koyun
/koˈjun/
The Turkish word for sheep is koyun.
koyun is the noun used to refer to the animal itself.
Meaning: animal (noun)
Which one should you use?
While koyun refers generally to the animal sheep, the specific word kuzu is used when referring to a lamb.
How does it change in a sentence?
To indicate possession or the 'of' relationship (the genitive case), the word koyun takes the suffix -un to become koyunun.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /koˈjun/. Using English sound comparisons: the /k/ is like the [c] in core, the /j/ is like the [y] in yes, the /u/ is like the [oo] in cool and the /n/ is like the [n] in not.
Did you know?
- In Turkish, the word koyun is a homonym that can mean both 'sheep' and 'bosom' or 'lap'.
- The word koyun is related to the Mongolian word for sheep, xonʹ, although it is possible the Mongols borrowed the term from Turkic languages.
- The word koyun is used in various Turkish idioms to describe someone who is innocent or simply follows the crowd.
Examples in context
- Bana bir koyun çiz.Draw me a sheep.This sentence is useful for practicing the request to draw a koyun.Tatoeba #2009549 by duran, translation #548989 by Scott
- Hiç koyun kestin mi?Have you ever slaughtered a sheep?This sentence is useful for asking about the past action of slaughtering a koyun.Tatoeba #3876111 by duran, translation #1725057 by Amastan
- Koyun bize yün verir.Sheep provide us with wool.This sentence is useful for stating a general fact about what a koyun provides.Tatoeba #489594 by deyta, translation #34763 by CM
- Kırsal bölgelerde, çobanlar koyunları otlatır.In rural areas, shepherds graze the sheep.
- 111 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Zeynep and Burak are walking through a rural village.
- ZeynepŞu beyaz koyun çok tatlı.That white sheep is very sweet.
- BurakEvet, koyunlar çok uysal görünüyor.Yes, the sheep look very docile.
- ZeynepBir koyun bile olsa çok sevimli.Even if it is just one sheep, it is very cute.
- BurakDoğayı seviyorum.I love nature.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sheep” translations and entries koyun, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries koyun, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
