Ways to say it
| Turkish | IPA |
|---|---|
| şarap | /ʃaˈɾap/ |
| sücü | /syd͡ʒy/ (from spelling rules) |
| çakır | /t͡ʃaˈkɯɾ/ |
| mey | /ˈmej/ |
The standard, everyday word for the alcoholic beverage made from grapes is şarap. To specify the type of wine, you can use kırmızı şarap for red wine or beyaz şarap for white wine. If you want to order a specific amount, bir bardak şarap means a glass of wine.
Which one should you use?
While şarap is the standard term, other forms exist in the language such as sücü, çakır and mey.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The word şarap is the common term used in modern Turkish. In contrast, mey is a poetic or archaic term for wine, used primarily in classical Ottoman literature.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Şarap is a countable noun, meaning you can use it with number suffixes, such as şaraplar for wines. To express the action of drinking wine, use the verb phrase şarap içmek.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of şarap is /ʃaˈɾap/. The /ʃ/ sound is like the [sh] in shoe, the /ɾ/ sound is like the [t] in American English atom and the /p/ sound is like the [p] in pan.
When do people say it?
When making a toast, the Turkish word for cheers! Is şerefe!
Did you know?
- The toast şerefe! is derived from the word şeref, which means 'honor'.
- In Turkish literature, wine is often used as a metaphor for divine love or spiritual intoxication, particularly when using the word mey.
- The word mey used in poetry is actually a loanword from Persian, rather than being a native Turkic word.
Examples in context
- Bu şarap iyi mi?Is this wine good?This sentence is useful for asking if a wine is good using şarap.Tatoeba #4853640 by duran, translation #4853400 by Hybrid
- Bu bir şarap mı?Is this a wine?This sentence is useful for asking if something is a wine using şarap.Tatoeba #5986252 by duran, translation #5985860 by sabretou
- Bu iyi bir şarap.This is a good wine.This sentence is useful for describing a good wine using şarap.Tatoeba #6364789 by duran, translation #6357405 by CK
- Merhaba, bir şişe şarap alabilir miyim lütfen?Hello, can I have a bottle of wine, please?
- Konuklarınız için şarap almak istiyor musunuz?Would you like to buy wine for your guests?
- 562 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Can and Merve are looking at a menu in a restaurant.
- CanKırmızı şarap ister misin?Would you like red wine?
- MerveHayır, ben beyaz şarap tercih ederim.No, I prefer white wine.
- CanTamam, o zaman bir kadeh beyaz şarap söylüyorum.Okay, then I'm ordering a glass of white wine.
- MerveTeşekkürler Can.Thanks, Can.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wine” translations and entries şarap, çakır, mey, 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 mey, çakır, şarap, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
