sıçan
/sɯt͡ʃan/from spelling rules
The English word 'rat' is translated into Turkish as sıçan or keme.
Meaning: rodent (noun)
Ways to say it
| Turkish | IPA |
|---|---|
| sıçan | /sɯt͡ʃan/ (from spelling rules) |
| keme | /ceme/ (from spelling rules) |
Both terms refer to the rodent known as a rat.
Which one should you use?
While sıçan refers to a rat, the word fare is used in Turkish to refer to a mouse.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the plural 'rats', use sıçanlar. To indicate possession or the genitive case, such as 'of the rat', use sıçanın.
How do you pronounce it?
/sɯtʃan/. The sound is composed of [s] as in [s]end, a sound somewhat like the vowel in ribb[o]n, [ch] as in [ch]ange and [n] as in [n]ot.
Did you know?
- The word sıçan has a rather unappetizing origin, as it is etymologically rooted in the Proto-Turkic verb meaning 'to shit'.
- In colloquial Turkish, the word fare is often used for both mice and rats, making sıçan sound more technical or literary.
- While English speakers use 'rat' to mean a person who betrays others, calling someone a sıçan in Turkish carries a much stronger, more visceral sense of filth and disgust due to its origins.
Examples in context
- Şahin bir sıçan yakaladı.The hawk caught a rat.This sentence shows how to use sıçan to describe an animal being caught.Tatoeba #4806742 by deyta, translation #2895518 by mervert1
- Tom metroda bir sıçan gördü.Tom saw a rat in the subway.This sentence demonstrates the use of sıçan when describing seeing a rodent in a subway.Tatoeba #4752130 by deyta, translation #4647240 by Hybrid
- Bir sıçan yolu koşarak geçti.A rat ran across the road.This sentence illustrates sıçan in the context of an animal running across a road.Tatoeba #1294363 by duran, translation #35798 by CK
- Bu evde sıçan var.There is a rat in this house.
- Fareler laboratuvar ortamında inceleniyor.Rats are being studied in the laboratory environment.
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
In a kitchen during a late-night snack.
- CanMutfakta bir sıçan gördüm!I saw a rat in the kitchen!
- ElifGerçekten mi, Can?Really, Can?
- CanEvet, çok büyük bir sıçandı.Yes, it was a very big rat.
- ElifHemen bir tuzak kuralım.Let's set a trap immediately.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “rat” translations and entries sıçan, keme, 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 keme, sıçan, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
