Turkish tongue twisters give you a short, repeatable way to practise difficult sound combinations. Tekerleme is the singular term, and tekerlemeler is the plural; here, the focus is on tongue twisters you can say aloud.
In this article, you will learn five examples, their English meanings, and how to divide them into manageable parts. Each example has an audio recording to follow, along with a practice routine that keeps clarity ahead of speed. Haydi başlayalım!
Table of Contents
Five Turkish Tongue Twisters at a Glance
Start with a short phrase, then build the full line. The order below is a suggested practice sequence, not a formal difficulty scale. Different learners find different sounds challenging.
These traditional examples circulate in several versions. A changed word or a reversed clause does not automatically make another version wrong. Learn one version consistently before switching to another.
| Opening phrase | English meaning | Main practice target |
|---|---|---|
| Dal sarkar, kartal kalkar | The branch hangs down, the eagle takes off | Switching between l, r, and k |
| Bir berber bir berbere | One barber to another barber | Repeated b and r sequences |
| Şu köşe yaz köşesi | That corner is the summer corner | Keeping s and ş distinct |
| Kırk kırık küp | Forty broken earthenware pots | Switching between ı and ü |
| Bu yoğurdu sarımsaklasak | If we added garlic to this yoghurt | Keeping similar long words separate |
If you need to check what a letter represents, use the Turkish alphabet guide. This collection is for practising combinations rather than relearning the full sound system.
Order that çay in Turkish
Become fluent in Turkish with real-life dialogues & interactive exercises tailored for expats living in Türkiye.
Dal Sarkar, Kartal Kalkar: Keep the Word Order Clear
Dal means “branch,” while kartal means “eagle.” The short version below reverses the order of two statements. That reversal creates the challenge: the sounds are familiar, but the sequence keeps changing.
Start by saying each statement separately. Leave a small pause between them, then join them without losing the final sound of each word. Concentrate on sarkar and kalkar rather than trying to make every repetition faster.
- Dal sarkar, kartal kalkar. (The branch hangs down, the eagle takes off.)
- Dal sarkar, kartal kalkar; kartal kalkar, dal sarkar. (The branch hangs down, the eagle takes off; the eagle takes off, the branch hangs down.)
Bir Berber Bir Berbere: Follow the Changing Endings
Berber means “barber.” In this familiar tongue twister, one barber suggests opening a shop with another. The word returns with a slightly different ending, surrounded by similar sounds in bir and beraber.
Practise bir berber and bir berbere separately before joining them. Then add the quoted suggestion. Keep the small extra syllable in berbere audible instead of letting all the repeated sounds merge.
- Bir berber bir berbere… (One barber to another barber…)
- Bir berber bir berbere, “Gel beraber bir berber dükkânı açalım,” demiş. (One barber said to another barber, “Come, let’s open a barber shop together.”)
Şu Köşe Yaz Köşesi: Separate S from Ş
Köşe means “corner,” yaz means “summer,” and kış means “winter.” The full line places two corners and a water bottle together. The scene is deliberately unusual: its main purpose is the repeated sound pattern.
Pay attention to su (water) and şişe (bottle). The first starts with s, while the second starts with ş. Read the first two clauses slowly, then add the bottle phrase without turning every s into ş.
- Şu köşe yaz köşesi, şu köşe kış köşesi. (That corner is the summer corner, that corner is the winter corner.)
- Şu köşe yaz köşesi, şu köşe kış köşesi, ortada su şişesi. (That corner is the summer corner, that corner is the winter corner, and in the middle is a water bottle.)
Kırk Kırık Küp: Keep the Vowels Distinct
Kırk means “forty,” kırık means “broken,” and küp means a large earthenware pot or jar in this context. The first words use dotless ı, while küp uses ü. Those vowels need to remain distinct as you repeat the phrase.
Start with the three-word group. Notice that kırık has an extra syllable compared with kırk. Once that difference stays clear, add the phrase about the handles. The version below uses kulpu from kulp (handle).
- Kırk kırık küp. (Forty broken earthenware pots.)
- Kırk kırık küp, kırkının da kulpu kırık. (Forty broken earthenware pots; all forty have broken handles.)
Bu Yoğurdu Sarımsaklasak: Build the Long Words in Chunks
Sarımsak means “garlic.” This tongue twister asks whether to store the yoghurt after adding garlic or without adding it. The difficulty comes from keeping sarımsaklasak, sarımsaklamasak, and saklasak separate.
Use the practice chunks sa-rım-sak-la-sak, sa-rım-sak-la-ma-sak, and sak-la-sak. The second word contains the additional ma syllable. Make that difference clear before attempting the full question.
- Sarımsaklasak da mı saklasak? (Should we add garlic and then store it?)
- Bu yoğurdu sarımsaklasak da mı saklasak, sarımsaklamasak da mı saklasak? (Should we store this yoghurt after adding garlic, or store it without adding garlic?)
Listen to Spoken Examples
Use a recording to check the sounds rather than relying only on an English spelling approximation. The Turkish Ministry of Education’s EBA tekerleme collection includes entries for the branch-and-eagle, broken-pot, and garlic examples. It is a children’s learning resource, so expect a teaching presentation rather than everyday conversation.
You can also hear examples in TurkishClass101’s Popular Turkish Tongue Twisters video. Choose a short passage to imitate. If the player offers playback-speed controls, listen slowly first, then return to the original speed. Follow the recording’s wording rather than mixing two versions midway through a repetition.
For more context on traditional variants, this Istanbul University research appendix records several of the examples above. A tongue twister’s wording can vary while preserving the same sound challenge.
A Five-Minute Practice Routine
Choose one example per session. The aim is an audible improvement in a short line, not completing the whole collection at speed. The timings below are a suggested routine you can adjust.
- First minute: read the translation and listen to an available example. Identify the words you keep confusing.
- Second minute: say the difficult word pair slowly. Keep the vowel or final consonant you tend to lose.
- Third minute: join the pair into a short phrase. Repeat it clearly before adding the next phrase.
- Fourth minute: record the full tongue twister at a comfortable pace. Compare the unclear part with the model.
- Final minute: record one more attempt. Keep the clearer version as your reference for the next session.
Take the Practice Back into Ordinary Speech
Tongue twisters concentrate a sound problem into a small space. Use that awareness when you return to normal sentences, where communication matters more than performing a difficult rhyme.
After practising su şişesi, for example, say a simple request containing the same words. After the barber example, use berber in a sentence about an ordinary errand. These original practice sentences connect the sound work with useful language.
- Bana bir su şişesi verir misin? (Can you give me a water bottle?)
- Bugün berbere gidiyorum. (I am going to the barber today.)
Conclusion
Start with short combinations, keep similar words distinct, and build towards the full tongue twister. Use translations to understand the line and recordings to check what you are saying.
The useful result is clearer speech you can carry into an ordinary conversation.
To continue, revisit the Turkish pronunciation guide for beginners for the sounds that still need attention.
