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Idioms

Turkish idioms carry layers of meaning shaped by daily life, history, and culture.
They often express ideas that cannot be said directly, turning simple phrases into rich, memorable meanings.

Below, you’ll find a growing collection of common Turkish idioms and expressions, each with clear meanings and examples.
Together, they reflect how Turkish is truly spoken, felt, and understood in everyday life.

Acı patlıcanı kırağı çalmaz

“Frost does not strike the bitter eggplant.”
Someone who is used to hardship is not easily affected by similar difficult situations.

Ah etmek

“To sigh deeply or call down a quiet sense of hurt.” 

It expresses a deep emotional response to pain, disappointment, or perceived injustice.

Ak akçe kara gün içindir

“Save your white coin for a dark day.”
Money earned and saved through effort helps protect you in difficult times.

Ana gibi yar, Bağdat gibi diyar olmaz

"No beloved is like a mother, no land is like Baghdad."
It expresses that nothing compares to a mother’s love, and no place feels as special as one’s homeland.

Ateş pahası

“Priced like fire.”
It describes something extremely expensive, especially when the price feels far beyond its usual value.

Atı alan Üsküdar’ı geçti

“The one who takes the horse has already passed Üsküdar.”
It is used when an opportunity is already gone and nothing can be done to change the outcome.

Ayıkla pirincin taşını

"Pick out the stones from the rice."
It is used when a situation becomes unnecessarily complicated and difficult to fix, often because things have become mixed up.

Aç tavuk kendini arpa ambarında sanır

“A hungry chicken thinks it is in a barley barn.”

This idiom describes how someone who lacks resources or means forms unrealistic plans and expectations as if they had abundance.

Ağaç yaşken eğilir

“A tree bends while it is still young.”
It highlights that people are easier to educate and shape at an early age.

Ağırdan almak

"To take it from the heavy side." 

It means to act slowly or without rushing, sometimes more slowly than expected.

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