Burun Declension: Turkish Cases of 'nose'
burun means “nose”. Its last vowel is u, so 2-way suffixes use a (burunlar) and 4-way suffixes use u (burnun). Its last vowel drops before a vowel suffix (burnu, burna) but stays before a consonant (burunda).
Quick facts
- Plural
- burunlar
- noses
- Harmony
- Back rounded
- suffix vowels a / u
- Ends in
- a consonant
- suffixes attach directly
- Object form
- burnu
- accusative, “the nose”
Rules this noun follows
- Vowel drop — The last vowel of the root drops before a vowel-initial suffix.burnu, burna, burnum
- Linking vowel — A harmonised vowel is inserted after a consonant (kitab-ı-m).burnum, burnun
- Pronominal n — After a 3rd-person possessive, case suffixes take n (arabası-n-ı, evi-n-de).burnunu, burnunda
Burun in all seven cases
The added suffix is highlighted. Plural forms put -lar before the case ending.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| NominativeYalın hâl · no ending | burunnose | burunlarnoses |
| AccusativeBelirtme hâli · -(y)I | burnuthe nose (object) | burunlarıthe noses (object) |
| DativeYönelme hâli · -(y)A | burnato the nose | burunlarato the noses |
| LocativeBulunma hâli · -DA | burundain / at the nose | burunlardain / at the noses |
| AblativeAyrılma hâli · -DAn | burundanfrom the nose | burunlardanfrom the noses |
| Genitiveİlgi hâli · -(n)In | burnunthe nose's / of the nose | burunlarınthe noses's / of the noses |
| InstrumentalVasıta hâli · -(y)lA | burunlawith the nose | burunlarlawith the noses |
Possessive forms: “my nose”, “your nose”…
The possessive suffix comes first, then the case. After the 3rd-person forms a case ending takes an extra n (burnunda). See possessive suffixes.
| Owner | Nominative | Accusative | Dative | Locative | Ablative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| benimmy | burnummy nose | burnumumy nose (object) | burnumato my nose | burnumdain / at my nose | burnumdanfrom my nose |
| seninyour | burnunyour nose | burnunuyour nose (object) | burnunato your nose | burnundain / at your nose | burnundanfrom your nose |
| onunhis/her/its | burnuhis/her nose | burnunuhis/her nose (object) | burnunato his/her nose | burnundain / at his/her nose | burnundanfrom his/her nose |
| bizimour | burnumuzour nose | burnumuzuour nose (object) | burnumuzato our nose | burnumuzdain / at our nose | burnumuzdanfrom our nose |
| sizinyour (pl.) | burnunuzyour (pl.) nose | burnunuzuyour (pl.) nose (object) | burnunuzato your (pl.) nose | burnunuzdain / at your (pl.) nose | burnunuzdanfrom your (pl.) nose |
| onlarıntheir | burunlarıtheir noses | burunlarınıtheir noses (object) | burunlarınato their noses | burunlarındain / at their noses | burunlarındanfrom their noses |
Plural + possessive: burunlarım (my noses) · burunların (your noses) · burunları (his/her noses) · burunlarımız (our noses) · burunlarınız (your (pl.) noses) · burunları (their noses)
Burun in example sentences
Watch out with burun
- The last vowel drops. Before a vowel suffix the second vowel disappears: burnu, burna, burnum (not
*burunu,*buruna). Consonant suffixes keep it: burunda, burunlar. Rule → - Two meanings of burnun. burnun is both "of the nose" (genitive) and "your nose" (possessive). burnu is likewise both the object form and "his/her nose". Rule →
Related nouns and resources
Related nouns: body
Other nouns that drop a vowel
Questions about burun
What is the plural of burun?
The plural of burun ("nose") is burunlar. The plural suffix follows 2-way vowel harmony: the last vowel of burun is u, a back vowel, so it takes -lar. The plural then takes case endings: burunları, burunlarda, burunlardan.
How do you say "to the nose" in Turkish?
"To the nose" is burna, the dative case (-a). Similarly, "in / at the nose" is burunda (locative) and "from the nose" is burundan (ablative).
Why is it burnu and not burunu?
Burun belongs to a group of two-syllable nouns (mostly Arabic loans and body parts) whose second vowel drops when a vowel-initial suffix follows: burnu, burna, burnum. With consonant-initial suffixes the vowel stays: burunda, burunlar.
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