bebek
/bebec/from spelling rules
The Turkish word for baby is bebek.
The term bebek refers to a very young human being. Because Turkish does not have grammatical gender, bebek is used for both male and female babies. You may also encounter the adjective bebeksi, which is used to describe something that has baby-like qualities.
Meaning: very young human being (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
To express more than one infant, use the plural form bebekler.
How do you pronounce it?
/bebec/. The /b/ sound is like the 'b' in about and the /c/ sound is like the 'k' in skew.
When do people say it?
When speaking to or about babies, people may use the term of endearment Canım, which translates to "my dear" or "my sweetheart".
Did you know?
- In Turkish, the word bebek is also the common term for the 'pupil' of the eye.
- In Turkish culture, it is common to refer to a baby as maşallah when complimenting them to protect the child from the 'evil eye'.
- While bebek is the standard word, Turkish parents often use the repetitive 'baby talk' term bebiş to sound more affectionate.
Examples in context
- Ne şirin bir bebek!What a cute baby!This sentence is useful for expressing admiration for a cute baby using bebek.Tatoeba #2024327 by duran, translation #1912450 by CK
- Ne güzel bir bebek!What a beautiful baby!This sentence is useful for commenting on a beautiful baby using bebek.Tatoeba #4198472 by deyta, translation #2045743 by CK
- Bu sadece bir bebek.It's just a baby.This sentence is useful for stating that something is simply a baby using bebek.Tatoeba #3001951 by duran, translation #2953101 by CK
- Yavruyu kucağıma alayım mı?Shall I pick up the little one?
- 388 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elif and Emre are looking at a photo of a newborn.
- ElifBak, bu benim yeğenim, çok tatlı bir bebek.Look, this is my nephew, a very sweet baby.
- EmreEvet, gerçekten çok şirin görünüyor.Yes, he really looks very cute.
- ElifBebek henüz sadece iki haftalık.The baby is only two weeks old.
- EmreMaşallah, çok sağlıklı bir bebek.God bless, he is a very healthy baby.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “baby” translations and entries bebek, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Turkish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
