Nouns: Possessive Suffix

01

Nouns Ending in a Consonant

If a noun ends in a consonant, a linking vowel (ı, i, u, or ü) is inserted before most possessive suffixes. The choice of linking vowel is determined by the last vowel in the noun, following four-way vowel harmony.

The harmony rules for the linking vowel are:

• If the last vowel is a or ı, use ı.
• If the last vowel is e or i, use i.
• If the last vowel is o or u, use u.
• If the last vowel is ö or ü, use ü.

• arkadaşım

  my friend (from arkadaş, last vowel is a, so linking vowel is ı)

• evimiz

  our house (from ev, last vowel is e, so linking vowel is i)

• okulunuz

  your (plural) school (from okul, last vowel is u, so linking vowel is u)

• gözün

  your (singular) eye (from göz, last vowel is ö, so linking vowel is ü)

The 3rd person plural suffix (-ları/leri) is an exception; it does not take a linking vowel and attaches directly after a consonant. It follows two-way vowel harmony.

• arkadaşları

  their friend

• evleri

  their house

02

Nouns Ending in a Vowel

If a noun ends in a vowel, the rules are simpler for most persons, as no linking vowel is needed.

For the 1st and 2nd persons (singular and plural), the suffix is added directly to the noun.

• arabam

  my car (from araba)

• kedin

  your cat (from kedi)

• suyumuz

  our water (from su)

The 3rd person singular suffix (his/her/its) is the main exception. It requires the buffer consonant -s- between the noun and the suffix -ı/i/u/ü.

• arabası

  his/her car

• kedisi

  his/her cat

• suyu

  his/her water

The 3rd person plural suffix (-ları/leri) is added directly.

• arabaları

  their car

• kedileri

  their cat

03

Using Possessive Pronouns for Emphasis

While the suffixes alone are sufficient to show possession, you can add a possessive pronoun (benim, senin, onun, bizim, sizin, onların) before the noun for emphasis or clarity. This is common in speech and writing.

• Bu benim evim.

  This is my house.

• Senin araban nerede?

  Where is your car?

This is particularly useful to distinguish between the 3rd person singular (onun) and plural (onların), as their suffixes can sometimes be confused.

• Onun odası küçük.

  His/her room is small.

• Onların odaları küçük.

  Their rooms are small.

04

The Third-Person Suffix in Noun Compounds

The 3rd person singular possessive suffix -(s)ı/i/u/ü has a crucial second function: it is used to link two nouns together into a compound, similar to "of" or "'s" in English. The second noun in the pair takes the suffix. This structure creates a new, specific concept.

This is called an "indefinite noun compound" and describes a general type of item.

• güneş gözlüğü

  sunglasses (lit. sun its-glasses)

• çocuk odası

  children's room (lit. child its-room)

• Türk kahvesi

  Turkish coffee (lit. Turk its-coffee)

This suffix is also used in "definite noun compounds," where the first noun refers to a specific owner and takes the genitive case suffix -(n)ın/in/un/ün.

• evin kapısı

  the door of the house

• okulun müdürü

  the principal of the school

05

Other Common Uses

The noun compound structure, using the 3rd person possessive suffix, appears in many fixed expressions.

It is frequently used with dates involving the words gün (day) and ay (month).

• Cuma günü sinemaya gidelim.

  Let's go to the cinema on Friday. (lit. Friday its-day)

• Doğum günüm Haziran ayı.

  My birthday is in the month of June. (lit. June its-month)

It is also used to mean "one of" or "some of" a larger group, often combined with the genitive case on the first word.

• Arkadaşlarımdan biri doktor.

  One of my friends is a doctor.

• Kitapların bazısı çok eski.

  Some of the books are very old.