How to Say “God” in Turkish

Ways to say it

The term refers to a deity. While tanrı is the general term for a God, it can be used in a secular or mythological context. When referring specifically to the single God of monotheistic religions, it is written with a capital T as Tanrı. You can also use Yaratıcı to mean creator, or Yaradan.

Which one should you use?

tanrı is the general word for a God. In contrast, ilah is often used in a more theological or abstract sense to refer to a deity or godhead. When discussing religious contexts, Allah is used specifically within an Islamic context, whereas Tanrı can be used by people of any faith.

Related words

Deify (verb): tanrılaştırmak, ilahlaştırmak.

Single deity of monotheism (name): Allah, Tanrı, Yaradan.

How does it change in a sentence?

The plural form of tanrı is tanrılar, used when referring to multiple deities, such as the Greek gods. By adding the first-person possessive suffix -m to tanrı, you create Tanrım, which is used in exclamations. To express the verb 'to deify', you can use tanrılaştırmak or ilahlaştırmak.

How do you pronounce it?

/tanˈɾɯ/. The [n] is like the [n] in not, the [ɾ] is like the [t] in American English atom and the [ɯ] is somewhat like the [o] in ribbon.