Etymology of Türkiye

What is the origin of the name Turkey?

The country name Turkey comes from Medieval Latin Turchia/Turquia (“land of the Turks”), itself from Greek Tourkia (Τουρκία). Those in turn derive from the Turkic word Türk. Europeans borrowed Tourkia to refer to Turkic lands and people. In Middle English the name appeared as Turkye (Geoffrey Chaucer, c.1369). Over centuries the spelling became the modern “Turkey.”

What is the etymology of Türkiye?

Türkiye is simply the Turkish word for “Turkey.” It literally means “Land of the Turks.” It comes from Türk (the people) plus a suffix, in effect the autonym. The Republic adopted the full name Türkiye Cumhuriyeti in 1923 when the nation was founded. In other words, Türkiye is the endonym (self-name) parallel to the English exonym Turkey.

Why did Turkey change its name to Türkiye in 2022?

According to the Turkish government, the switch was about identity and branding. President Erdoğan stated that “Türkiye” better conveys the country’s culture, civilization and values. In practice, the move also served practical goals: to eliminate confusion with the bird and avoid negative English connotations. The government pointed out that Google searches for “Turkey” showed a turkey bird, and English slang “turkey” can mean “foolish failure”. So the name change was officially billed as cultural, but also achieved those practical aims.

Which came first, the country Turkey or the bird turkey?

The country name came first – by centuries. Europeans were using “Turkey” for the land of Anatolia by the late Middle Ages, whereas the bird’s English name arose after encountering two similar birds. The name passed first to an African bird (the helmeted guineafowl) imported via Turkish lands. Only later, after Spanish explorers shipped North American wild turkeys to Europe, did the familiar “turkey” label apply to our Thanksgiving bird. The story is: traders in the Ottoman trade routes called a foreign fowl “turkey hen,” and English speakers then applied that word to the New World bird as well.

What does the word “Türk” originally mean?

Scholars are still not certain, but many think Türk derives from an Old Turkic root Türük/Törük meaning “created” or “born,” possibly implying “strong” or “mature”. Clauson suggested it may have meant the “culminating point of maturity” (fully ripe). A Chinese folk etymology claimed it meant “helmet” (from a mountain shape), but that is not supported by linguistic evidence. In short, Türk likely signified something like “powerful” or “mature” in old usage, although exact origins remain debated.

Where does the word “Turk” come from?

The root Türk appears in early Turkic inscriptions. The first recorded use is on an 8th-century Orkhon inscription in Mongolia. It then spread across the Göktürk Empire and later Anatolia. In terms of language families, Türk seems to be native to Turkic. Europeans and Persians borrowed it to label the peoples they encountered; for instance, medieval Persian texts use Tork to mean Turk (later sometimes with pejorative nuance). The ethnonym ultimately traces back to that Central Asian origin, even if the very ancient root is unclear.

How is Türkiye pronounced?

In Turkish, Türkiye is pronounced roughly tur-kee-YEH. The final vowel is stressed and sounds like “yeh.” The first vowel ü is a front “u” sound (similar to German ü). A convenient guide: Cavusoglu said it’s pronounced “Tur-key-YAY”. English speakers often say “TUR-kee,” but in Turkish the stress shifts to the end. The new spelling includes a dotted capital İ (not found in English), signaling that sound change.

Is the official name change just about the bird?

No – that’s only part of it. The Turkish government emphasized cultural identity as the reason for Türkiye. Officially it was about using the authentic name of the country, reflecting Turkish language and history. The bird was a practical concern: officials noted that people abroad sometimes confuse the country with Meleagris gallopavo. But Ankara explicitly linked the change to national values. In sum, it was never just about a bird, though distancing from the bird’s image was acknowledged as one benefit.

What are the negative slang meanings of the word “turkey” in English?

In English slang, turkey can be an insult or derisive term. The Cambridge Dictionary notes definitions like “something that fails badly” or “a stupid, inept person”. In informal American usage, calling someone a “turkey” means they are foolish or embarrassing themselves. There are also older senses: 19th-century slang included “a state of drunkenness” or “a big, disappointing thing”. These negative connotations helped motivate Turkey’s leaders to prefer Türkiye.

What do Turkish people call their own country?

Turks call their country Türkiye. Formally the state is Türkiye Cumhuriyeti (“Republic of Türkiye”), a name adopted in 1923. Since then, in Turkish public life and media the country has always been Türkiye. Only very recently did the international community start using this same spelling.

When did the UN officially recognize the name Türkiye?

Turkey’s request took effect at the UN on June 1, 2022. Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu’s letter arrived on May 31, and the UN immediately approved the change. From that date “Türkiye” has been the country’s registered name in the UN system.

What was the official statement from the Turkish government about the name change?

The December 2021 presidential circular explained that “Türkiye” represents and expresses the culture, civilization and values of the Turkish nation in the best way. In other words, officials said the Turkish spelling is more authentic and positive. There was no mention of the bird in the official rationale, which focused instead on language and branding.

What was the international reaction to the name change?

The international response was mostly procedural. The UN and many states formally began using Türkiye soon after the request. For example, the U.S. State Department announced it would use “Türkiye” in official documents, though it kept “Turkey” as a familiar name for the public. Most governments and organizations have followed the Turkish lead in diplomacy and formal lists. In media and everyday speech, however, “Turkey” is still very common. Some style guides continue to allow both for a transition period.

How was the name change received domestically in Türkiye?

Turkish reactions were mixed. Nationalists and AKP supporters generally approved it as a matter of pride and consistency. Critics treated it as a largely symbolic move or even a distraction. Commentators noted that President Erdoğan used the change to project strength: historian Mustafa Aksakal called it a way to “assert his will beyond the political borders” and play the role of protector of Turkey’s global image. By contrast, many regular citizens seemed indifferent; polls showed few considered it an urgent issue, especially amid inflation and economic challenges. In short, inside Turkey it was seen as significant by some, but inconsequential by others.

What is the historical origin of the name “Turchia”?

“Turchia” is simply the Italian and Medieval Latin word for Turkey. Like the English “Turkey,” it came from Latin Turchia/Turquia meaning “land of the Turks”. This Latin form itself was borrowed from Greek Tourkia. Thus Turchia has the same roots as “Turkey,” not an independent origin.

Who were the Göktürks and why are they important to the name?

The Göktürks were a Turkic tribal confederation in 6th–8th century Central Asia. They were the first known people to call themselves Türk. Under leaders like Bumin Qaghan, they founded the First Turkic Khaganate. Because the Göktürks used Türk for their own name and left the earliest inscriptions bearing that name (the Orkhon inscriptions), they are crucial in tracing how Türk became established as an ethnonym. In effect, Türk first entered history with the Göktürks.

What are the Orkhon inscriptions and what do they say about the name “Türk”?

The Orkhon inscriptions are two large stone monuments carved in AD 735 by the Göktürks in Mongolia. They are written in Old Turkic script (with a parallel Chinese text) and honor two Turkic princes. The content is a eulogy of their people and history. Notably, these steles use the word Türk repeatedly to describe the nation. In fact, the Orkhon inscriptions record the earliest known instance of Türk as a self-name. They essentially say: “We are the Turks,” and they chronicle how the Turks were freed from Chinese rule by Ilterish Khagan. The inscriptions therefore confirm that by the 8th century Türk was the chosen name for these tribes.

Why do so many languages call the turkey bird something related to “India”?

This oddity goes back to the 15th–16th centuries. When Europeans first encountered the New World bird, they thought the Americas were part of India (the Indies). They applied the already-familiar word for exotic fowl, which in many languages referenced India. Thus the French dinde comes from poule d’Inde (“chicken of India”), Spanish (and Italian) say tórtora de la India, Russian индюшка indyushka (“Indian bird”), Polish indyk (“Indian”), Turkish hindi (“Indian”), etc. In short, the mistake of calling the Americas “India” led to the turkey being named “Indian chicken” around the world, long before the country Turkey rebranded itself as Türkiye.

What did the Ottomans call their empire?

Ottomans used names like Devlet-i ʿĀliyye-i ʿOsmānīye (the “Sublime Ottoman State”) and often just Osmanlı Devleti (Osman’s State). In everyday speech they referred to their realm as Devlet-i ʿOsmānī (“the Ottoman State”). They did not call it Turkey or use Türk. Ottoman elites even avoided the word Türk, viewing it as a term for common villagers. Internationally, foreigners said “the Ottoman Empire” or simply “Turkey,” but the Turks themselves never did.

Was the word “Turk” ever a negative term?

Yes, in late Ottoman usage Türk could be a slur. Within the empire, educated Ottomans sometimes used “Turk” derogatorily to mean a backwards peasant or ignorant person. One scholar notes, “the efendi looked down on ‘the Turk,’ a term of opprobrium,” and preferred to call themselves Osmanlı. In that context, “Turk” was not a compliment. It was only with the Republic that Türk was embraced as a positive national identity.

Why isn’t Istanbul the capital of Türkiye?

Istanbul (formerly Constantinople) was the Ottoman capital for centuries, but Atatürk moved the Republic’s capital to Ankara in 1923. The reasons were both symbolic and practical. Ankara was in Anatolia’s heartland, whereas Istanbul was seen as closely tied to the Ottoman past. Making Ankara the capital underscored that the Republic of Türkiye was a new beginning. The name change to Türkiye occurred at the same time, but the capital move happened 20 years earlier as part of establishing the new nation’s identity.

What is the meaning of the phrase “to talk turkey”?

“To talk turkey” is an English idiom meaning to speak frankly or get down to business. It has nothing to do with Turkey the country or the bird’s scientific name. The phrase originated in early 19th-century America. Early uses around 1824 meant “to discuss something pleasantly,” but by the mid-1800s it had come to mean an honest, straightforward discussion. The Oxford English Dictionary defines “talk turkey” as “to speak frankly and without reserve” – in other words, to be blunt or to negotiate seriously. One colorful origin story (probably apocryphal) involves a Native American hunter frustrated with a colonist who tries to give him a buzzard instead of a turkey, leading to “You’re not talkin’ turkey to me!”. Regardless of tale, today it simply means to get serious about a topic.