portakal
/poɾtakal/from spelling rules
The English word orange (fruit) is portakal in Turkish.
portakal is used to refer to the fruit itself. If you want to describe something as having the color of the fruit, you can use turuncu or the phrase portakal rengi.
Meaning: fruit (noun)
Which one should you use?
While portakal refers to the fruit, turuncu is the specific word used for the color orange. Additionally, portakal rengi (literally 'orange color') is a common way to describe the color orange, often used in contexts like fashion or interior design.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /poɾtakal/. The /p/ sound is like the [p] in pan, the /ɾ/ sound is like the [t] in American English atom and the /k/ sound is like the [c] in core.
Did you know?
- The word portakal is a linguistic traveler that arrived in Turkish via Persian and Arabic from the Portuguese. It is a direct nod to the explorers who brought the fruit to the Mediterranean.
- In Turkey, it is common to see portakal served in a way that is unfamiliar to many English speakers: the fruit is sliced in half and squeezed directly into a glass with a handheld press at breakfast.
- The word turuncu is a relatively modern addition to the language. In older texts, people often described the color by combining portakal with rengi because a dedicated word for the hue did not exist.
Examples in context
- O bir tür portakal.It is a kind of orange.This sentence is useful for identifying a type of portakal.Tatoeba #1273172 by duran, translation #42775 by CC
- Bu portakal çok ekşi.This orange is too sour.This sentence describes a property of the portakal.Tatoeba #4148966 by deyta, translation #1815582 by inestpereira
- Bana bir portakal ver.Give me an orange.This sentence is used for requesting a portakal.Tatoeba #2025975 by duran, translation #1615374 by marcelostockle
- Bu kitapta turuncu renkte çizimler bulunuyor.This book contains drawings in the color orange.
- Yeni ofis tasarımımızda portakal rengi odalar kullanmayı düşünüyoruz.We are considering using orange-colored rooms in our new office design.
- Bugün turuncumsu bir kazak giymeyi düşünüyorum.I'm thinking of wearing an orangish sweater today.
- 149 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Burak and Merve are in the kitchen.
- BurakMerve, mutfakta taze portakal var mı?Merve, are there fresh oranges in the kitchen?
- MerveEvet Burak, sepetin içinde üç tane var.Yes Burak, there are three in the basket.
- BurakHarika, bir tane portakal yiyeceğim.Great, I will eat one orange.
- MerveAfiyet olsun, çok vitaminli bir meyvedir.Enjoy it, it is a very vitamin-rich fruit.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “orange” translations and entries portakal, 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 portakal, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
