bal
/ˈbaɫ/
The English word honey is translated into Turkish as bal.
bal refers to the sweet substance produced by bees. While bal is the literal substance, there are other informal terms used when addressing loved ones as 'honey'.
Meaning: sweet substance produced by bees (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˈbaɫ/. The b sound is like the [b] in the English word about.
Did you know?
- Turkey is one of the world's largest producers of honey, and certain regional varieties, like pine honey, are unique because the bees collect secretions from aphids rather than flower nectar.
- The Turkish idiom bal döküp gül serpmek translates to 'pouring honey and sprinkling roses' and describes the act of being excessively sweet to someone to win their favor.
- In Turkish, the word ballı means 'with honey' but is also used as slang to describe someone who is unexpectedly lucky.
Examples in context
- O, bal kadar tatlı.She's as sweet as honey.This sentence uses bal to compare a person's sweetness to honey.Tatoeba #4441839 by deyta, translation #1520888 by Spamster
- Ne kadar bal kaldı?How much honey is left?This sentence uses bal to ask about the remaining quantity of the substance.Tatoeba #6442130 by duran, translation #6440256 by CK
- Ne kadar bal aldın?How much honey did you buy?This sentence uses bal to ask about the quantity of honey purchased.Tatoeba #6445793 by duran, translation #6439533 by CK
- Tatlım, günün nasıldı?Honey, how was your day?
- 74 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Can and Zeynep are having breakfast together.
- CanZeynep, biraz bal ekleyebilir misin?Zeynep, can you add some honey?
- ZeynepTabii, bal nerede?Of course, where is the honey?
- CanDolabın üstünde duruyor.It is sitting on top of the cupboard.
- ZeynepTamam, hemen getiriyorum.Okay, I'm bringing it right now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “honey” translations and entries bal, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
