ay
/ɑj/
The English word moon is translated into Turkish as ay. If unsure, use ay. Wiktionary also lists kamer.
Meaning: the natural satellite of planet Earth (noun)
Ways to say it
| Turkish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ay | /ɑj/ | |
| kamer | /kameɾ/ (from spelling rules) | dated |
The term ay refers to the natural satellite of planet Earth. It is a polysemous word, meaning that in addition to the celestial body, it is also used to mean 'month'.
Which one should you use?
ay is the standard, everyday term for the moon, whereas kamer is a dated form.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When you are referring to the specific celestial body (The Moon) as a proper noun, the first letter is capitalized as Ay. Additionally, adding the suffix -ım to the word creates ayım, which means 'my moon'.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɑj/. The sound of the 'j' is like the [y] in the English word 'yes'.
Did you know?
- In Turkish, the word ay can also be an exclamation of surprise or realization, similar to how an English speaker might say 'Oh!' or 'Ah!' when discovering something.
- In Turkish poetry and lyrics, kamer is often used to describe a beloved's face because of its association with pale, glowing beauty.
- Turkish has a common idiom ay gibi parlamak, which means 'to shine like the moon', often used to describe a very clear or bright complexion.
Examples in context
- O gece ay vardı.There was a moon that night.This sentence shows how to use ay to describe the presence of the moon at night.Tatoeba #923164 by maydoo, translation #44408 by CK
- Ay bu gece güzel.The moon is nice tonight.This sentence uses ay to describe the appearance of the moon.Tatoeba #1498329 by duran, translation #1360053 by CK
- Gece, o aya baktı.At night, she gazed at the moon.This sentence uses ay to describe an action directed toward the moon.Tatoeba #1425409 by duran, translation #534152 by CK
- Gece gökyüzünde parlayan ayı seyrediyordum.I was observing the shining moon in the night sky.
- 257 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Selin and Can are sitting on a balcony at night.
- SelinBak, ay ne kadar parlak!Look, the moon is so bright!
- CanEvet, ay gerçekten büyüleyici görünüyor.Yes, the moon looks truly enchanting.
- SelinCan, sen de görebiliyor musun?Can, can you see it too?
- CanEvet Selin, ay çok net.Yes Selin, the moon is very clear.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “moon” translations and entries ay, kamer, 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.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ay, kamer, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
