Say Happy Birthday in Turkish
Do you want to say Happy Birthday in a more personal way to someone who's Turkish? What better way to do that than sing it to them in their own language? There are many ways to say Happy Birthday in Turkish. The ones below are the most popular.
Steps
- İyi ki doğdun. In Turkish the letter "ğ" means lengthen the o and the u and merge them into one. It doesn't have a sound of it's own, though. This is pronounced eey-ki dough-doon. The oo is like the oo in book. The gh must be very soft, like the gh in "Bread Dough". The basic meaning of this is "It's a good thing you were born."
- Mutlu yıllar. In Turkish, the letter "ı" is like a cross between the u in umbrella and the oo in book. It is pronounced moot-loo yull-larr. In this one, trill the r. The oo is, again, like the oo in book. The basic meaning is "Happy years." This need not necessarily be limited to birthdays, though.
- Doğum günün kutlu olsun. The ü is the oo in book leaning over just a bit to sound like ee. Again, the ğ makes a soft gh sound, like the gh in Bread Dough. This is pronounced do-wum goonoon kootloo olsun. The basic meaning is "May your birthday be celebrated."
Tips
- If you don't want to embarrass yourself with your pronunciation just write it on a nice birthday card.
- Remember that even if you still have it wrong, it's the thought that counts.
- Don't worry if you get it a little bit wrong. If you're really stuck, ask your friend for help. You don't have to say why - just say you're interested in learning Turkish. Who knows, maybe you are!
