dondurma
/don.duɾˈma/
The English phrase ice cream is translated into Turkish as dondurma. Wiktionary also lists buzkaymak.
Meaning: dessert (noun)
Ways to say it
| Turkish | IPA |
|---|---|
| dondurma | /don.duɾˈma/ /donˈduɾ.ma/ |
| buzkaymak | /buzkajmak/ (from spelling rules) |
Which one should you use?
dondurma is the standard word used for ice cream, whereas buzkaymak is a much less common, more archaic or regional term.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables, with the stress on the third syllable. The sounds are: /n/ as in [n]ot, /u/ as in c[oo]l, /ɾ/ as in AmE a[t]om and /m/ as in [m]uch.
Did you know?
- Street vendors selling dondurma often perform a theatrical game, teasing customers by pretending to give them the scoop and then quickly pulling it away.
- Traditional Turkish dondurma is made with salep, a flour ground from the tubers of wild orchids, which gives it a chewy, stretchy texture.
- If you want to eat traditional stretchy Turkish ice cream, you would ask for maraş dondurması, named after the city of Kahramanmaraş.
Examples in context
- Tom çok dondurma yer.Tom eats a lot of ice cream.This sentence shows how to use dondurma to describe eating a lot of the dessert.Tatoeba #10263492 by tulin, translation #8341307 by CK
- Ben de dondurma yedim.I ate ice cream, too.This sentence shows how to use dondurma to express having eaten it as well.Tatoeba #7047845 by duran, translation #7046386 by CK
- Bana biraz dondurma ver.Give me a little ice cream.This sentence shows how to use dondurma when asking for a small amount.Tatoeba #5686869 by duran, translation #2510135 by AlanF_US
- Lütfen, bir porsiyon dondurma alabilir miyim?Excuse me, may I have a portion of ice cream, please?
- Yazın Maraş Dondurması yemek için sabırsızlanıyorum!I can't wait to have Maraş ice cream in the summer!
- Arkadaşlarla dondurmacıya gitmeyi planlıyoruz. Katılmak ister misiniz?We are planning to go to the ice cream parlor with friends. Would you like to join?
- 263 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Zeynep and Mehmet are deciding what to eat after dinner.
- ZeynepTatlı olarak dondurma yer miyiz?Shall we have ice cream for dessert?
- MehmetEvet, harika bir fikir.Yes, that is a great idea.
- ZeynepHangi çeşit dondurma istersin?Which kind of ice cream do you want?
- MehmetBen çikolatalı dondurma alacağım.I will get chocolate ice cream.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ice cream” translations and entries dondurma, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Turkish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
