Ways to say it
| Turkish | IPA |
|---|---|
| sayı | /sɑ.jɯ/ |
| rakam | /ɾakam/ (from spelling rules) |
| adet | /ˈɑ.det/ |
In Turkish, the term for number depends on whether you are discussing an abstract mathematical quantity, a single digit or a physical count of items. Use sayı for abstract mathematical numbers. If you want to say two million, you say iki milyon using the cardinal number milyon. For the cardinal number 4, use dört, for 5, use beş and for 1,000,000, use milyon. You can also use abbreviations like 1k for 1,000 or 10k for 10,000. To express ordinal positions, such as 4th, 100th or 1,000th, use dördüncü, yüzüncü and bininci respectively.
Which one should you use?
There are important distinctions between the different forms. Use sayı for abstract mathematical quantities. Use rakam specifically when referring to the individual digits 0-9. Use adet when counting discrete physical items or units, such as '5 pieces of fruit', rather than discussing abstract mathematical numbers.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
The word sayı is pronounced /sɑ.jɯ/. The /s/ sound is like the [s] in [s]end, the /j/ sound is like the [y] in [y]es and the /ɯ/ sound is somewhat like the [o] in ribb[o]n.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use rakam to mean any number. In Turkish, rakam only refers to the single-digit symbols 0 through 9.
Did you know?
- When using adet to count physical objects, Turkish speakers often treat it as a 'classifier' similar to how Chinese or Japanese speakers use specific words for 'flat objects' or 'long objects'.
- In historical Ottoman Turkish, the word sayı was written using the Arabic script, reflecting the era when Turkish administrative and mathematical language was heavily influenced by Persian and Arabic.
- The word rakam traces its roots back to Arabic, appearing in Ottoman Turkish as the word raqam.
Examples in context
- Ne güzel bir sayı.What a beautiful number.This sentence is useful for expressing admiration for a number using sayı.Tatoeba #5563793 by deyta, translation #5563142 by shanghainese
- On bir asal sayıdır.Eleven is a prime number.This sentence demonstrates how to identify a prime number using sayı.Tatoeba #4135533 by deyta, translation #2619455 by orcrist
- O makul bir sayı mı?Is that a reasonable number?This sentence shows how to ask if a number is reasonable using sayı.Tatoeba #5811208 by duran, translation #5736728 by CM
- 234 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Burak and Zeynep are discussing a competition score.
- BurakBu sayı çok yüksek değil mi?Isn't this number very high?
- ZeynepEvet, beklediğimizden büyük bir sayı.Yes, it is a larger number than we expected.
- BurakPuanı doğru yazdığından emin misin?Are you sure you wrote the score correctly?
- ZeynepEvet, doğru sayıyı sisteme girdim.Yes, I entered the correct number into the system.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “number” translations and entries sayı, rakam, adet, 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 adet, rakam, sayı, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
