How does it change in a sentence?
When using the name in a sentence, you may need to add suffixes preceded by an apostrophe. To express possession (of Greece or Greece's), use Yunanistan'ın. To express direction toward the country (to Greece), use Yunanistan'a. To express being located within the country (in Greece), use Yunanistan'da.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ju.na.nisˈtan/. The /j/ sounds like the [y] in "yes", the /u/ sounds like the [oo] in "cool", the /n/ sounds like the [n] in "not", the /i/ sounds like the [ee] in "creek" and the /s/ sounds like the [s] in "send". The stress is on the 4th of 4 syllables.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not confuse the country name Yunanistan with Yunan, which refers to a Greek person or the Greek language.
Did you know?
- In Turkish, referring to a Greek person as Yunan is neutral, but in certain historical political contexts, the term Rum was used instead to refer to the Greek-speaking population of the East.
- Turkish uses the word Yunan for 'Greek' instead of a word derived from 'Hellas'. This stems from the ancient Greek word 'Ionian', which referred to a specific group of Greeks.
- The name Yunanistan contains the Persian suffix -istan, which is also found in English words like 'Afghanistan' or 'Uzbekistan' to signify 'land of'.
Examples in context
- Yunanistan eski bir ülke.Greece is an old country.Tatoeba #4577729 by maydoo, translation #3935488 by CM
- Yunanistan güzel bir ülke.Greece is a lovely country.Tatoeba #5962094 by duran, translation #5961615 by mailohilohi
- Yunanistan'ın çok adası var.Greece has many islands.Tatoeba #2492336 by duran, translation #2122300 by freddy1
- Yunanistan'daki kültürel etkinliklere katılmayı planlıyorum.I'm planning to attend cultural events in Greece.
- Yunanistan'a seyahat etmek için bir vize almamız gerekiyor.We need to get a visa to travel to Greece.
- 51 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elif and Mehmet are discussing their travel plans in a cafe.
- ElifYunanistan'a gitmek istiyor musun?Do you want to go to Greece?
- MehmetEvet, Yunanistan harika bir yer.Yes, Greece is a wonderful place.
- ElifSenin için en iyi rota hangisi?Which is the best route for you?
- MehmetAdaları gezmeyi çok seviyorum.I love visiting the islands.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “greece” translations and entries Yunanistan, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Yunanistan, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
