Ways to say it
| Turkish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| üzgün | /yzˈɟyn/ | |
| mutsuz | /mutˈsuz/ | |
| tasalı | /tasalɯ/ (from spelling rules) | |
| gamlı | /ɡamlɯ/ (from spelling rules) | |
| mağmum | /maːmum/ (from spelling rules) | |
| mahzun | /mahˈzun/ | |
| melul | /meˈluːl/ | |
| kırık kalpli | /kɯɾɯk kalpli/ (from spelling rules) | figuratively |
The terms used to express sadness in Turkish range from describing a temporary feeling of being upset to describing a long-term state of unhappiness or even poetic melancholy.
Which one should you use?
üzgün describes a temporary state of being upset or feeling sorrow. In contrast, mutsuz describes a general state of unhappiness or lack of happiness. For more poetic or literary contexts, you might encounter gamlı, which is a more poetic or literary way to describe someone who is burdened by grief or sorrow or mahzun, a more formal or literary term often used in literature to describe a person who looks sad or dejected.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
gamlı is a more poetic or literary way to describe someone who is burdened by grief or sorrow. mahzun is a more formal or literary term often used in literature to describe a person who looks sad or dejected. kırık kalpli is used figuratively.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say "I am sad", you add the first-person singular suffix -üm to the stem üzgün to form üzgünüm.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /yzˈɟyn/. The /z/ sound is like the [z] in "zone", the /ɟ/ sound is like the [g] in "argue" and the /n/ sound is like the [n] in "not".
Did you know?
- The word for unhappy, mutsuz, is built from a word for happy, mutlu, which itself comes from the word for hope, umut.
- The word üzgün is derived from the verb üzmek, which means 'to sadden' or 'to grieve'. In Turkish, many adjectives for emotions are formed by adding suffixes to verbs that describe the action causing the feeling.
- The phrase kırık kalpli literally translates to 'broken hearted'. Like in English, this is used figuratively, but in Turkish, it often carries a heavier weight of permanent loss rather than a temporary breakup.
Examples in context
- O çok, çok üzgün.That's very, very sad.This sentence is useful for emphasizing the intensity of being sad using the form üzgün.Tatoeba #5774906 by duran, translation #5774059 by CK
- Ne üzgün bir adam!What a sad man!This sentence shows how to use üzgün as an adjective to describe a person.Tatoeba #5307706 by deyta, translation #1183701 by paula_guisard
- Şu an çok üzgünüm.I'm pretty sad right now.This sentence demonstrates how to use the form üzgün to express your current state.Tatoeba #7223626 by duran, translation #7223107 by CK
- Üzgünüm.I'm sorry.
- Çok üzgün olduğumu hissediyorum.I feel very sad.
- Maalesef sizi üzmek istemedim.Unfortunately, I didn't want to make you sad.
- Mutsuzum.I'm sad.
- Bu durum beni çok mutsuz etti.This situation made me very sad.
- Aramızdan ayrıldığına çok kederlenmiştim.I was very saddened by their departure.
- Kederli günler geçiriyorum.I'm going through sad days.
- 281 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mehmet and Merve are talking about a movie.
- MehmetBu film beni çok üzgün yaptı.This movie made me very sad.
- MerveEvet, sonu gerçekten çok üzücüydü.Yes, the ending was really sad.
- MehmetHâlâ biraz üzgün hissediyorum.I still feel a bit sad.
- MerveÜzgün olma Mehmet, sadece bir filmdi.Don't be sad Mehmet, it was just a movie.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sad” translations and entries üzgün, mutsuz, gamlı, mağmum, mahzun, melul, 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 gamlı, mutsuz, üzgün, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
