basketbol
/bascetbol/from spelling rules
The English phrase "basketball" is basketbol in Turkish. Wiktionary also lists basket.
Meaning: the sport (noun)
Ways to say it
| Turkish | IPA |
|---|---|
| basketbol | /bascetbol/ (from spelling rules) |
| basket | /basˈcet/ |
The word refers to the sport of basketball.
Which one should you use?
While basketbol is the standard term, the shortened form basket is commonly used in colloquial speech to refer to the sport.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say someone is good "at" basketball, the locative case suffix -da/-de is used, resulting in the form basketbolda. Additionally, you can create the word for a basketball player by adding the suffix -cu to basketbol, forming basketbolcu.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /bascetbol/. The /b/ sound is like the [b] in "about", the /s/ sound is like the [s] in "send" and the /c/ sound is like the [k] in "skew".
Did you know?
- Turkish sports commentary often uses the term potaya gitmek meaning 'to go to the pot' to describe a player driving toward the hoop.
- The word basketbol was originally written using the Arabic script during the Ottoman era as باسكتبول.
- The shortened term basket did not come directly from English to Turkish, but was borrowed from French basket.
Examples in context
- Bu bir basketbol topu.This is a basketball.The first sentence uses basketbol to identify a basketball.Tatoeba #9554477 by soliloquist, translation #9527607 by CK
- Tom basketbolda iyi mi?Is Tom any good at basketball?The second sentence uses basketbol to ask if someone is good at the sport.Tatoeba #6953246 by duran, translation #6794990 by CK
- Basket en sevdiğim spor.My favorite sport is basketball.The third sentence uses basket to state a favorite sport.Tatoeba #10463740 by soliloquist, translation #10463472 by CK
- Ulusal Basketbol Ligi, Türkiye'deki profesyonel basketbol liglerinden biridir.The National Basketball League is one of the professional basketball leagues in Turkey.
- Beş oyuncu basket topuyla oyun alanında hücum veya savunma yapar.Five players play offense or defense with the basketball on the court.
- 289 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mehmet and Elif are talking about sports at a cafe.
- MehmetHafta sonu basketbol oynamaya gidelim mi?Shall we go play basketball this weekend?
- ElifHarika olur, çok isterim.That would be great, I would love to.
- MehmetSenin basketbol yeteneğin çok iyi.Your basketball talent is very good.
- ElifTeşekkürler, biraz daha çalışmam lazım.Thanks, I need to practice a bit more.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “basketball” translations and entries basketbol, basket, 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.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries basket, basketbol, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
