Boyun Declension: Turkish Cases of 'neck'
boyun means “neck”. Its last vowel is u, so 2-way suffixes use a (boyunlar) and 4-way suffixes use u (boynun). Its last vowel drops before a vowel suffix (boynu, boyna) but stays before a consonant (boyunda).
Quick facts
- Plural
- boyunlar
- necks
- Harmony
- Back rounded
- suffix vowels a / u
- Ends in
- a consonant
- suffixes attach directly
- Object form
- boynu
- accusative, “the neck”
Rules this noun follows
- Vowel drop — The last vowel of the root drops before a vowel-initial suffix.boynu, boyna, boynum
- Linking vowel — A harmonised vowel is inserted after a consonant (kitab-ı-m).boynum, boynun
- Pronominal n — After a 3rd-person possessive, case suffixes take n (arabası-n-ı, evi-n-de).boynunu, boynunda
Boyun in all seven cases
The added suffix is highlighted. Plural forms put -lar before the case ending.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| NominativeYalın hâl · no ending | boyunneck | boyunlarnecks |
| AccusativeBelirtme hâli · -(y)I | boynuthe neck (object) | boyunlarıthe necks (object) |
| DativeYönelme hâli · -(y)A | boynato the neck | boyunlarato the necks |
| LocativeBulunma hâli · -DA | boyundain / at the neck | boyunlardain / at the necks |
| AblativeAyrılma hâli · -DAn | boyundanfrom the neck | boyunlardanfrom the necks |
| Genitiveİlgi hâli · -(n)In | boynunthe neck's / of the neck | boyunlarınthe necks's / of the necks |
| InstrumentalVasıta hâli · -(y)lA | boyunlawith the neck | boyunlarlawith the necks |
Possessive forms: “my neck”, “your neck”…
The possessive suffix comes first, then the case. After the 3rd-person forms a case ending takes an extra n (boynunda). See possessive suffixes.
| Owner | Nominative | Accusative | Dative | Locative | Ablative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| benimmy | boynummy neck | boynumumy neck (object) | boynumato my neck | boynumdain / at my neck | boynumdanfrom my neck |
| seninyour | boynunyour neck | boynunuyour neck (object) | boynunato your neck | boynundain / at your neck | boynundanfrom your neck |
| onunhis/her/its | boynuhis/her neck | boynunuhis/her neck (object) | boynunato his/her neck | boynundain / at his/her neck | boynundanfrom his/her neck |
| bizimour | boynumuzour neck | boynumuzuour neck (object) | boynumuzato our neck | boynumuzdain / at our neck | boynumuzdanfrom our neck |
| sizinyour (pl.) | boynunuzyour (pl.) neck | boynunuzuyour (pl.) neck (object) | boynunuzato your (pl.) neck | boynunuzdain / at your (pl.) neck | boynunuzdanfrom your (pl.) neck |
| onlarıntheir | boyunlarıtheir necks | boyunlarınıtheir necks (object) | boyunlarınato their necks | boyunlarındain / at their necks | boyunlarındanfrom their necks |
Plural + possessive: boyunlarım (my necks) · boyunların (your necks) · boyunları (his/her necks) · boyunlarımız (our necks) · boyunlarınız (your (pl.) necks) · boyunları (their necks)
Boyun in example sentences
Bilgisayar başında çok oturunca boynum tutuldu.
My neck got stiff from sitting at the computer too long.
Nominative case
Watch out with boyun
- The last vowel drops. Before a vowel suffix the second vowel disappears: boynu, boyna, boynum (not
*boyunu,*boyuna). Consonant suffixes keep it: boyunda, boyunlar. Rule → - Two meanings of boynun. boynun is both "of the neck" (genitive) and "your neck" (possessive). boynu is likewise both the object form and "his/her neck". Rule →
Related nouns and resources
Related nouns: body
- kalp heart
- kan blood
- karın belly
- omuz shoulder
- sırt back
- ağız mouth
- alın forehead
- ayak foot
- bacak leg
- baş head
Other nouns that drop a vowel
Questions about boyun
What is the plural of boyun?
The plural of boyun ("neck") is boyunlar. The plural suffix follows 2-way vowel harmony: the last vowel of boyun is u, a back vowel, so it takes -lar. The plural then takes case endings: boyunları, boyunlarda, boyunlardan.
How do you say "to the neck" in Turkish?
"To the neck" is boyna, the dative case (-a). Similarly, "in / at the neck" is boyunda (locative) and "from the neck" is boyundan (ablative).
Why is it boynu and not boyunu?
Boyun belongs to a group of two-syllable nouns (mostly Arabic loans and body parts) whose second vowel drops when a vowel-initial suffix follows: boynu, boyna, boynum. With consonant-initial suffixes the vowel stays: boyunda, boyunlar.
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