Yusuf: Meaning, Origin and Pronunciation
Yusuf is a boy’s name of Hebrew origin. It means “he will add, he will increase: the Turkish form of Joseph”.
About the name Yusuf
- Meaning
- he will add, he will increase: the Turkish form of Joseph
- Origin
- Hebrew (biblical)
- From Hebrew Yōsēp via Arabic Yūsuf.
- Gender
- Male
- Pronunciation
- yoo-soof
How to pronounce Yusuf
Turkish spelling is phonetic: every letter is pronounced, and each letter always has the same sound. Our respellingyoo-soof is an approximation for English speakers. Turkish stresses syllables much more evenly than English, so avoid hitting one syllable hard. Tap the letters below for tips.
Letters English doesn’t haveFamiliar letters with a Turkish twist
Every letter in Yusuf sounds close to English. Just keep each vowel short and pure, without the glides English adds (“o” not “oh-oo”).
Practice the sounds in the Turkish alphabet tool or readhow to pronounce i, dotless ı and soft g.
Yusuf with Turkish suffixes
Turkish adds case endings where English uses prepositions. With a personal name the ending is separated by anapostrophe (Yusuf'a, Yusuf'un), but it is still pronounced as one word. The apostrophe only marks where the name ends; the suffix itself follows the usual rules.
The last vowel of Yusuf is u, a back rounded vowel. So two-way suffixes take a and four-way suffixes takeu (vowel harmony):Yusuf'ta, Yusuf'u.
Because Yusuf ends in a consonant, vowel-initial endings attach directly (Yusuf'u, Yusuf'a) with no buffer letter.
The final consonant is voiceless (one of the “Fıstıkçı Şahap” letters f, s, t, k, ç, ş, h, p), so the d of the locative and ablative endingshardens to t:-ta and -tan: Yusuf'ta, Yusuf'tan.
| Case | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Accusative (object) | Yusuf'u | Yusuf'u tanıyor musun? Do you know Yusuf? |
| Dative (to) | Yusuf'a | Yusuf'a bir mesaj yazdım. I wrote a message to Yusuf. |
| Locative (at / with) | Yusuf'ta | Anahtarlar Yusuf'ta. Yusuf has the keys. (lit. The keys are at Yusuf.) |
| Ablative (from) | Yusuf'tan | Yusuf'tan bir hediye aldım. I got a present from Yusuf. |
| Genitive (’s) | Yusuf'un | Bu Yusuf'un çantası. This is Yusuf’s bag. |
| Instrumental (with) | Yusuf'la | Dün Yusuf'la konuştum. I talked with Yusuf yesterday. |
Forms are generated by TurkLogic’s tested grammar engine. See every case explained in theTurkish noun cases guide, or check the harmony of any word in thevowel harmony calculator.
Related names
More male names of Hebrew origin
Frequently asked questions
What does the name Yusuf mean?
Yusuf is a Turkish boy’s name meaning “he will add, he will increase: the Turkish form of Joseph”. Its origin is Hebrew (biblical). From Hebrew Yōsēp via Arabic Yūsuf.
How do you pronounce Yusuf?
Say it roughly as “yoo-soof”, keeping every vowel short and clear.
How do you add suffixes to Yusuf in Turkish?
Because Yusuf is a proper name, case endings go after an apostrophe and follow vowel harmony: Yusuf'a (to Yusuf), Yusuf'un (Yusuf’s), Yusuf'ta (at Yusuf’s) and Yusuf'la (with Yusuf).
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