Kitap Declension: Turkish Cases of 'book'
kitap means “book”. Its last vowel is a, so 2-way suffixes use a (kitaplar) and 4-way suffixes use ı (kitabın). Its final p softens to b before a vowel (kitabı, kitaba) but stays hard before a consonant (kitapta).
Quick facts
- Plural
- kitaplar
- books
- Harmony
- Back unrounded
- suffix vowels a / ı
- Ends in
- a consonant
- suffixes attach directly
- Object form
- kitabı
- accusative, “the book”
Rules this noun follows
- Consonant softening — A final p, ç, t, k softens to b, c, d, ğ before a vowel.kitabı, kitaba, kitabım
- Consonant hardening — After f, s, t, k, ç, ş, h, p a suffix-initial d becomes t (and c becomes ç).kitapta, kitaptan
- Linking vowel — A harmonised vowel is inserted after a consonant (kitab-ı-m).kitabım, kitabın
- Pronominal n — After a 3rd-person possessive, case suffixes take n (arabası-n-ı, evi-n-de).kitabını, kitabında
Kitap in all seven cases
The added suffix is highlighted. Plural forms put -lar before the case ending.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| NominativeYalın hâl · no ending | kitapbook | kitaplarbooks |
| AccusativeBelirtme hâli · -(y)I | kitabıthe book (object) | kitaplarıthe books (object) |
| DativeYönelme hâli · -(y)A | kitabato the book | kitaplarato the books |
| LocativeBulunma hâli · -DA | kitaptain / at the book | kitaplardain / at the books |
| AblativeAyrılma hâli · -DAn | kitaptanfrom the book | kitaplardanfrom the books |
| Genitiveİlgi hâli · -(n)In | kitabınthe book's / of the book | kitaplarınthe books's / of the books |
| InstrumentalVasıta hâli · -(y)lA | kitaplawith the book | kitaplarlawith the books |
Possessive forms: “my book”, “your book”…
The possessive suffix comes first, then the case. After the 3rd-person forms a case ending takes an extra n (kitabında). See possessive suffixes.
| Owner | Nominative | Accusative | Dative | Locative | Ablative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| benimmy | kitabımmy book | kitabımımy book (object) | kitabımato my book | kitabımdain / at my book | kitabımdanfrom my book |
| seninyour | kitabınyour book | kitabınıyour book (object) | kitabınato your book | kitabındain / at your book | kitabındanfrom your book |
| onunhis/her/its | kitabıhis/her book | kitabınıhis/her book (object) | kitabınato his/her book | kitabındain / at his/her book | kitabındanfrom his/her book |
| bizimour | kitabımızour book | kitabımızıour book (object) | kitabımızato our book | kitabımızdain / at our book | kitabımızdanfrom our book |
| sizinyour (pl.) | kitabınızyour (pl.) book | kitabınızıyour (pl.) book (object) | kitabınızato your (pl.) book | kitabınızdain / at your (pl.) book | kitabınızdanfrom your (pl.) book |
| onlarıntheir | kitaplarıtheir books | kitaplarınıtheir books (object) | kitaplarınato their books | kitaplarındain / at their books | kitaplarındanfrom their books |
Plural + possessive: kitaplarım (my books) · kitapların (your books) · kitapları (his/her books) · kitaplarımız (our books) · kitaplarınız (your (pl.) books) · kitapları (their books)
Kitap in example sentences
Watch out with kitap
- Softening before vowels. Final p softens before a vowel: kitabı, kitaba, kitabım (not
*kitapı). Before a consonant it stays hard: kitapta, kitaplar. Rule → - Locative with t, not d. After a voiceless consonant the locative and ablative start with t: kitapta, kitaptan (not
*kitapda). Rule → - Two meanings of kitabın. kitabın is both "of the book" (genitive) and "your book" (possessive). kitabı is likewise both the object form and "his/her book". Rule →
Related nouns and resources
Related nouns: everyday objects
- bilgisayar computer
- çanta bag
- defter notebook
- fotoğraf photo
- gazete newspaper
- hediye gift
- kâğıt paper
- kalem pen
- para money
- resim picture
Other nouns that soften
Questions about kitap
What is the plural of kitap?
The plural of kitap ("book") is kitaplar. The plural suffix follows 2-way vowel harmony: the last vowel of kitap is a, a back vowel, so it takes -lar. The plural then takes case endings: kitapları, kitaplarda, kitaplardan.
How do you say "to the book" in Turkish?
"To the book" is kitaba, the dative case (-a). Similarly, "in / at the book" is kitapta (locative) and "from the book" is kitaptan (ablative).
Why does kitap become kitabı?
Final p, ç, t and k soften to b, c, d and ğ (g after n) when a vowel follows. Kitap follows this rule, so the accusative is kitabı and "my book" is kitabım. Before a consonant the hard letter stays: kitapta, kitaplar.
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