gece
/ɟed͡ʒe/from spelling rules
The English word 'night' is translated into Turkish as gece.
gece refers to the period between sunset and sunrise. To describe specific times related to the night, you can use the phrase gece yarısı to mean 'midnight', which literally translates to 'half of the night'.
Meaning: period between sunset and sunrise (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
To indicate possession or a relationship to the night, such as 'of the night', use the genitive form gecenin.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ɟedʒe/. The first sound is like the 'g' in ar[g]ue and the second sound is like the 'j' in [j]ump.
When do people say it?
When greeting someone in the evening, you may say İyi akşamlar for 'Good evening'. When bidding someone farewell for the night, use İyi Geceler! for 'Good night!'
Did you know?
- In Turkish culture, gece is often associated with the concept of gecekondu, which literally means 'built overnight'.
- The Hungarian word késik, meaning 'to be late', is actually a very old borrowing from the same Turkic root as gece.
- Historically, the word gece was written differently in Ottoman Turkish, using Arabic script as گیجه, before the alphabet shift to Latin characters.
Examples in context
- O gece ne oldu?What happened that night?This example shows how to use gece to refer to a specific night in the past.Tatoeba #4568260 by duran, translation #2700317 by Hybrid
- O gece ay vardı.There was a moon that night.This sentence uses gece to describe a specific night's conditions.Tatoeba #923164 by maydoo, translation #44408 by CK
- O bir gece kuşu.She's a night owl.This sentence uses gece as part of an expression for a night owl.Tatoeba #2034729 by duran, translation #1862555 by Spamster
- Size hoş bir akşam dilerim.Wishing you a pleasant evening.
- İyi geceler, iyi uykular.Goodnight, sleep well.
- 3315 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Burak and Selin are planning a walk in the city.
- BurakGece yürüyüş yapalım mı?Shall we go for a walk at night?
- SelinEvet, gece çok güzel olur.Yes, it would be very beautiful at night.
- BurakSelin, gece hava soğuk mu?Selin, is it cold at night?
- SelinEvet, yanına ceket almalısın.Yes, you should take a jacket with you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “night” translations and entries gece, 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 gece, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
