How do you know if a person is Turkish ?

Show all answers

You know you're Turkish when:
★ You greet those older than you with kissing their hands,
★ You think kolonya (cologne) is the answer to all problems,
★ You can spot another Turk a mile off...and you find yourself saying to your mates "yeah they're Turkish" wherever you go even if the people you're pointing out aren't.
★ You can't resist buying pismaniye as you go pass Izmit,
★ You buy simit off the highway and nibble on it in your car,
★ You call an older person you've never met before "uncle", aunty" or abi,
★ You hide everything from your parents,
★ Your phone is always on silent,
★ Your relatives alone could populate a small city,
★ Everyone is a family friend, or somehow related to you,
★ You love kebabs, iskender and eating,
★ When you have a dinner party there is enough food to last for the next 2 months,
★ You fight over who pays the dinner bill,
★ You always say "open the light" instead of "turn the light on",
★ You ask your dad a simple question and he tells you story of how he had to walk miles to get to school,
★ Your mom seems to think her future lies at the bottom of a little coffee cup...

And finally You know you're Turkish when you think you're a part of the greatest nation on earth which is sooo true:)

...And yes I know I'm Turkish... :)

boxjellÿ

If the person is Tarkan, I will know.. :)

My step-grandmother speaks Turkish so I know what it sounds like and if I hear the language I will know

AM1706

Well Turkish women, i think you can tell by their face... They have something warm and mysterious I am not sure how to further describe it though. I personally can tell quite a few of them from their eyes and eyebrows.

Turkish guys hmmm... I can also tell by their looks... I dont know for both sexes, they just have this... uhm... how can i say it... quality that you can just tell. As with Italians, Greeks and Spaniards...

But there are also some Turkish men that - hopefully that could be typical as well... :P, although Ipek you've told me it's not like that.. :) - that wear cheap cotton suit trousers and shirts, smell of pasturma or limon cicegi have dark hair and skin..

There were also many people in cafes, restaurants and on the street, that when they figured you had € on you, they almost always forgot to bring you the change, or the correct change... What was wrong with them? :) I would tip them anyway....

Turks that come shopping in Athens do not have the last-mentioned characteristics though.. ;)

And I am sure that not all Turks abroad own / work at a kebab lokanta, as not all greeks abroad work at Pita Gyros Souvlaki Mousaka restaurants... :)

Do they all supported Kenan Dogulu by any means at the Eurovision contest? :)

Oh... and they hoot all the time like mad on the streets, and most of times they won't stop for you to cross the streets... Run tourist run... ::P :)

Zorch

You people crack me up! So much truth is written on this thread.

I studied cultural anthropology, so I tend to pick up on certain traits when I'm abroad. When I was in Kyrgyzstan, I was taking a taxi to the airport and the driver asked me a queation and without thinking, I replied "Tamam."... He went crazy...

As it turns out, he was from Turkey and he settled in Kyrgyzstan and he loved talking to people from Turkey. Keep in mind, my Turkish is the worst... but it was close enough for this guy.

When he dropped me off at the airport, I departed with the typical Turkish handshake, kiss on both cheeks, and water being thrown on the ground...

Young Turkish men are handsome... I often asked my wife why she settled for me. Older Turkish men have warm, fatherly smiles, when you can get them to smile.

Turkish women, are beautiful... and they can hen-peck their husbands. (Designed for a reaction...) Thus, the reason many Turkish men walk around with their hands behind their backs and a defeated look on their face... (Ok... I'm joking.)

I miss home.

.:::Niko:::.

#1 body language (we use it alot )

I saw a guy in Toronto while ago he was kind of teaching how to point the finger in Turkish way that was veeeeeeeery funny :)))) I didn't know he was Turkish

Edit: last nite, I was parkin my car 'n I heard someone yellin YASSSSSSSAAAAAAAHHHHHHH HEMŞERÜÜÜÜÜM hahahaha that was hilarious still laughin' :)))))))

DejaVu- RETURNS

I usually recognize them by dress sense, we generally very fussy about what we wear we wear well fitted jeans and well fitted tops usually.

But part from that there was one funny thing happened when I used to live in London, went into a burger shop, and the guy in there spoke English but after each sentence he put a 'DA' in the end....this was weird, so I asked him what his accent was, he said Turkish and I said uyyyy Karadeniz ha :)) Obviously he was surprised that I spoke Turkish too, anyway I didnt know our people from Black sea could not control the DA comes out of their mouth quite often till that time :D

istanbul bogazi in the Queendom

Frankly i never understand until they start talking.
Because you know we have every kind of type in Turkey, blonds, red haired, brunette etc etc etc and face features change a lot,too no Turkish person is like the other one.

But i was working at a customer relations service and there each time that i saw a very fashonista girl with big eye glasses and blond hair, she turned out to be Turkish:-)

genç türk

1. If he is trying hard to count the floors of a skyscraper
2. If he later makes a comment like "abi helal olsun adamlar tesis yapmış yaa"
3. If he consumes lots of sunflower seeds while staring at an event.

Slick Rick

Shout " Galatasaray Champions" and see who turns round.

val f1 nutter

The way the men can't seem to have a conversation without shouting at each other lol. When I first started my job I thought everyone was arguing all the time. When I met my hubby I asked him about why all the staff were arguing in the shop and he told me they weren't! After 8 years in the shop I have got used to it now :-)

Shibi

I would guess a person is Turkish if they laugh and smile easily and if they are handsome. All Turkish men that I have known have been nice, friendly and fun to be around (and dang good looking). ha!

maria m

nice eyes.....
nice cook...
funny language...

i think that they seem like greeks....

cuterthanu

Sometimes I can tell a turk from the first sight. There are turks who look white but without the rosy tint, rather sallow compared to other white. Then there are the darker turks, from olive to dull brown. Men of this latter type usually wear thick moustache. On a business trip, the fair type prefer lighter-colored suits e.g. grey, beige, tan and brown while the darker businessmen wear loosely tailored suits, usually in brown and black. All of them love to look very serious and important and seldom smile. I'm describing businessmen here because young turkish men are not often seen in cities abroad.

There are also two types of turkish women abroad, the very islamic ones and the modern ones. The first are easy to spot from their pale skin, headscarves and long pants under a long blouse, quite often in turquoise color. The second group, however, is the hardest to figure out. Some giveaways are the long curly brown hair, the soft eyes and the sweet rouged smile combined with a kind of natural enthusiasm for life.

Mr. Bobo

You know about the concept of freedom of speech but you wouldn't dare talk about it too much.
You believe in God, as much as you believe in separation of religion and government. You still finish your utterances by saying Insallah (If God wills it). There is a 99 % probability that you are Muslim; you're much less likely to be zealous about it.
You would believe the news you see on TV, but the life of the rich and famous seems more intriguing-- you would rather watch trashy paparazzi shows. The "news" shows aren't all that different anyway.
You probably smoke like... errr... like a Turk.
You put salt in your food before you taste it.
You're very familiar with popular culture figures such as Hülya Avsar, Tarkan, Sibel Can, Ibrahim Tatlises, Ebru Gündes, Okan Bayülgen, Cem Yilmaz, and you probably know all the nasty little details of their private lives.
If you're male, you are a futbol fanatic. It would be unthinkable for you not to support one of the major Turkish teams. By the way, you fail to understand why someone would use a bizarre word like "soccer."
You are unaware that you have more official and not-so-official vacations than any country in Europe. Nowadays, that mostly means running out of town so that you can avoid visits by boring relatives. How long?
You think that everyone in the world is concerned with what happens in your country. You're shocked when you learn that some Europeans or Americans are unable to locate your country on a map.
You live in a secular country but you believe in God, and of course you are Muslim-- nominally. This means that you might fast during Ramadan yet still have no qualms about consuming alcohol the other 11 months. You'd still go to Heaven though, because God forgives.
Fortunately, hamburgers aren't made of ham
You might have committed most of the sins in the book, but you can proudly announce that you've never eaten pork. You fail to understand how foreigners can eat it.
You think that fast food like McDonald's, Burger King, or KFC is expensive and prestigious. Long after your meal is finished, you sit around the uncomfortable chairs, and chat away.
You probably own the latest model cellular telephone-- even if you don't really need one or can't afford the bills.
Your house is well-heated in the winter, but you fry in the summer because you don't have air conditioning.
You have your own bathroom with western-style toilet. You do have a second, Turkish-style toilet in your apartment, but you shun at the idea of using it.
Your mum does your laundry in a washing machine.
You are always overdressed, even when you go grocery shopping.
You eat at a table, sitting on chairs. You take it for granted that Turkish cuisine is the best in the world. You think the rest of the world eats bland, boring food.
You don't consider insects, dogs, cats, monkeys, or guinea pigs to be food. But you will feel cheated if you don't have your daily dose of meat and bread.
You don't understand the whole privatization movement (telephone system, airlines, and power/utility companies etc.), especially since you know that corrupt politicians will make any profits disappear fast.
You expect that the phones will work-- and they do. However, depending on where you live, getting a new phone for your apartment could be tedious, like anything that involves bureaucracy.
A train is a transportation alternative you only remember when the Ankara - Istanbul road is blocked due to heavy snow. Trains are painfully slow, always over- or under-heated.
At least they all agree on basic values
You don't understand how Americans can keep things running with only two parties. There are a gazillion political parties in your country, but you'll still have difficulty finding decent politicians to vote for. You know that politicians from any party are all concerned with the same thing: filling their own pockets. To you "Socialist," "democratic," "nationalist," "republican," "populist," "leftist," "rightist," are just vague words for doing approximately the same thing. You know that politicians will always foul things up not matter what their orientations. However, you see "Communism" as an evil.
You think that the situation of the country is hopeless, that none of the problems will ever be solved. You are still hopelessly waiting for that political Godot who will save the country's economy.
You think that everyone in your country is of the same race.
You dread the court system, even if you don't use it. You know that if you went into business and had problems with a customer, landlord, or supplier, taking them to court would be an ordeal that could take months or years.
You respect someone who speaks English, but will approach anyone who speaks "another" foreign language (French, German, Russian, Yiddish, or Japanese) with caution. You are boastful about your great English, except when it comes to using it to communicate with a foreigner. By the way it's only necessary to learn English so that you can chat up foreign tourists.
You think a tax level of 50% is scandalously high.
School is free but expensive.
University is normally four years long-- unless you want to waste precious parental resources. The word "college" might confuse you because in your language a kolej is a private high school.
When Constantinople got the works
Turkish Coffee is Turkish; but you probably prefer tea or instant coffee.
Tarkan is the biggest pop star in the world. Any foreigner you meet will ask you about him.
Because of inflation, everyone is a millionaire-- rightfully so.
Turkish men are the sexiest in the world and they are real macho womanizers-- or so you like to claim.
Yoghurt comes in plastic containers; sometimes glass. Shaving cream comes in tubes or cans. Milk comes in bottles and-- increasingly-- in cardboard boxes.
You use the day/month/year format: 29/05/1453. (Of course you know what happened on that date.)
You say milyar for 1,000,000,000. On the account of inflation it is not difficult to be a milyarder (billionaire) in your country. It is highly likely that you are one.
You will proudly-- and mistakenly-- claim that your country never entered World War II.
You expect to marry for love; but the marriage of your parents was probably arranged by their families. You officially get wed by a civil servant, which is the norm. A religious marriage has no official validity and you would not even worry about it unless you are particularly religious. This is also your only option if you are a man who wants to get an illegal second wife-- third, fourth?
If a man has sex with another man, he's manly. However, in reality this depends on who's on top.
Once you're introduced to someone you can call them by their first name, but according to social status and the context at hand, you will need to use their title and the proper address form. Last names are never used in conversational contexts.
If you're a woman, you don't go to the beach topless. Unless you're in a different country.
But does it have an ottoman?
A hotel room has a private bath.
On television, films are usually dubbed. In movie theaters, they are subtitled-- and usually mistranslated. You think that reading subtitles is an ordeal.
You can't seriously expect to be able to transact business, or deal with the officials, without paying bribes.
If a politician has not been cheating on his wife, you would question his ability to govern.
If you live in the city, just about any store will take your credit card.
A company can fire just about anybody it wants. But it will also hire anybody.
You never eat bacon, but you will have kokoreç (fried sheep intestines) after a good night's drinking.
Labor Day is May 1st.
You've probably seen Star Wars, Top Gun, Home Alone, the Doors. Chances are you have not seen a domestic movie in years.
You probably know the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, Madonna and anybody who is currently on MTV. For some strange reason, you have never heard of Cocteau Twins, The Smiths, Rinôçérôse, or New Order.
You're not going to die of cholera or other Third World diseases... but unless you can afford private medical insurance, you don't want to get ill... that would mean spending long hours in hospital corridors waiting for a physician who will be not appear until next Thursday.
You studied Ottoman and Republic history in school. But chances are you are getting all your Ottoman rulers mixed up now. You are good with geography.
Your country has never been conquered by a foreign nation. Your are proud of the heroic past of your people. Time after time, Turks have saved their country from the barbaric foreigners.
Girl, have some kokoreç!
If you are a traditional male, a woman can be a bit plumper than the average... all the better.
You're used to having a wide variety of choices for almost anything you buy-- if you can afford it, of course.
You measure things in meters, grams, and litres.
You are not a farmer, but chances are high that some of your ancestors were.
The people who appear on the most popular talk shows are mostly talentless entertainers, singers, or sleazy models. No one wants to watch authors, classical pianists or nuclear physicists on TV.
You drive on the left side of the road-- or anywhere else as necessitated by circumstance. You don't stop at red lights, even if there are people around. If you're a pedestrian, you will fearlessly and nonchalantly cross the street, anywhere you please, whether the light is green or not.
You consider the VW Beetle to be a smallish car. However, to you it is a VW Tosbaga (turtle).
The police have submachine guns, of course.
The biggest meal of the day is in the evening-- or any other time you see fit.
There once was a Turk from Trabzan...
The jokes you make are often about the Northerners (the people living in the Black Sea region). Of course, you are not offending them since everyone knows that it is the Northerners themselves who make up these jokes.
If you live in Istanbul, there are parts of the city you definitely want to avoid at night.
The image of your country is extremely important. You feel that your country is misrepresented all around the world. The United States is your best ally, but for some reason they don't care about you as much as they should.
Both inflation and unemployment are very high, all the time.
You care very much about what family someone comes from.
Opera and ballet are rather elite entertainments. It's likely you don't see that many plays, either.
Christmas is in the winter, but in your mind it is the same thing as New Year's Eve. If you're posh, you'll have a Christmas tree and will exchange gifts-- on New Year's Eve of course.
You live in a secular country where religious and governmental affairs are separate. You don't have the equivalent of televangelists in your country; you don't even think that it would be a good idea.
You can easily name the capitals or the leaders of all the nations of Europe.
You are amazed at the possibility of welfare and unemployment payments. But you know that it will be years before the system is in effect.
The lawyers in your country speak funny. There sure are a lot of them but you don't understand what they do.
Space and time
If you are late for an appointment, you'll mutter an excuse if you're 30 minutes late. An hour late is still tolerable.
When if you're talking to someone, you can't feel comfortable if they stand more than a foot away.
If you are not understood, you would rather increase your volume than rephrase.
You always bargain for everything. After all, everyone who is in the selling business is a crook, and everything is always overpriced.
If you have guests, you will serve them tea.
When you negotiate, you may play convoluted games to get what you want. Also, in social situations, it is sometimes considered improper to be too direct.
If you have a business appointment or interview with someone, you may expect them to show up half an hour late. The business may take much longer than you imagined, and may be frequently interrupted by another person, a phone call etc

crazygirl158

Other than a couple of stupid answers, I really like the answers to this question,it makes me remember myfriends turkish.
P.S. I miss Turkey soo baadd!!

The Babe is Armed!

I was in Rio de Janiero 6 years ago, being impressed by the sunrise on one of the most beautiful harbors in the world. There was a family next to me and the mother said, "Wow, that's probably the most gorgeous sight I've ever seen!" and her little girl said "Well, it's not the Bosphore!" And her mother said, "You are impossible to please Sweet P!"

Suriyah

all the turkish men i have seen have gorgeous eyes, and turks of both sexes are very friendly. In terms of other physical features i really cant tel because some i have seen have very fair skin others have tanned skin, some have fair hair others have dark dark black hair etc etc

Totally Blunt

You park your car and the raggedy attendant stares at your car and asks, "Abi, how much is this?", as if he is intending to buy one.

Now THAT is a Turkish guy.

Addition to Cetin's answer: He asks you "Nerelisin, hemşerim?" And when you reply he invariably asks: "İçinden mi, dışından mı?"

Nasıl yani? :DDD

Y∂k∂moz

"yaaa"

How are you yaaaa?
Long time yaaa

Cowboy68

That is hard to do. Turks, however, are VERY socially driven and initially very hospitable upon initial greetings . ... anyhow, one sure sign (often) is the use of tespi (sp?) beads. They will often twirl them but will most often be seen holding them behind their back with both hands. We call them worry beads, which they are not. It is a cultural thing in turkey and you would be hard pressed to find a male who did not have them or use them. (Traditional tespi has 33 beads with 3 beaded tassles representing the 99 names of allah)

Leprechaun

1- If someone is watching a construction work like a movie.
2-If people cause a traffic jam because they slow down to watch an accident scene.

those are absolutely Turks.

Also, 9 of 10 Turks (men and women) stares at a woman who is tall,blue eyed and blond until she gets away from their sight.

ipek

I think what they say in Turkish "kan kani ceker". For that reason I can feel it.

ithinkiatetoomuch

I don't know, but somehow I know.
Clothes, eyes, the way they respond when I check for signs of their Turkishness.
Shoes, but only for the men and their eyebrows and the shape of their head.
Oh and I forgot, I look at their hands!!! Turks have certain kinds of hands!

macedon777

I am from Macedonia and we have many Turks here. My best friend in the army was a Turkish guy, also I have several neighbours that are Turks, so I would assume I am qualified to state my opinion here!

At first glance I cannot really tell the difference. On the second glance...well: Turkish people are easy going, very friendly, smiling often, they have a deep look in their eyes, passionate when in love, and very very jealous!

And without exception: they all smoke, and they smoke a lot. I haven't met any Turkish guy that is not smoking! I guess that's why we have a saying here in Macedonia: "You smoke like a Turk!"

Gule gule!

çetin

ask him/her only "nerelisin hemşerim/hemşire?" then listen to him :he talks "bülbül gibi"

casapulla2001

When you recite a child's poem about Old Mother Hubbard... and get to the part about "curds..." they can get the angriest little faces somehow... (how about that one?)

chas

Ask if you can buy some Hash from him.

needlewings

He shows up roasted for Thanksgiving!

yellowcellica

They dont taste like chicken?"

Travis R

You can generally tell by the large amount of hair (both facial and otherwise). Also, if they deny the Armenian genocide, they're probably Turkish.

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: