soğuk
/soˈuk/
The English word "cold" is translated into Turkish as soğuk.
soğuk is an adjective used to describe things or environments with a low temperature. Much like in English, it can also be used metaphorically to describe a person's personality as being unfriendly or distant.
Meaning: having a low temperature (adj)
Which one should you use?
While soğuk describes the temperature of an object or an environment, if you want to describe the physical sensation of a person feeling cold, you should use the verb üşümek (to feel cold).
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, soğuk remains unchanged regardless of the number of the noun it modifies, as Turkish does not use grammatical gender.
How do you pronounce it?
/soˈuk/. The /s/ sound is like the [s] in "send", the /u/ sound is like the [oo] in "cool" and the /k/ sound is like the [c] in "core".
Did you know?
- In traditional Turkish markets, you might hear soğuk used to describe certain fresh products. Some vegetables are described as having a 'cold' nature, which relates to traditional beliefs about food and health.
- Turkish uses the root of soğuk in the verb soğumak, which means 'to cool down'. This is used not only for temperature but also to describe losing interest or falling out of love with someone.
- In Turkish culture, calling someone soğuk can be a harsh critique of their social skills. It implies a person is not just distant, but lacks the warmth and hospitality that are highly valued in Turkish society.
Examples in context
- O yer çok soğuk.That place is very cold.This sentence shows how to describe the temperature of a place using soğuk.Tatoeba #5574100 by deyta, translation #5573345 by n1ls
- Bu kış çok soğuk.It's very cold this winter.This sentence uses soğuk to describe the temperature of a season.Tatoeba #1119008 by duran, translation #243105 by CK
- O buz gibi soğuk.It's as cold as ice.This sentence uses soğuk in a comparison to ice.Tatoeba #1261592 by duran, translation #442090 by CK
- Hava çok soğukThe weather is very cold.
- Su çok soğukThe water is very cold.
- Deniz buz gibiThe sea is ice cold.
- Benim ellerim buz gibiMy hands are ice cold.
- 1209 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Zeynep and Emre are sitting outside in the autumn air.
- ZeynepHava bugün çok soğuk, değil mi?The weather is very cold today, isn't it?
- EmreEvet, gerçekten çok soğuk.Yes, it is really cold.
- Zeynepİçeri gidelim mi Emre?Shall we go inside, Emre?
- EmreHaklısın Zeynep, hadi gidelim.You are right Zeynep, let's go.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cold” translations and entries soğuk, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
