Omuz Declension: Turkish Cases of 'shoulder'
omuz means “shoulder”. Its last vowel is u, so 2-way suffixes use a (omuzlar) and 4-way suffixes use u (omzun). Its last vowel drops before a vowel suffix (omzu, omza) but stays before a consonant (omuzda).
Quick facts
- Plural
- omuzlar
- shoulders
- Harmony
- Back rounded
- suffix vowels a / u
- Ends in
- a consonant
- suffixes attach directly
- Object form
- omzu
- accusative, “the shoulder”
Rules this noun follows
- Vowel drop — The last vowel of the root drops before a vowel-initial suffix.omzu, omza, omzum
- Linking vowel — A harmonised vowel is inserted after a consonant (kitab-ı-m).omzum, omzun
- Pronominal n — After a 3rd-person possessive, case suffixes take n (arabası-n-ı, evi-n-de).omzunu, omzunda
Omuz in all seven cases
The added suffix is highlighted. Plural forms put -lar before the case ending.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| NominativeYalın hâl · no ending | omuzshoulder | omuzlarshoulders |
| AccusativeBelirtme hâli · -(y)I | omzuthe shoulder (object) | omuzlarıthe shoulders (object) |
| DativeYönelme hâli · -(y)A | omzato the shoulder | omuzlarato the shoulders |
| LocativeBulunma hâli · -DA | omuzdain / at the shoulder | omuzlardain / at the shoulders |
| AblativeAyrılma hâli · -DAn | omuzdanfrom the shoulder | omuzlardanfrom the shoulders |
| Genitiveİlgi hâli · -(n)In | omzunthe shoulder's / of the shoulder | omuzlarınthe shoulders's / of the shoulders |
| InstrumentalVasıta hâli · -(y)lA | omuzlawith the shoulder | omuzlarlawith the shoulders |
Possessive forms: “my shoulder”, “your shoulder”…
The possessive suffix comes first, then the case. After the 3rd-person forms a case ending takes an extra n (omzunda). See possessive suffixes.
| Owner | Nominative | Accusative | Dative | Locative | Ablative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| benimmy | omzummy shoulder | omzumumy shoulder (object) | omzumato my shoulder | omzumdain / at my shoulder | omzumdanfrom my shoulder |
| seninyour | omzunyour shoulder | omzunuyour shoulder (object) | omzunato your shoulder | omzundain / at your shoulder | omzundanfrom your shoulder |
| onunhis/her/its | omzuhis/her shoulder | omzunuhis/her shoulder (object) | omzunato his/her shoulder | omzundain / at his/her shoulder | omzundanfrom his/her shoulder |
| bizimour | omzumuzour shoulder | omzumuzuour shoulder (object) | omzumuzato our shoulder | omzumuzdain / at our shoulder | omzumuzdanfrom our shoulder |
| sizinyour (pl.) | omzunuzyour (pl.) shoulder | omzunuzuyour (pl.) shoulder (object) | omzunuzato your (pl.) shoulder | omzunuzdain / at your (pl.) shoulder | omzunuzdanfrom your (pl.) shoulder |
| onlarıntheir | omuzlarıtheir shoulders | omuzlarınıtheir shoulders (object) | omuzlarınato their shoulders | omuzlarındain / at their shoulders | omuzlarındanfrom their shoulders |
Plural + possessive: omuzlarım (my shoulders) · omuzların (your shoulders) · omuzları (his/her shoulders) · omuzlarımız (our shoulders) · omuzlarınız (your (pl.) shoulders) · omuzları (their shoulders)
Omuz in example sentences
Watch out with omuz
- The last vowel drops. Before a vowel suffix the second vowel disappears: omzu, omza, omzum (not
*omuzu,*omuza). Consonant suffixes keep it: omuzda, omuzlar. Rule → - Two meanings of omzun. omzun is both "of the shoulder" (genitive) and "your shoulder" (possessive). omzu is likewise both the object form and "his/her shoulder". Rule →
Related nouns and resources
Related nouns: body
Other nouns that drop a vowel
Questions about omuz
What is the plural of omuz?
The plural of omuz ("shoulder") is omuzlar. The plural suffix follows 2-way vowel harmony: the last vowel of omuz is u, a back vowel, so it takes -lar. The plural then takes case endings: omuzları, omuzlarda, omuzlardan.
How do you say "to the shoulder" in Turkish?
"To the shoulder" is omza, the dative case (-a). Similarly, "in / at the shoulder" is omuzda (locative) and "from the shoulder" is omuzdan (ablative).
Why is it omzu and not omuzu?
Omuz belongs to a group of two-syllable nouns (mostly Arabic loans and body parts) whose second vowel drops when a vowel-initial suffix follows: omzu, omza, omzum. With consonant-initial suffixes the vowel stays: omuzda, omuzlar.
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