The main Turkish question words are (what), (who), (where), (when), (why), (how), (which), (how many) and (how much). Two rules make them easy: the question word goes where the answer will go, usually right before the verb, and a sentence with a question word never takes mi.
Below you will find every common question word with examples, how word order works, the forms of and with case endings, and the differences between look-alikes such as and or and . Every example has a play button so you can hear it.
| Turkish | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| what | ||
| who | ||
| where (at) | ||
| where (to) | ||
| where from | ||
| when | ||
| why | ||
| how | ||
| which | ||
| how many | ||
| how much, how long |
Turkish
- Meaning
- what
- Example
Turkish
- Meaning
- who
- Example
Turkish
- Meaning
- where (at)
- Example
Turkish
- Meaning
- where (to)
- Example
Turkish
- Meaning
- where from
- Example
Turkish
- Meaning
- when
- Example
Turkish
- Meaning
- why
- Example
Turkish
- Meaning
- how
- Example
Turkish
- Meaning
- which
- Example
Turkish
- Meaning
- how many
- Example
Turkish
- Meaning
- how much, how long
- Example
Word order: put the question word where the answer goes
In English, question words jump to the front: “*What* are you doing?”. In Turkish, the question word stays in the place where the answer will be, which is usually just before the verb. To make a question, take the answer sentence and swap the answer for the question word.
Akşamneyapıyorsun?
Word by word: evening, what, you are doing.What are you doing this evening?
Akşam sinemaya gidiyorum.
I’m going to the movies this evening.
Bukitabıkimyazdı?
Word by word: this, book, who, wrote.Who wrote this book?
Bu kitabı Orhan Pamuk yazdı.
Orhan Pamuk wrote this book.
Short questions often have no verb at all, because Turkish needs no word for “is”: Ali nerede? (“Where is Ali?”), (“What is this?”). With a person ending, the question word itself can carry it: (“Where are you?”), (“How are you?”).
Watch out
Not:Ne yapıyor musun?
Say:Ne yapıyorsun?
The question word already makes it a question, so don’t add mi. Mi is only for yes/no questions: Kahve içiyor musun? (Are you drinking coffee?)
Tip: Mi turns a statement into a yes/no question, and question words ask for information. The two don’t mix. See the full rules in our guide to the question particle mi.
Ne and kim: what and who
(what) and (who) take case endings just like nouns. The ending tells you their role in the sentence, the way English uses “whom”, “to whom” and “whose”.
| Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| who | ||
| whom (object) | ||
| to whom | ||
| whose | ||
| with whom | ||
| from whom |
Form
- Meaning
- who
- Example
Form
- Meaning
- whom (object)
- Example
Form
- Meaning
- to whom
- Example
Form
- Meaning
- whose
- Example
Form
- Meaning
- with whom
- Example
Form
- Meaning
- from whom
- Example
works the same way: (to what), (with what, by what means), and the plural (what things), which is common when you expect a list. , literally “from what”, has become the standard word for “why”.
Ne yapıyorsun?
What are you doing?
Neye bakıyorsun?
What are you looking at?
Okula neyle gidiyorsun?
How do you get to school? (literally: With what do you go?)
Hafta sonu neler yaptın?
What did you do on the weekend?
is in the past tense with -dı/-di: see our guide to the Turkish past tense. The endings on , and are the cases explained in our guide to Turkish cases.
Nerede, nereye, nereden: where, where to, where from
English has one “where”, but Turkish has three, built on the root (“what place”) with the three place endings: -de (at), -e (to, with a glue letter y: ) and -den (from). The question tells you exactly which ending the answer needs.
| Question | Meaning | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Neredesin? | Where are you? | |
| Nereye gidiyorsun? | Where are you going? | |
| Nereden geliyorsun? | Where are you coming from? | |
| Nerelisin? | Where are you from? |
Question
Neredesin?
- Meaning
- Where are you?
- Answer
Question
Nereye gidiyorsun?
- Meaning
- Where are you going?
- Answer
Question
Nereden geliyorsun?
- Meaning
- Where are you coming from?
- Answer
Question
Nerelisin?
- Meaning
- Where are you from?
- Answer
Neredesin? – Evdeyim.
Where are you? – I’m at home.
Nereye gidiyorsun? – Okula.
Where are you going? – To school.
Nereden geliyorsun? – İşten.
Where are you coming from? – From work.
Burası neresi?
What is this place? / Where are we?
Watch out
Not:Nerede gidiyorsun?
Say:Nereye gidiyorsun?
With verbs of movement like gitmek (to go), you are asking about a destination, so use nereye (where to). Nerede is only for where something is or happens.
Ne zaman and saat kaçta: when and at what time
is literally “what time” and means “when”. For a clock time, ask (“At what time?”). Our guide to Turkish days, months and time shows how to answer.
Ne zaman geldin? – Dün geldim.
When did you arrive? – I arrived yesterday.
Toplantı ne zaman?
When is the meeting?
Saat kaçta buluşalım?
What time shall we meet?
Film saat kaçta başlıyor?
What time does the movie start?
Neden, niye and niçin: why
All three mean “why”. is the standard word and fits anywhere. is more casual and very common in speech. sounds a little formal and is more frequent in writing. The answer usually starts with (“because”).
Neden geç kaldın? – Çünkü otobüs gelmedi.
Why were you late? – Because the bus didn’t come.
Niye gülüyorsun?
Why are you laughing?
Neden olmasın?
Why not?
Nasıl: how
asks “how”, and after a noun it means “what is … like?”: (“How is your new job?”). You know it already from (“How are you?”).
Nasıl gidiyor?
How’s it going?
Yeni işin nasıl?
How is your new job?
Bu nasıl açılıyor?
How does this open?
Nasıl yani?
What do you mean?
In Türkiye
Ne var ne yok?
Besides , friends greet each other with , literally “What is there, what isn’t?”, the Turkish “What’s up?”. The classic answer is (“goodness, health”), meaning all is well, followed by the same question back.
Ne var ne yok? – İyilik, sağlık. Senden ne haber?
What’s up? – All good. What about you?
Hangi, kaç and ne kadar: which, how many and how much
(which) always comes before a noun: (which bus), hangi renk (which color). On its own, “which one?” is To ask about a color in general, say Ne renk? (“What color?”), and see our list of colors in Turkish for the answers.
asks about a number: “how many”. The noun after it stays singular, just like after any number in Turkish: (how many siblings), (how many days). asks about an amount, a price or a length of time.
Hangi otobüs Taksim'e gidiyor?
Which bus goes to Taksim?
Hangisi daha güzel?
Which one is nicer?
Kaçkardeşinvar?
Word by word: how many, your sibling, there is.How many siblings do you have?
Bu ne kadar?
How much is this?
Ne kadar kalacaksın?
How long will you stay?
Watch out
Not:Kaç kardeşlerin var?
Say:Kaç kardeşin var?
After kaç, as after any number, the noun stays singular: kaç gün, kaç kişi, kaç kardeş.
For prices you will hear both and , and in markets the short (“For how much?”). also asks the time and age: (“What time is it?”) and (“How old are you?”). Our guide to Turkish numbers helps you understand the answer.
When you didn’t hear: efendim, not ne
A bare (“What?”) when you didn’t hear someone can sound abrupt, just like in English. The polite way is (“Pardon?”), which is also how many Turks answer the phone, or . More phrases for these moments are in how to say sorry and excuse me in Turkish.
Efendim? Anlamadım.
Pardon? I didn’t understand.
Pardon, ne dediniz?
Sorry, what did you say?
Frequently asked questions
What are the question words in Turkish? (what), (who), (where), (when), (why), (how), (which), (how many) and (how much).
Where does the question word go in a Turkish sentence? In the place where the answer goes, usually right before the verb: (“What are you doing this evening?”).
Do you use mi with question words? No. Mi is only for yes/no questions. Say , not “Ne yapıyor musun?”.
What is the difference between neden and niye? Both mean “why”. is standard everywhere; is more casual.
Ask your first questions in the free A1 lessons
Question words are easiest to learn with their answers. In Mitsling’s A1 course, unit 3, Bu ne?, which is free, teaches and along with yes/no questions with mi, and unit 6, Neredesin?, practices with places around town. Every phrase has audio. Not sure where to start? Take the 3-minute level test.
Want to ask and answer questions with a real person? Book 1-on-1 live lessons with Kerem, a native Turkish teacher. (“Any questions?”)