Kurt Declension: Turkish Cases of 'wolf'
kurt means “wolf”. Its last vowel is u, so 2-way suffixes use a (kurtlar) and 4-way suffixes use u (kurdun). Its final t softens to d before a vowel (kurdu, kurda) but stays hard before a consonant (kurtta).
Quick facts
- Plural
- kurtlar
- wolves
- Harmony
- Back rounded
- suffix vowels a / u
- Ends in
- a consonant
- suffixes attach directly
- Object form
- kurdu
- accusative, “the wolf”
Rules this noun follows
- Consonant softening — A final p, ç, t, k softens to b, c, d, ğ before a vowel.kurdu, kurda, kurdum
- Consonant hardening — After f, s, t, k, ç, ş, h, p a suffix-initial d becomes t (and c becomes ç).kurtta, kurttan
- Linking vowel — A harmonised vowel is inserted after a consonant (kitab-ı-m).kurdum, kurdun
- Pronominal n — After a 3rd-person possessive, case suffixes take n (arabası-n-ı, evi-n-de).kurdunu, kurdunda
Kurt in all seven cases
The added suffix is highlighted. Plural forms put -lar before the case ending.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| NominativeYalın hâl · no ending | kurtwolf | kurtlarwolves |
| AccusativeBelirtme hâli · -(y)I | kurduthe wolf (object) | kurtlarıthe wolves (object) |
| DativeYönelme hâli · -(y)A | kurdato the wolf | kurtlarato the wolves |
| LocativeBulunma hâli · -DA | kurttain / at the wolf | kurtlardain / at the wolves |
| AblativeAyrılma hâli · -DAn | kurttanfrom the wolf | kurtlardanfrom the wolves |
| Genitiveİlgi hâli · -(n)In | kurdunthe wolf's / of the wolf | kurtlarınthe wolves's / of the wolves |
| InstrumentalVasıta hâli · -(y)lA | kurtlawith the wolf | kurtlarlawith the wolves |
Possessive forms: “my wolf”, “your wolf”…
The possessive suffix comes first, then the case. After the 3rd-person forms a case ending takes an extra n (kurdunda). See possessive suffixes.
| Owner | Nominative | Accusative | Dative | Locative | Ablative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| benimmy | kurdummy wolf | kurdumumy wolf (object) | kurdumato my wolf | kurdumdain / at my wolf | kurdumdanfrom my wolf |
| seninyour | kurdunyour wolf | kurdunuyour wolf (object) | kurdunato your wolf | kurdundain / at your wolf | kurdundanfrom your wolf |
| onunhis/her/its | kurduhis/her wolf | kurdunuhis/her wolf (object) | kurdunato his/her wolf | kurdundain / at his/her wolf | kurdundanfrom his/her wolf |
| bizimour | kurdumuzour wolf | kurdumuzuour wolf (object) | kurdumuzato our wolf | kurdumuzdain / at our wolf | kurdumuzdanfrom our wolf |
| sizinyour (pl.) | kurdunuzyour (pl.) wolf | kurdunuzuyour (pl.) wolf (object) | kurdunuzato your (pl.) wolf | kurdunuzdain / at your (pl.) wolf | kurdunuzdanfrom your (pl.) wolf |
| onlarıntheir | kurtlarıtheir wolves | kurtlarınıtheir wolves (object) | kurtlarınato their wolves | kurtlarındain / at their wolves | kurtlarındanfrom their wolves |
Plural + possessive: kurtlarım (my wolves) · kurtların (your wolves) · kurtları (his/her wolves) · kurtlarımız (our wolves) · kurtlarınız (your (pl.) wolves) · kurtları (their wolves)
Kurt in example sentences
Kurt, Türk mitolojisinde önemli bir hayvandır.
The wolf is an important animal in Turkish mythology.
Nominative case
Watch out with kurt
- A one-syllable word that softens. Final t softens before a vowel: kurdu, kurda, kurdum (not
*kurtu). Before a consonant it stays hard: kurtta, kurtlar. Most one-syllable words never soften (top → topu), so this one is worth memorising. Rule → - Locative with t, not d. After a voiceless consonant the locative and ablative start with t: kurtta, kurttan (not
*kurtda). Rule → - Two meanings of kurdun. kurdun is both "of the wolf" (genitive) and "your wolf" (possessive). kurdu is likewise both the object form and "his/her wolf". Rule →
Related nouns and resources
Related nouns: animals
Other nouns that soften
Questions about kurt
What is the plural of kurt?
The plural of kurt ("wolf") is kurtlar. The plural suffix follows 2-way vowel harmony: the last vowel of kurt is u, a back vowel, so it takes -lar. The plural then takes case endings: kurtları, kurtlarda, kurtlardan.
How do you say "to the wolf" in Turkish?
"To the wolf" is kurda, the dative case (-a). Similarly, "in / at the wolf" is kurtta (locative) and "from the wolf" is kurttan (ablative).
Why does kurt become kurdu?
Final p, ç, t and k soften to b, c, d and ğ (g after n) when a vowel follows. Kurt follows this rule, so the accusative is kurdu and "my wolf" is kurdum. Before a consonant the hard letter stays: kurtta, kurtlar.
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