There are over three hundred Turkish words that are used daily in the Greek language. This is not surprising given the fact that Greeks were under Ottoman occupation for four hundred years.
The period of Ottoman rule was a dark time for Greece. However, during that time and despite the rivalry that existed between the Greeks and the Turks, the Ottoman occupation had a profound impact on Greek society and language.
In addition, Turks and Greeks lived together for nearly a thousand years, as there was a massive Greek population on the Anatolian mainland.
This population was first reduced as a result of the population exchange agreement signed between Greece and Turkey after the Asia Minor catastrophe and resulted in the uprooting of all Greeks in modern Turkey (and Turks in Greece) from where many of them had lived for centuries.
The remaining Greeks predominately resided in Istanbul, but most were forced to flee after the anti-Greek pogrom in Istanbul in 1955.
Common words in the Greek and Turkish language
Today, we can find more than three hundred Turkish words that are used daily in the Greek language. Let’s take a look at some of these.
| Greek | Turkish | English |
| flytzáni | fincan | cup |
| tsépi̱ | cep | |
| kaíki | kayık | boat |
| manávi̱s | manav | greengrocerer |
| bakáli̱s | bakal | grocer |
| kav̱gás | kavga | fight |
| Ntoulápi | dolap | closet |
| hamparia | haber | news |
| babas | baba | father |
| bahari | baharat | spice |
| baruti | barut | dynamite |
| bekiaris | bekar | single man |
| buzuki | bozuk | regional musical instrument |
| divani | divan | couch |
| hamalis | hamal | porter |
| kaimaki | kaymak | the creamy part of the milk |
| karpuzi | karpuz | watermelon |
| tavani | tavan | ceiling |
| tsantiri | cadir | tent |
| tsanta | canta | bag |
Greek words in the Turkish language
However, there are also several Greek words that have been adopted into Turkish. These words have either passed into the Turkish language directly from Greek or through another language e.g. French or English.
| Turkish | Greek | English |
| efendi | afendis (ancient gr. afthendis) | boss |
| ekol | sholio | school |
| dramatik | dramatikos | dramatic |
| disk | diskos | disc |
| epik | epikos | epic |
| epilog | epilogos | conclusion |
| erotik | erotikos | erotic |
| filozof | philosophos | philosopher |
| fotometre | photometro | photometer |
| galaksi | galaksias | galaxy |
| helikopter | helikoptero | helicopter |
| hidroliz | hydrolysi | hydrolysis |
| ırgat | ergatis | worker |
| iklim | klima | climate |
| kanape | Canapés (ancient gr. konops=mosquito) | couch |
| klor | chlorio | chlorine |
| monoton | monotonos | monotonous |
| odeon | odio | odeum |
| pilot | pilotos | pilot |
| sırma | syrma | wire |
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