Much as we tend to center the human experience, animals are a fundamental component of that experience. We make references to them all the time, even when we’re not literally making references to them. In Turkey, for example, you can’t even curse someone out or invite them for a drink without a rudimentary knowledge of Turkish animal names. Calling someone a “bear” or “horse thief” is a common way to insult someone in Turkish, and rakı — aka the national drink of Turkey — is lovingly referred to as “lion’s milk.”
It’s probably not necessary to overstate our case here. Chances are pretty good that if you’re a student of Turkish, you’re already eager to learn the Turkish animal names. We’ve compiled a list of some basic terms, as well as provided an audio pronunciation guide to help you say it right. Just click on the play button to hear the words voiced by a native speaker.
General Animal Vocab
pet — evcil hayvan
fur — post
wild animal — yabani hayvan
sea creature — deniz hayvanı
bird of prey — yırtıcı kuş
farm animal — çiftlik hayvanı
Turkish Animal Names
fish — balık
dog — köpek
cat — kedi
mouse — fare
rabbit — ada tavşanı
rat — sıçan
duck — ördek
chicken — tavuk
cow — inek
pig — domuz
sheep — koyun
goat — keçi
horse — at
elephant — fil
camel — deve
goose — kaz
pigeon — güvercin
bear — ayı
wolf — kurt
crocodile — timsah
kangaroo — kanguru
snake — yılan
frog — kurbağa
wild boar — yaban domuzu
squirrel — sincap
sloth — tembel hayvan
hippopotamus — su aygırı
giraffe — zürafa
deer — karaca
dolphin — yunus
octopus — ahtapot
blue whale — mavi balina
jellyfish — denizanası
shark — köpek balığı
bird — kuş
penguin — penguen
parrot — papağan
owl — baykuş
eagle — kartal