Turkish/Pronunciation and Alphabet/İ-R

Know c, ç, ğ and ı off by heart? Good, now let's move on.

İ
This is the opposite of an, it's an İ! The lower-case version is a dotted i, just like in English. It's pronounced like the ee in see, but shorter.

For example:

J
Or je. Pronounced like the s in pleasure, but a more accurate equivalent of it would be the j in the French word, jour. This letter is used in Turkish words of foreign origin.

For example:
 * jeton - token
 * jilet - razor blade
 * jenerik - (film) credits

K
Or ke. Pronounced like the c in car generally before, , and  (back vowels). Before, , , (front vowels) like k in Kate. But of course there some exceptions. In some words of foreign origin, even if the letter comes before, , and , it is pronounced like k in Kate. As you will see, Turkish has no Q, and therefore K is used instead of it.

For example:
 * kurt - wolf
 * kalem - pencil
 * kâğıt - paper - This word is of foreign origin, and k in this word is pronounced like k in Kate. Notice the pronunciation difference between kalem and kâğıt, (|tr|Kalem+ve+ka%C4%9F%C4%B1t listen to the Google Translate pronunciation of these words)
 * kahvaltı - breakfast

L
Or le. Pronounced l in let (clear l, ) before, , and. Before, , and  it is generally pronounced like l in luck (dark l, ). But of course there some exceptions as there are in the letter k. In most words of foreign origin, even if the letter comes before, , and , it may be pronounced like l in let.
 * Did you know? In Turkish, words of Turkish origin do not start with the letter l. All words starting with l are of foreign origin.

For example:
 * lale (tulip) : This word is of Persian origin. Both ls in this word pronounced like l in let
 * kol (arm): l in this word is pronounced like l in luck.
 * lanet (curse): This word is of Arabic origin. L in this word pronounced like l in let.

M
Or me. Pronounced like the m in man.

For example:
 * masa - table
 * mutfak - kitchen
 * mektup - letter

N
Or ne. Pronounced like the n in now.

For example:
 * ne - what
 * nane - mint
 * namus - honour

O
Pronounced like the o in oh.

For example:
 * o - he/she/it
 * otobüs - bus
 * oda - room

Ö
Pronounced like the eu in the French word seul, or the ö in the German word schön. There is no English equivalent, but the closest English approximation is the i in bird. The exact pronunciation is made by shaping your lips to say o (as in organ), but saying e (as in bread) instead.

For example:
 * öğle - noon
 * öğretmen - teacher
 * ölçü - measurement

P
Or pe. Pronounced like the p in pet.

For example:
 * parça - piece
 * peynir - cheese
 * para - money

R
Or re. If you're wondering, "Where's Q?", in Turkish there is no letter Q.

This one's simple, just pronounce it like the Spanish and the Italians do (roll the R), but a bit shorter.

For example:
 * rahat - peaceful
 * rakam - digit
 * rakı - Raki (yup, the alcoholic drink)

This time it might be a good idea to learn i, j, and ö off by heart.