Kuş Declension: Turkish Cases of 'bird'
kuş means “bird”. Its last vowel is u, so 2-way suffixes use a (kuşlar) and 4-way suffixes use u (kuşun). It is a regular noun: suffixes attach directly to kuş, as in kuşu and kuşta.
Quick facts
- Plural
- kuşlar
- birds
- Harmony
- Back rounded
- suffix vowels a / u
- Ends in
- a consonant
- suffixes attach directly
- Object form
- kuşu
- accusative, “the bird”
Rules this noun follows
- Consonant hardening — After f, s, t, k, ç, ş, h, p a suffix-initial d becomes t (and c becomes ç).kuşta, kuştan
- Linking vowel — A harmonised vowel is inserted after a consonant (kitab-ı-m).kuşum, kuşun
- Pronominal n — After a 3rd-person possessive, case suffixes take n (arabası-n-ı, evi-n-de).kuşunu, kuşunda
Kuş in all seven cases
The added suffix is highlighted. Plural forms put -lar before the case ending.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| NominativeYalın hâl · no ending | kuşbird | kuşlarbirds |
| AccusativeBelirtme hâli · -(y)I | kuşuthe bird (object) | kuşlarıthe birds (object) |
| DativeYönelme hâli · -(y)A | kuşato the bird | kuşlarato the birds |
| LocativeBulunma hâli · -DA | kuştain / at the bird | kuşlardain / at the birds |
| AblativeAyrılma hâli · -DAn | kuştanfrom the bird | kuşlardanfrom the birds |
| Genitiveİlgi hâli · -(n)In | kuşunthe bird's / of the bird | kuşlarınthe birds's / of the birds |
| InstrumentalVasıta hâli · -(y)lA | kuşlawith the bird | kuşlarlawith the birds |
Possessive forms: “my bird”, “your bird”…
The possessive suffix comes first, then the case. After the 3rd-person forms a case ending takes an extra n (kuşunda). See possessive suffixes.
| Owner | Nominative | Accusative | Dative | Locative | Ablative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| benimmy | kuşummy bird | kuşumumy bird (object) | kuşumato my bird | kuşumdain / at my bird | kuşumdanfrom my bird |
| seninyour | kuşunyour bird | kuşunuyour bird (object) | kuşunato your bird | kuşundain / at your bird | kuşundanfrom your bird |
| onunhis/her/its | kuşuhis/her bird | kuşunuhis/her bird (object) | kuşunato his/her bird | kuşundain / at his/her bird | kuşundanfrom his/her bird |
| bizimour | kuşumuzour bird | kuşumuzuour bird (object) | kuşumuzato our bird | kuşumuzdain / at our bird | kuşumuzdanfrom our bird |
| sizinyour (pl.) | kuşunuzyour (pl.) bird | kuşunuzuyour (pl.) bird (object) | kuşunuzato your (pl.) bird | kuşunuzdain / at your (pl.) bird | kuşunuzdanfrom your (pl.) bird |
| onlarıntheir | kuşlarıtheir birds | kuşlarınıtheir birds (object) | kuşlarınato their birds | kuşlarındain / at their birds | kuşlarındanfrom their birds |
Plural + possessive: kuşlarım (my birds) · kuşların (your birds) · kuşları (his/her birds) · kuşlarımız (our birds) · kuşlarınız (your (pl.) birds) · kuşları (their birds)
Kuş in example sentences
Watch out with kuş
Related nouns and resources
Related nouns: animals
Other back-vowel A1 nouns
Questions about kuş
What is the plural of kuş?
The plural of kuş ("bird") is kuşlar. The plural suffix follows 2-way vowel harmony: the last vowel of kuş is u, a back vowel, so it takes -lar. The plural then takes case endings: kuşları, kuşlarda, kuşlardan.
How do you say "to the bird" in Turkish?
"To the bird" is kuşa, the dative case (-a). Similarly, "in / at the bird" is kuşta (locative) and "from the bird" is kuştan (ablative).
How do you say "my bird" in Turkish?
"My bird" is kuşum (often with the pronoun: benim kuşum). "Your bird" is kuşun, "his/her bird" is kuşu and "my birds" is kuşlarım.
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