Harf Declension: Turkish Cases of 'letter'
harf means “letter (of the alphabet)”. Although its last vowel is a, it is a loanword that takes front-vowel suffixes (e/i/ü), so the plural is harfler. It is a regular noun: suffixes attach directly to harf, as in harfi and harfte.
Quick facts
- Plural
- harfler
- letters
- Harmony
- Front unrounded
- suffix vowels e / i (loanword)
- Ends in
- a consonant
- suffixes attach directly
- Object form
- harfi
- accusative, “the letter”
Rules this noun follows
- Loanword exception — This loanword takes front (e/i/ü) suffixes even though its last vowel is back.harfler, harfi, harfe
- Consonant hardening — After f, s, t, k, ç, ş, h, p a suffix-initial d becomes t (and c becomes ç).harfte, harften
- Linking vowel — A harmonised vowel is inserted after a consonant (kitab-ı-m).harfim, harfin
- Pronominal n — After a 3rd-person possessive, case suffixes take n (arabası-n-ı, evi-n-de).harfini, harfinde
Harf in all seven cases
The added suffix is highlighted. Plural forms put -ler before the case ending.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| NominativeYalın hâl · no ending | harfletter | harflerletters |
| AccusativeBelirtme hâli · -(y)I | harfithe letter (object) | harflerithe letters (object) |
| DativeYönelme hâli · -(y)A | harfeto the letter | harflereto the letters |
| LocativeBulunma hâli · -DA | harftein / at the letter | harflerdein / at the letters |
| AblativeAyrılma hâli · -DAn | harftenfrom the letter | harflerdenfrom the letters |
| Genitiveİlgi hâli · -(n)In | harfinthe letter's / of the letter | harflerinthe letters's / of the letters |
| InstrumentalVasıta hâli · -(y)lA | harflewith the letter | harflerlewith the letters |
Possessive forms: “my letter”, “your letter”…
The possessive suffix comes first, then the case. After the 3rd-person forms a case ending takes an extra n (harfinde). See possessive suffixes.
| Owner | Nominative | Accusative | Dative | Locative | Ablative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| benimmy | harfimmy letter | harfimimy letter (object) | harfimeto my letter | harfimdein / at my letter | harfimdenfrom my letter |
| seninyour | harfinyour letter | harfiniyour letter (object) | harfineto your letter | harfindein / at your letter | harfindenfrom your letter |
| onunhis/her/its | harfihis/her letter | harfinihis/her letter (object) | harfineto his/her letter | harfindein / at his/her letter | harfindenfrom his/her letter |
| bizimour | harfimizour letter | harfimiziour letter (object) | harfimizeto our letter | harfimizdein / at our letter | harfimizdenfrom our letter |
| sizinyour (pl.) | harfinizyour (pl.) letter | harfiniziyour (pl.) letter (object) | harfinizeto your (pl.) letter | harfinizdein / at your (pl.) letter | harfinizdenfrom your (pl.) letter |
| onlarıntheir | harfleritheir letters | harflerinitheir letters (object) | harflerineto their letters | harflerindein / at their letters | harflerindenfrom their letters |
Plural + possessive: harflerim (my letters) · harflerin (your letters) · harfleri (his/her letters) · harflerimiz (our letters) · harfleriniz (your (pl.) letters) · harfleri (their letters)
Harf in example sentences
Türk alfabesinde yirmi dokuz harf var.
There are twenty-nine letters in the Turkish alphabet.
Nominative case
Watch out with harf
- Front suffixes after a back vowel. This loanword takes front-vowel suffixes: harfler, harfi, harfte — not
*harflar,*harfı. Rule → - Locative with t, not d. After a voiceless consonant the locative and ablative start with t: harfte, harften (not
*harfde). Rule → - Two meanings of harfin. harfin is both "of the letter" (genitive) and "your letter" (possessive). harfi is likewise both the object form and "his/her letter". Rule →
Related nouns and resources
Related nouns: language & study
- cevap answer
- cümle sentence
- ders lesson
- kelime word
- numara number
- ödev homework
- sayı number
- sınav exam
- soru question
- bilgi information
Other loanwords with front harmony
Questions about harf
What is the plural of harf?
The plural of harf ("letter") is harfler. Harf is a loanword that takes front-vowel suffixes despite its last vowel a, so it is harfler, not harflar. The plural then takes case endings: harfleri, harflerde, harflerden.
How do you say "to the letter" in Turkish?
"To the letter" is harfe, the dative case (-e). Similarly, "in / at the letter" is harfte (locative) and "from the letter" is harften (ablative).
Why is it harfler and not harflar?
Harf is a loanword whose final consonant was originally "soft" (palatal), so it takes front-vowel suffixes even though its last vowel is a: harfler, harfi, harfte. Other examples are saat, kalp, rol and hal.
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