Ways to say it
| Turkish | IPA |
|---|---|
| isim | /iˈsim/ /ˈi.sim/ |
| ad | /ɑd/ |
| nam | /nɑm/ |
These terms refer to a word or phrase that indicates a particular person, place, class or thing. To express the action of giving a name to something, you can use the verbs adlandırmak, ad koymak or the more formal isimlendirmek.
Which one should you use?
While both ad and isim mean "name", isim is the standard term used in linguistics to refer to the grammatical category of a "noun". Nam is an older, more formal word that is typically used in the context of "reputation" or "fame" rather than a person's given name.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
To name something or designate it, isimlendirmek is more formal than the colloquial ad koymak. When addressing people formally, you can use a person's first name followed by Bey for men or Hanım for women, such as Ali Bey (Mr. Ali). To express closeness or endearment, you can add the suffix -cığım to a name.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When expressing "the name of [someone]", the word ad takes the third-person possessive suffix, appearing as adı. If you are performing an action directly on a name (for example, "I know his name"), the word becomes adını due to the accusative case.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of isim is /iˈsim/. This can be broken down into the following sounds: the "i" as in the English word cr[ee]k, the "s" as in [s]end and the "m" as in [m]uch.
Did you know?
- The word nam is a linguistic cousin to the English word 'name', as both trace back to the same ancient Proto-Indo-European root.
- Even though ad and isim both mean 'name', they come from entirely different language families, with ad being Turkic and isim being Arabic.
- Turkish uses Bey and Hanım after a first name to show respect, whereas English typically uses 'Mr.' or 'Ms.' before a last name.
Examples in context
- Şu kuşun adı ne?What is the name of that bird?This sentence is useful for asking for the name of a bird using ad.Tatoeba #2660806 by Gulo_Luscus, translation #1476788 by weihaiping
- Bu kızın adı ne?What is this girl's name?This sentence is useful for asking for a girl's name using ad.Tatoeba #4526662 by deyta, translation #3133927 by Serhiy
- O adamın adı ne?What's that man's name?This sentence is useful for asking for a man's name using ad.Tatoeba #8556238 by cartals, translation #8553056 by CK
- Affedersiniz, Yılmaz Bey.Excuse me, Mr. Yılmaz.
- Merhaba, Ayşe.Hello, Ayşe.
- AhmetcığımMy dear Ahmet
- 2081 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mehmet and Merve are discussing a new student in their class.
- MehmetYeni öğrencinin ismi ne?What is the new student's name?
- MerveOnun ismi Can.His name is Can.
- MehmetCan çok güzel bir isim.Can is a very nice name.
- MerveEvet, ben de çok sevdim.Yes, I liked it too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “name” translations and entries isim, ad, nam, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ad, isim, nam, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
