How to Say “Take Care” in Turkish
The usual way to say “Take care” in Turkish is Kendine iyi bak. It is informal: for friends, family and people your own age. Below are 3 alternatives (formal), how to reply, an example dialogue and the grammar behind it.
In Turkish
Kendine iyi bak
- Literally
- “look well to yourself”
- Register
- Informalfor friends, family and people your own age
How Kendine iyi bak is built
- kendiself
- -n-buffer before a case ending
- -edative “to”
- iyiwell
- baklook (imperative)
Other ways to say “Take care”
- Kendinize iyi bakınFormal
“take care (polite)”
To elders, strangers or several people.
- Kendine dikkat etInformal
“be careful”
When someone is travelling or ill.
- Hoşça kalInformal
“goodbye”
Often combined: Hoşça kal, kendine iyi bak.
How to reply
Sen de!
You too!
Siz de!
You too! (polite)
Example dialogue
- A
Ben artık gideyim. Kendine iyi bak!
I’d better go now. Take care!
- B
Sen de, görüşürüz!
You too, see you!
Related phrases
All phrases →More greetings & goodbyes
Go deeper
“Take care” in Turkish: FAQ
How do you say “Take care” in Turkish?
The most common way is Kendine iyi bak (literally “look well to yourself”), which is informal: for friends, family and people your own age. You will also hear Kendinize iyi bakın (“take care (polite)”): to elders, strangers or several people.
How do you reply to Kendine iyi bak?
Typical replies are Sen de! (“You too!”) and Siz de! (“You too! (polite)”).
What does each part of Kendine iyi bak mean?
kendi = self; -n- = buffer before a case ending; -e = dative “to”; iyi = well; bak = look (imperative). Bakmak takes the dative, so “look after yourself” is kendine bakmak, literally “look to yourself”.
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