kibar
/ciˈbaɾ/
The Turkish word for kind is kibar.
kibar is an adjective used to describe someone who is benevolent, courteous, friendly or generous. If you want to express the adverbial form meaning 'kindly' or 'politely', you can use kibarca by adding the suffix -ca.
Meaning: benevolent, courteous, friendly, generous (adj)
Which one should you use?
While kibar and nazik are often used as synonyms for kind, kibar leans more towards social etiquette and manners. In contrast, nazik can also imply a sense of delicacy, gentleness or being subtle.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective kibar does not change its form to agree with gender, as Turkish has no grammatical gender.
How do you pronounce it?
/ciˈbaɾ/. The /c/ sound is like the 's' in skew, /i/ is like the 'ee' in creek, /b/ is like the 'b' in about and /ɾ/ is like the 't' in American English atom.
Did you know?
- To describe someone who is not kibar, Turks might use the word kaba, which means 'rough' or 'coarse' like an unpolished stone.
- In Turkish, describing someone as too kibar in certain traditional settings can sometimes be interpreted as a sign of weakness or lack of decisiveness.
- The word kibar is inherited from the Arabic word kibār, which is the plural of 'great' or 'large'.
Examples in context
- O kibar bir çocuk.He is a kind boy.This sentence uses kibar to describe a boy.Tatoeba #1254770 by duran, translation #300022 by CK
- O kibar bir insan.She's a kind person.This sentence uses kibar to describe a person.Tatoeba #1261640 by duran, translation #593246 by CK
- O çok kibar bir kız.She is a very kind girl.This sentence uses kibar to describe a girl.Tatoeba #8315520 by ritualesatanum, translation #311786 by CK
- O, çok nazik bir insandır.He/She is a very kind person.
- Saygılı bir şekilde davranmanız rica olunur.Please behave in a respectful manner.
- Bu dostluk, vefa ile sürdürülmeli.This friendship should be maintained with kindness/faithfulness.
- O, gerçekten iyi kalpli bir kişidir.He/She is genuinely kind-hearted.
- Akdeniz insanı hoşgörülü olmasıyla tanınır.People from the Mediterranean region are known for being kind and tolerant.
- 84 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emre thanks Selin for helping him with his bags.
- EmreYardım ettiğin için teşekkürler, çok kibarsın.Thanks for helping, you are very kind.
- SelinRica ederim Emre, ne demek.You are welcome Emre, it is nothing.
- EmreHer zaman çok kibar davranıyorsun.You always act very kindly.
- SelinSadece nazik olmaya çalışıyorum.I am just trying to be polite.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry kibar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries kibar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
