Zihin Declension: Turkish Cases of 'mind'
zihin means “mind”. Its last vowel is i, so 2-way suffixes use e (zihinler) and 4-way suffixes use i (zihnin). Its last vowel drops before a vowel suffix (zihni, zihne) but stays before a consonant (zihinde).
Quick facts
- Plural
- zihinler
- minds
- Harmony
- Front unrounded
- suffix vowels e / i
- Ends in
- a consonant
- suffixes attach directly
- Object form
- zihni
- accusative, “the mind”
Rules this noun follows
- Vowel drop — The last vowel of the root drops before a vowel-initial suffix.zihni, zihne, zihnim
- Linking vowel — A harmonised vowel is inserted after a consonant (kitab-ı-m).zihnim, zihnin
- Pronominal n — After a 3rd-person possessive, case suffixes take n (arabası-n-ı, evi-n-de).zihnini, zihninde
Zihin in all seven cases
The added suffix is highlighted. Plural forms put -ler before the case ending.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| NominativeYalın hâl · no ending | zihinmind | zihinlerminds |
| AccusativeBelirtme hâli · -(y)I | zihnithe mind (object) | zihinlerithe minds (object) |
| DativeYönelme hâli · -(y)A | zihneto the mind | zihinlereto the minds |
| LocativeBulunma hâli · -DA | zihindein / at the mind | zihinlerdein / at the minds |
| AblativeAyrılma hâli · -DAn | zihindenfrom the mind | zihinlerdenfrom the minds |
| Genitiveİlgi hâli · -(n)In | zihninthe mind's / of the mind | zihinlerinthe minds's / of the minds |
| InstrumentalVasıta hâli · -(y)lA | zihinlewith the mind | zihinlerlewith the minds |
Possessive forms: “my mind”, “your mind”…
The possessive suffix comes first, then the case. After the 3rd-person forms a case ending takes an extra n (zihninde). See possessive suffixes.
| Owner | Nominative | Accusative | Dative | Locative | Ablative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| benimmy | zihnimmy mind | zihnimimy mind (object) | zihnimeto my mind | zihnimdein / at my mind | zihnimdenfrom my mind |
| seninyour | zihninyour mind | zihniniyour mind (object) | zihnineto your mind | zihnindein / at your mind | zihnindenfrom your mind |
| onunhis/her/its | zihnihis/her mind | zihninihis/her mind (object) | zihnineto his/her mind | zihnindein / at his/her mind | zihnindenfrom his/her mind |
| bizimour | zihnimizour mind | zihnimiziour mind (object) | zihnimizeto our mind | zihnimizdein / at our mind | zihnimizdenfrom our mind |
| sizinyour (pl.) | zihninizyour (pl.) mind | zihniniziyour (pl.) mind (object) | zihninizeto your (pl.) mind | zihninizdein / at your (pl.) mind | zihninizdenfrom your (pl.) mind |
| onlarıntheir | zihinleritheir minds | zihinlerinitheir minds (object) | zihinlerineto their minds | zihinlerindein / at their minds | zihinlerindenfrom their minds |
Plural + possessive: zihinlerim (my minds) · zihinlerin (your minds) · zihinleri (his/her minds) · zihinlerimiz (our minds) · zihinleriniz (your (pl.) minds) · zihinleri (their minds)
Zihin in example sentences
Watch out with zihin
- The last vowel drops. Before a vowel suffix the second vowel disappears: zihni, zihne, zihnim (not
*zihini,*zihine). Consonant suffixes keep it: zihinde, zihinler. Rule → - Two meanings of zihnin. zihnin is both "of the mind" (genitive) and "your mind" (possessive). zihni is likewise both the object form and "his/her mind". Rule →
Related nouns and resources
Related nouns: feelings & the mind
- öğüt advice
- ömür lifetime
- akıl mind
- dert trouble
- dikkat attention
- düşünce thought
- hayal dream
- his feeling
- keyif pleasure
- merak curiosity
Other nouns that drop a vowel
Questions about zihin
What is the plural of zihin?
The plural of zihin ("mind") is zihinler. The plural suffix follows 2-way vowel harmony: the last vowel of zihin is i, a front vowel, so it takes -ler. The plural then takes case endings: zihinleri, zihinlerde, zihinlerden.
How do you say "to the mind" in Turkish?
"To the mind" is zihne, the dative case (-e). Similarly, "in / at the mind" is zihinde (locative) and "from the mind" is zihinden (ablative).
Why is it zihni and not zihini?
Zihin belongs to a group of two-syllable nouns (mostly Arabic loans and body parts) whose second vowel drops when a vowel-initial suffix follows: zihni, zihne, zihnim. With consonant-initial suffixes the vowel stays: zihinde, zihinler.
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