Ways to say it
| Turkish | IPA |
|---|---|
| gökyüzü | /ˈɟøc.jy.zy/ |
| gök | /ˈɟøc/ |
Both words refer to the atmosphere above a given point, specifically the visible expanse where one sees the sun, moon, stars and clouds.
What does it mean word for word?
gökyüzü is a compound noun consisting of gök, meaning sky or heaven and yüz, meaning face or surface, literally translating to 'sky-face' or 'surface of the sky'.
Which one should you use?
gökyüzü is the standard noun used to describe the physical expanse of the sky. In contrast, gök is more poetic or archaic and is often found in specific compounds.
How does it change in a sentence?
gökyüzü is a compound noun that is treated as a single unit in Turkish grammar. When using the form gök to say something is 'in the sky', it takes the locative suffix -te to become gökte.
How do you pronounce it?
gökyüzü is pronounced as /ˈɟøc.jy.zy/. It has three syllables with the stress on the first syllable. The sounds are comparable to the [g] in ar[g]ue, the [k] in s[k]ew, the [y] in [y]es and the [z] in [z]one.
Did you know?
- When describing a 'skyscraper', Turkish uses the word gökdelen, which literally means 'sky-piercer'.
- The word gök historically referred to both 'blue' and 'green'. In ancient Turkic languages, these two colors were often categorized under a single term.
- The term gök is used in the name of the 'Göktürks', a powerful ancient empire, meaning 'Celestial Turks' or 'Blue Turks'.
Examples in context
- Gökte hiç bulut yok.There is no cloud in the sky.The first sentence shows how to use gök to state there are no clouds in the sky.Tatoeba #5308523 by deyta, translation #1170679 by mickey86
- Gökte hiç bulut yoktu.No clouds were in the sky.The second sentence demonstrates the use of gök in a past tense context regarding clouds in the sky.Tatoeba #4803690 by deyta, translation #2978390 by Kiepier
- Gökyüzü mavi mi? Evet.Is the sky blue? Yes.The third sentence uses gökyüzü to ask if the sky is blue.Tatoeba #4869268 by deyta, translation #796772 by papabear
- Gökyüzü çok güzel bu akşam.The sky is very beautiful this evening.
- Gece gökte yıldızlar parlıyor.Stars are shining in the night sky.
- Ne güzel gökyüzü, değil mi?What a beautiful sky, isn't it?
- Bulutlardan masallar okuyorum gökyüzünde.I read fairy tales from the clouds in the sky.
- 327 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Zeynep and Can are sitting on a park bench looking up.
- ZeynepGökyüzü ne kadar güzel!How beautiful the sky is!
- CanEvet, renkleri harika görünüyor.Yes, the colors look wonderful.
- ZeynepBütün bulutlar dağılmış.All the clouds have dispersed.
- CanGerçekten öyle, çok huzurlu.Truly, it is very peaceful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sky” translations and entries gökyüzü, gök, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gök, gökyüzü, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
