Turkish builds a large part of its vocabulary by adding suffixes to nouns. Four of them are so productive that learning them multiplies your vocabulary: -lı (“with”), -sız (“without”), -cı (a person who works with something) and -lık (a thing for something, or an abstract quality). All four follow four-way vowel harmony, and because they start with a consonant, the noun before them never softens.
Harmony at a glance
| Last vowel of the noun | -lI (with) | -sIz (without) | -CI (person) | -lIk (thing) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a, ı | -lı | -sız | -cı / -çı | -lık |
| e, i | -li | -siz | -ci / -çi | -lik |
| o, u | -lu | -suz | -cu / -çu | -luk |
| ö, ü | -lü | -süz | -cü / -çü | -lük |
The harmony calculator will check any word for you.
-lı / -li / -lu / -lü: “with, having”
This suffix turns a noun into an adjective meaning “with X” or “containing X”.
| Noun | + -lI | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| şeker (sugar) | şekerli | with sugar, sweet |
| süt (milk) | sütlü | with milk |
| tuz (salt) | tuzlu | salty |
| akıl (intelligence) | akıllı | clever |
| güç (power) | güçlü | strong |
| acı (spice, pain) | acılı | spicy |
| et (meat) | etli | with meat |
- Sütlü kahve, lütfen. (A coffee with milk, please.)
- Bu çorba çok tuzlu. (This soup is very salty.)
- Etli mi, etsiz mi? (With meat or without?)
Note akıllı: some nouns lose a vowel only before vowel suffixes (aklım, my mind), but -lı starts with a consonant, so akıl stays whole.
With an adjective + noun
-lI can attach to a whole phrase, which is how Turkish describes features:
- mavi gözlü bir kız (a blue-eyed girl)
- uzun saçlı (long-haired)
- iki katlı bir ev (a two-storey house)
- üç yataklı oda (a room with three beds)
Origin: “from a place”
After a place name, -lI means “from”:
- İzmirli (from İzmir), Ankaralı (from Ankara), İstanbullu (from Istanbul)
- Kanadalı (Canadian), Amerikalı (American), Londralı (Londoner)
- Nerelisiniz? – Londralıyım. (Where are you from? – I’m from London.)
Many nationalities have their own word without the suffix: Türk, İngiliz, Alman, Fransız, Rus.
-sız / -siz / -suz / -süz: “without, -less”
This is the opposite of -lI. It never takes a buffer letter, even after a vowel.
| Noun | + -sIz | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| şeker | şekersiz | sugar-free |
| su (water) | susuz | without water |
| iş (work) | işsiz | unemployed |
| ev (home) | evsiz | homeless |
| para (money) | parasız | without money, broke; free (informal) |
| tat (taste) | tatsız | tasteless; unpleasant |
| süt | sütsüz | without milk |
| gluten | glutensiz | gluten-free |
- Çayım şekersiz olsun. (No sugar in my tea, please.)
- Ay sonunda hep parasız kalıyorum. (I’m always broke at the end of the month.)
- İki yıldır işsiz. (He’s been unemployed for two years.)
-cı / -ci / -cu / -cü: people and professions
This suffix makes a noun for a person who sells, makes, works with or habitually does something. After the voiceless consonants ç, f, h, k, p, s, ş, t, the c becomes ç, as explained on the consonant mutation page.
| Noun | + -CI | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| gazete (newspaper) | gazeteci | journalist |
| süt | sütçü | milkman |
| kitap (book) | kitapçı | bookseller, bookshop |
| balık (fish) | balıkçı | fisherman, fish seller |
| simit | simitçi | simit seller |
| iş (work) | işçi | worker |
| yol (road) | yolcu | passenger, traveller |
| diş (tooth) | dişçi | dentist (colloquial) |
| tamir (repair) | tamirci | repairman, mechanic |
| yalan (lie) | yalancı | liar |
- Köşedeki kitapçı kapandı. (The bookshop on the corner has closed.)
- Tamirci yarın gelecek. (The repairman is coming tomorrow.)
- Sayın yolcularımız… (Dear passengers…), a phrase you will hear on every bus and ferry.
As the last two rows show, -CI also describes habits and character: yalancı (liar), şakacı (joker), inatçı (stubborn).
-lık / -lik / -luk / -lük: things, places, abstract nouns
-lIk has several related meanings.
1. An object or place for something
- tuzluk (salt shaker), kitaplık (bookcase), gözlük (glasses), çaydanlık (teapot)
2. An abstract noun
- güzellik (beauty), iyilik (goodness; a favour), arkadaşlık (friendship), çocukluk (childhood), sağlık (health)
- Sağlığınız için çok önemli. (It’s very important for your health.)
3. Duration, amount or value
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| bir haftalık tatil | a one-week holiday |
| iki kişilik masa | a table for two |
| tek kişilik oda | a single room |
| yüz liralık banknot | a 100-lira note |
| günlük / aylık / yıllık | daily / monthly / annual |
- İki kişilik bir masa var mı? (Is there a table for two?)
- Aylık kira ne kadar? (How much is the monthly rent?)
4. Combined with -CI and -sIz
The suffixes stack: gazete-ci-lik (journalism), iş-siz-lik (unemployment), uyku-suz-luk (sleeplessness).
-lı or -le? Don’t confuse them
-lI (four-way harmony) makes an adjective; -(y)lA (two-way harmony) means “with” as a means or companion. Compare sütlü kahve (coffee with milk, a type) and Kahveyi sütle içiyorum (I drink coffee with milk). The instrumental -la/-le page covers the second one.
More uses worth knowing
Team supporters. -lI after a club name means a fan of that club: Galatasaraylı, Fenerbahçeli, Beşiktaşlı. Hangi takımlısın? (Which team do you support?) is a common small-talk question.
Shops named with -CI. The same word often names both the trader and the shop: Kitapçıya gidiyorum can mean “I’m going to the bookseller” or “to the bookshop”. Fırın (bakery) and eczane (pharmacy) are exceptions with their own words.
“Without doing”. -sIz attaches to nouns only. For “without doing something”, Turkish uses the verb suffix -mAdAn: Kahvaltı yapmadan çıktım (I left without having breakfast). See time clauses with -meden önce for the related “before doing” pattern.
Words you will see on menus and flat listings
These four suffixes are everywhere in practical Turkish. A few examples worth recognising:
| On a menu | Meaning | In a flat listing | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| peynirli börek | cheese börek | eşyalı / eşyasız | furnished / unfurnished |
| kıymalı pide | pide with minced meat | asansörlü | with a lift |
| acısız | not spicy | balkonlu | with a balcony |
| kemiksiz | boneless | otoparklı | with parking |
| yağsız | fat-free | doğalgazlı | with natural-gas heating |
And some people you will deal with: kapıcı (building caretaker), eczacı (pharmacist), taksici (taxi driver), emlakçı (estate agent).
- Eşyalı bir daire arıyorum. (I’m looking for a furnished flat.)
- Kemiksiz tavuk var mı? (Is there boneless chicken?)
- Emlakçı yarın daireyi gösterecek. (The estate agent will show the flat tomorrow.)
For more housing words, see the renting guide.
Common mistakes
- Two-way harmony instead of four-way. sütli → sütlü; tuzlı → tuzlu.
- Ignoring the ç rule. kitapcı → kitapçı; simitci → simitçi.
- Softening the stem. kitabcı → kitapçı; nothing softens before a consonant.
- Adding a buffer to -sIz. suysuz → susuz.
- Mixing -lI and -lIk. tuzlu (salty) vs tuzluk (salt shaker).
Mini-exercise
Add the correct suffix.
- şeker + “without” → ________ (sugar-free)
- süt + “with” → ________ (with milk)
- balık + “person” → ________ (fish seller)
- göz + “thing” → ________ (glasses)
- Ankara + “from” → ________ (from Ankara)
- iş + “without” + “abstract noun” → ________ (unemployment)
- iki kişi + “for” → ________ oda (a room for two)
Answers: 1. şekersiz · 2. sütlü · 3. balıkçı · 4. gözlük · 5. Ankaralı · 6. işsizlik · 7. iki kişilik
Next steps
Use these new words in phrases following Turkish adjective word order, and split stacked words like gazetecilik into parts with the suffix deconstructor. The Turkish breakfast vocabulary post is full of -lı and -sız words.
