yaş
/jɑʃ/
The English word 'age' is translated into Turkish as yaş.
yaş refers to the amount of time that has passed since a being was born or since a thing began. Note that yaş is also a homonym that can mean 'wet' or 'damp' depending on the context.
Meaning: amount of time since the birth of a being or the beginning of a thing (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that someone is a specific age, use the form yaşında, which combines the noun with a locative suffix to mean 'at the age of'. When asking how old someone is, the phrase kaç yaşında? is used, which literally translates to 'in how many ages?'
How do you pronounce it?
/jɑʃ/. The first sound is like the [y] in 'yes' and the second sound is like the [sh] in 'shoe'.
Did you know?
- The word yaş is a triple homonym that can mean 'age', 'wet', or even 'tear' (as in a tear from the eye) depending on the context.
- The word yaş originates from a Proto-Turkic root that meant 'young' or 'fresh', linking the beginning of life to the state of being new.
- In traditional Turkish culture, seniority based on yaş often dictates the order of greeting and the level of formality used in conversation.
Examples in context
- O, 54 yaşında öldü.He died at age 54.This sentence shows how to use yaş to state the age at which someone died.Tatoeba #631855 by duran, translation #942544 by spockofvulcan
- O tam benim yaşımda.He is just my age.This sentence uses yaş to compare one person's age to another.Tatoeba #1037555 by duran, translation #291728 by CK
- Tom 97 yaşında öldü.Tom died at the age of 97.This sentence provides another example of using yaş to state a person's age at the time of death.Tatoeba #1065379 by duran, translation #1026256 by CK
- Pardon, kaç yaşındasınız?Excuse me, how old are you?
- Öğretmenim, yaşınız kaç?Teacher, how old are you?
- Dostum, kaç yaşındasın?Dude, how old are you?
- 738 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mehmet and Merve are chatting about a new acquaintance.
- MehmetYeni arkadaşın kaç yaşında?How old is your new friend?
- MerveOnun yaşı benimle aynı.Their age is the same as mine.
- MehmetYani o da yirmi beş yaşında mı?So, is he also twenty-five years old?
- MerveEvet, tam yirmi beş yaşında.Yes, he is exactly twenty-five years old.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “age” translations and entries yaş, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries yaş, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
