kaba
/kaˈba/
The English word rude can be translated into Turkish as kaba. Wiktionary also lists küstah.
Meaning: bad-mannered (adj)
Ways to say it
| Turkish | IPA |
|---|---|
| kaba | /kaˈba/ |
| küstah | /cystah/ (from spelling rules) |
The term kaba is used to describe someone or something that is bad-mannered. To emphasize that someone's behavior is extremely coarse or unrefined, you can use the reduplicated form kaba saba.
Which one should you use?
While kaba is the more common and general term for rudeness, küstah carries a stronger connotation of social defiance or lack of respect.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun form of the adjective kaba is kabalık, which means rudeness or coarseness.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of kaba is /kaˈba/. The /k/ sound is like the [c] in core and the /b/ sound is like the [b] in about.
Did you know?
- The word kaba is related to the idea of something being 'swollen' or 'thick' in its Proto-Turkic origins. It describes a person's manner as having an unrefined or 'thick' texture.
- While kaba means 'rude' when describing a person, it also means 'coarse' or 'rough' when describing a material, such as 'rough' fabric or 'coarse' salt.
- In Turkish, the word kaba can be used to describe an oversized or bulky object, implying that the item is 'clunky'.
Examples in context
- Ne kaba bir adam!What a rude man!This sentence is useful for expressing surprise at a rude man using kaba.Tatoeba #2017086 by duran, translation #36083 by CM
- Ne kaba bir yorum!What a rude comment!This sentence is useful for expressing surprise at a rude comment using kaba.Tatoeba #5505849 by duran, translation #5505621 by CK
- O kaba bir kişidir.He is a rude person.This sentence is useful for describing someone as a rude person using kaba.Tatoeba #1261337 by duran, translation #303973 by CK
- O kadar kaba davranmamalısın.You shouldn't behave so rudely.
- Çok saygısızca davranıyorsun.You are behaving very rudely.
- Ne kadar terbiyesizce davranıyor.He/She is behaving so rudely.
- Terbiyesizlik yapıyorsun, bu yakışmıyor sana.You are being rude, which doesn't suit you.
- Size karşı kullanılan dil oldukça kaba.The language used against you is quite rude.
- Bu şekilde davranmak hoş olmadığı gibi, insanları üzebilirsin.Behaving like this is not nice, and you might hurt people.
- 231 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Zeynep and Burak are discussing a waiter at a restaurant.
- ZeynepGarson bize karşı çok kaba davrandı.The waiter acted very rude toward us.
- BurakEvet, gerçekten hiç nazik değildi.Yes, he really wasn't polite at all.
- ZeynepBu kadar kaba olması çok şaşırtıcı.It's surprising that he was so rude.
- BurakHaklısın Zeynep, şikayet etmeliyiz.You are right Zeynep, we should complain.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “rude” translations and entries kaba, küstah, 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 kaba, küstah, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
