kelebek
/ce.leˈbec/
The English word butterfly is kelebek in Turkish.
kelebek refers to the insect (noun).
Meaning: insect (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the plural, butterflies, use kelebekler. For the genitive case, meaning 'of the butterfly', use kelebeğin. When using the accusative case to refer to a specific butterfly, the 'k' changes to 'ğ' and a buffer vowel is added to form kelebeği.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has three syllables, with the stress on the third syllable. It is pronounced /ce.leˈbec/. The 'c' sounds like the 'sk' in skew, and the 'b' sounds like the 'b' in about.
Did you know?
- Turkish has a specific term gece kelebeği, meaning 'night butterfly', which is the common way to refer to a moth.
- The word kelebek is used in the name of a traditional Turkish pastry, kelebek çörek, because the folded dough resembles the wings of a butterfly.
- The word kelebek originates from the Proto-Turkic word kepelek.
Examples in context
- Ah, bir kelebek var!Oh, there's a butterfly!Tatoeba #1117361 by duran, translation #1328 by brauliobezerra
- Aman, bir kelebek var!Oh, there is a butterfly!Tatoeba #640488 by duran, translation #8782606 by moman
- Sen güzel bir kelebeksin.You are a beautiful butterfly.Tatoeba #1558265 by duran, translation #68974 by CM
- Bugün parkta çok güzel kelebekler gördüm.Today, I saw beautiful butterflies in the park.
- Kelebekler doğanın renkli hediyesidir.Butterflies are nature's colorful gift.
- 26 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Burak and Merve are walking through a flower garden.
- BurakBak, şu renkli kelebek ne kadar güzel!Look, how beautiful that colorful butterfly is!
- MerveEvet, çok zarif bir kelebek.Yes, it is a very elegant butterfly.
- BurakBir kelebek parmağımın üzerine kondu.A butterfly landed on my finger.
- MerveÇok şanslısın Burak!You are very lucky, Burak!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “butterfly” translations and entries kelebek, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries kelebek, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
