Ways to say it
| Turkish | IPA |
|---|---|
| ton balığı | /ˈton ba.ɫɯ.ɯ/ |
| orkinos | /oɾ.ciˈnos/ |
| ton | /ton/ |
The term refers to the tuna fish or tuna as a food product.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ton balığı is a compound where ton means tuna and balığı means fish.
Which one should you use?
ton balığı is the standard term used for both the living fish and the canned food product. In contrast, orkinos is a more technical or biological term used to refer to the species.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˈton ba.ɫɯ.ɯ/. The stress is on the first of the three syllables. The sound of /n/ is like the [n] in English 'not', the sound of /b/ is like the [b] in English 'about' and the sound of /ɯ/ is somewhat like the [o] in the English word 'ribbon'.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using ton alone to refer to the fish. In Turkish, ton primarily means the unit of weight, so you should use the full phrase ton balığı instead.
Did you know?
- The Turkish word for tuna shares a complex history where ton can be traced back to different French roots: both 'tonne' for weight and 'thon' for the fish.
- The phrase ton balığı is a compound where the second word balığı undergoes a grammatical change to indicate it is a type of fish.
Examples in context
- Bir ton balığı salatası yedim.I ate a tuna salad.This sentence is useful for describing eating a tuna salad with ton balığı.Tatoeba #4541617 by duran, translation #4540919 by Hybrid
- Ton balığı çok hızlı yüzebilir.Tuna can swim very fast.This sentence is useful for describing how ton balığı can swim fast.Tatoeba #4124088 by duran, translation #4098170 by Hybrid
- Tom bir ton balığı kutusu açtı.Tom opened a can of tuna fish.This sentence is useful for describing opening a can of ton balığı.Tatoeba #4587350 by duran, translation #2006513 by CK
- Orkinoslu bir salata hazırlayabilir misiniz?I was wondering if you could prepare a tuna salad.
- Akşam yemeği için taze orkinosları mangalda pişirelim!Let's grill some fresh tuna for dinner!
- Lezzetli orkinos suşisini hiç denedin mi?Have you ever tasted delicious orkinos sushi?
- 18 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emre and Zeynep are deciding what to eat for lunch in the kitchen.
- EmreÖğle yemeği için ne hazırlayayım?What should I prepare for lunch?
- ZeynepHızlıca bir ton balığı sandviçi yapabilirsin.You can quickly make a tuna sandwich.
- EmreTamam, hemen ton balığı kutusunu açıyorum.Okay, I am opening the tuna can right now.
- ZeynepHarika, çok lezzetli olacağına eminim.Great, I am sure it will be delicious.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tuna” translations and entries ton balığı, orkinos, ton, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries orkinos, ton, ton balığı, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
