Which one should you use?
Use uyanmak to describe the transition from sleep to being awake. Do not confuse it with kalkmak, which refers specifically to the physical act of getting out of bed. Additionally, while uyanmak means to wake up oneself, the verb uyandırmak is the causative form used when you wake someone else up.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb stem for uyanmak is uyan-. To form the first-person singular past tense 'I woke up', you add the past tense suffix -dı and the personal suffix -m to the stem, resulting in uyandım.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /u.janˈmak/. It has three syllables with the stress on the third syllable. The sounds are: /u/ as in c[oo]l, /j/ as in [y]es, /n/ as in [n]ot, /m/ as in [m]uch and /k/ as in [c]ore.
Did you know?
- The verb uyanmak has distant linguistic relatives in the Mongolian language, such as the word udax, meaning 'to stir up'.
- While uyanmak means to wake up, the word uyanış is used to describe a broader 'awakening' or 'renaissance' of a culture or people.
- In poetic or dramatic Turkish, uyanmak is often used metaphorically to describe someone suddenly realizing a harsh truth or 'waking up' to reality.
Examples in context
- Yarın sabah erken uyanmak istiyorum.I want to wake up early tomorrow morning.This sentence shows how to express a desire to wake up early.Tatoeba #3705158 by duran, translation #3594681 by CK
- Ben saat 6.30'da uyanmak zorundayım.I have to wake up at 6:30.This sentence demonstrates the necessity of waking up at a specific time.Tatoeba #4868242 by deyta, translation #4398722 by XenoKat
- Yarın sabah erken uyanmak zorundasın.You have to wake up early tomorrow morning.This sentence shows how to tell someone else they must wake up early.Tatoeba #1214117 by duran, translation #323194 by CK
- Uyanın, toplantıya geç kalmayalım!Wake up, let's not be late for the meeting!
- Uyan artık, kahvaltı hazır!Wake up already, breakfast is ready!
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Merve and Burak are talking about their morning routine at home.
- MerveBurak, sabah kaçta uyanmak istersin?Burak, what time do you want to wake up in the morning?
- BurakSaat sekizde uyanmak benim için harika olur.Waking up at eight would be great for me.
- MerveTamam, ben seni saat sekizde uyandırırım.Okay, I will wake you up at eight.
- BurakTeşekkürler Merve, çok naziksin.Thanks Merve, you are very kind.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wake up” translations and entries uyanmak, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries uyanmak, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
