thank you.

• Çok teşekkür ederim.

  Thank you very much.

• Çok çok teşekkür ederim!

  Thank you so, so much!

• Teşekkür ederiz.

  We thank you. / Thank you (from all of us).

The ending -im means “I”. When you thank someone on behalf of a family, a team or a company, change it to -iz (“we”): Teşekkür ederiz, play. You will see this form on signs and in emails, for example Ziyaretiniz için teşekkür ederiz, play (“Thank you for your visit”).

Teşekkürler, sağ ol and eyvallah: casual ways to say thanks

Teşekkürler, play is “thanks”: shorter, a little more casual, and perfect for messages and quick everyday moments. Çok teşekkürler, play is “thanks a lot”.

Sağ ol, play is the thank-you you will hear most in the street. It literally means “be healthy” or “stay alive”, a wish for the other person. Use sağ ol, play with someone you call sen, play (friends, family, people your age) and sağ olun, play with someone you call siz or with a group. Both often come with çok, play: Çok sağ ol!, play

Eyvallah, play is very casual, a bit like “cheers” or “thanks, mate”. You will hear it mostly among men, from taxi drivers, shopkeepers and friends. It is fine to understand it, but as a learner you can stick to sağ ol.

• Teşekkürler!

  Thanks!

• Çok sağ ol!

  Thanks a lot! (to a friend)

• Sağ olun, iyi günler.

  Thank you, have a nice day. (to a shopkeeper)

• Eyvallah abi.

  Cheers, man.

Older speakers sometimes say mersi, borrowed from French “merci”, and religious or older people often thank you with Allah razı olsun, play (“May God be pleased with you”). Both are friendly. You can answer the second with Hepimizden (“With all of us”).

Saying what you are thankful for: için

To say what you are thanking someone for, put the thing first and add için, play (“for”) after it. Turkish puts için, play after the word, where English puts “for” before it.

• Yardımınızyour helpiçinforteşekkürthanksederim.I do

  Word by word: your help, for, thanks, I do.

  Thank you for your help.

• Her şey için teşekkürler.

  Thanks for everything.

• Hediye için çok teşekkür ederim.

  Thank you very much for the gift.

• Davetiniz için teşekkür ederiz.

  Thank you for your invitation. (from us)

When you thank someone for something they did, Turkish turns the verb into a noun first: geldiğin için, play (“for your coming”), yardım ettiğin için, play (“for your helping”). The person ending tells who did it: -in for sen, -iniz for siz. This form is taught in B1, but the most useful phrase is worth learning now:

• Geldiğin için teşekkürler.

  Thanks for coming.

• Geldiğiniz için teşekkür ederiz.

  Thank you for coming. (polite or to a group)

You’re welcome in Turkish: rica ederim and other replies

The standard reply to a thank-you is Rica ederim, play, literally “I request” (as in “please, it was nothing”). Like teşekkür ederim, it is a noun plus etmek, and it works with anyone.

Ne demek, play literally means “What does that mean?”, as in “no need to thank me at all”. It is warm and friendly, and you will hear it constantly. When a shopkeeper says Sağ olun, play as you pay, the natural answer is Siz de sağ olun, play (“You too”).

• Teşekkür ederim. – Rica ederim.

  Thank you. – You’re welcome.

• Sağ ol! – Bir şey değil.

  Thanks! – It’s nothing.

• Çok teşekkürler! – Ne demek!

  Thanks a lot! – Don’t mention it!

Thank-yous for meals, favors and hard work

Turkish has fixed phrases for situations where English just says “thanks”. Learning a few of them makes you sound much more natural.

In Türkiye

Health to your hands

After a meal at someone’s home, Turks don’t just say thank you: they say Ellerinize sağlık, play (“health to your hands”) to whoever cooked. The cook answers Afiyet olsun (“may it be good for you”). Guests who skip it are not rude, but those who say it are remembered warmly.

Ellerinize sağlık!

Thank you for the lovely food! (literally “health to your hands”)

Zahmet oldu, play means “it was trouble (for you)”, a polite way to acknowledge a favor. The kind answer is Ne zahmeti! (“What trouble?”). Kolay gelsin, play (“may it come easy”) is not exactly a thank-you, but it shows appreciation for someone’s work, and you can say it to anyone who is working as you walk past or arrive.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say thank you in Turkish? Say Teşekkür ederim, play (te-shek-KÜR e-de-RIM). With friends, Teşekkürler, play or Sağ ol, play is more casual.

What does sağ ol mean? Literally “be healthy”. It is an everyday way to say thanks. Use sağ olun, play with people you call siz.

How do you say you’re welcome in Turkish? Rica ederim, play is standard. Bir şey değil, play (“it’s nothing”) and Ne demek, play (“don’t mention it”) are friendlier.

How do you say thank you very much in Turkish? Çok teşekkür ederim, play, or casually Çok sağ ol, play.

Practice thank you and other first phrases in the free A1 lessons

Phrases like teşekkür ederim, play and rica ederim, play stick when you hear and say them many times. Unit 1 of the A1 course is free and covers greetings, thanks and introducing yourself, with audio for every phrase and speaking practice. You can also try a free sample lesson without an account.

To use them in real conversation, book 1-on-1 live lessons with Kerem, a native Turkish teacher. Okuduğunuz için teşekkürler!, play (“Thanks for reading!”)