Ways to say it
| Turkish | IPA |
|---|---|
| zafer | /za.fɛɾ/ |
| galebe | /ɡa.leˈbe/ |
| galibiyet | /ɡalibijet/ (from spelling rules) |
| muzafferiyet | /muzaffeɾijet/ (from spelling rules) |
| utku | /utku/ |
| yengi | /jenɟi/ (from spelling rules) |
The term victory refers to the condition or state of having won a battle, a competition or having succeeded in an effort.
Which one should you use?
While zafer is the most common word for victory, galibiyet is often used in the context of sports scores or official competition results. Yengi is a more archaic or literary term for victory compared to the everyday zafer. Utku is a word of pure Turkic origin, often used in more formal or poetic contexts to avoid loanwords. Other forms include galebe, muzafferiyet and zafer.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
The word zafer is pronounced with two syllables: /za.fɛɾ/. The 'z' sound is like the [z] in 'zone', the 'f' is like the [f] in 'food' and the 'r' is like the American English [t] in 'atom'.
When do people say it?
To refer to a victory celebration, the standard phrase is zafer kutlaması. Related to the concept of success and conquest, Fetih Suresi is the name of the 48th sura of the Qur'an.
Did you know?
- The word utku is a popular given name for people in Turkey.
- In Turkish, a 'victory' can be described as 'pyrrhic' using the phrase Pirus zaferi, mirroring the Greek historical reference.
- The word galebe is a doublet of the dialectal word kalaba.
Examples in context
- O kolay bir zafer.It's an easy victory.This sentence shows how to describe an easy victory using zafer.Tatoeba #1267391 by duran, translation #435761 by CK
- Bu büyük bir zafer.This is a great victory.This sentence shows how to describe a great victory using zafer.Tatoeba #4676867 by duran, translation #1582146 by Spamster
- Tom zafer dansı yaptı.Tom did a victory dance.This sentence shows how to use zafer in the context of a victory dance.Tatoeba #7200139 by duran, translation #6670007 by Hybrid
- Zafer bizimdirVictory is ours
- Kazandık!We won!
- Meydan okuduk ve zaferi elde ettikWe challenged and achieved victory
- Anılarla dolu bir zafer kazandıkWe won a victory full of memories
- Takımım şampiyonayı kazanarak büyük bir galibiyet elde etti.My team achieved a great victory by winning the championship
- Yıllar süren mücadeleden sonra sonunda zaferi kazandık.After years of struggle, we finally won the victory
- Ne olursa olsun, asla pes etme ve zaferi elde et.No matter what happens, never give up and achieve victory
- 85 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mehmet and Elif are discussing a local sports tournament.
- MehmetTakımımız büyük bir zafer kazandı.Our team achieved a great victory.
- ElifEvet, bu harika bir zaferdi.Yes, it was a wonderful victory.
- MehmetElif, sen de çok çalıştın.Elif, you worked very hard too.
- ElifTeşekkürler, sonunda başardık!Thanks, we finally succeeded!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “victory” translations and entries zafer, galebe, galibiyet, utku, 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 galebe, galibiyet, utku, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
