Turkey or Türkiye? The Official Name Change Explained
Both refer to the same country, but the official name registered with the United Nations since June 2022 is Türkiye, pronounced roughly TUER-kee-yeh. The government requested the change to align international usage with the Turkish-language name and to separate the country from the bird and the informal English meanings of turkey. Turkey remains widely used in everyday English and is not considered offensive.
Quick facts
| Official name | Republic of Türkiye (Türkiye Cumhuriyeti) |
|---|---|
| Registered at the UN | June 2022 |
| Previous English name | Republic of Turkey |
| Pronunciation | tur-KEE-yeh / TUER-kee-yeh |
| Special characters | ü and the dotless ı do not exist in English keyboards |
| Accepted ASCII spelling | Turkiye |
| Adjective / people | Turkish, Turks — unchanged |
| ISO country code | TR / TUR — unchanged |
Why the name changed
In December 2021 the Turkish presidency issued a circular directing state institutions to use Türkiye in all languages, and in June 2022 the foreign ministry formally requested that the United Nations register the country under that name. The UN accepted the request immediately, as it does for any member state — Czechia, Eswatini and North Macedonia went through the same process.
The stated reasons were that Türkiye is how the country has referred to itself since 1923, and that the English word turkey carries unrelated meanings — the bird, and dictionary senses such as a failure or a foolish person — that the government considered undignified.
Which one should you use?
- Official, diplomatic and published writing: Türkiye.
- Casual conversation in English: Turkey is still completely normal and not offensive.
- When typing without Turkish characters: Turkiye is the accepted ASCII form.
- People and language: Turkish, unchanged. Never Türkiyean.
- Historical contexts before 1923: Ottoman Empire, not Türkiye.
- Airport codes, currency codes and passports: unchanged (TR, TRY).
How to pronounce and type it
Türkiye has three syllables: tür-ki-ye, roughly TUER-kee-yeh. The ü is the sound in the French tu or the German über — round your lips as for oo while saying ee. The final e is short, as in yeh.
To type ü, use Alt+0252 on Windows, Option+u then u on macOS, or simply write Turkiye. Note that Turkish also has a dotless ı, which appears in words such as rakı and Istanbul's Turkish spelling İstanbul, where the capital I carries a dot.
What it means in practice for travellers
Nothing operational changed. Visas, e-visas, passport stamps, the ISO codes TR and TUR, the currency code TRY, the airport codes and every booking system continue as before. Airlines, hotels and search engines still index Turkey heavily, which is why most travel content uses both.
You will simply see Türkiye more often in official tourism material, government sites and airline branding, while everyday English keeps using Turkey. Using either in conversation is entirely fine.
Frequently asked questions
Why did Turkey change its name to Türkiye?
The Turkish government asked the United Nations in June 2022 to register the country as Türkiye in all languages, arguing that this is how the nation has described itself since 1923 and that the English word turkey carries unrelated meanings — the bird, and slang senses such as a flop or a foolish person. The UN accepted the request the same month.
How do you pronounce Türkiye?
Three syllables: tür-ki-ye, approximately TUER-kee-yeh. The ü is pronounced like the French tu or German über — lips rounded as for oo while the tongue says ee. The last syllable is a short yeh, not yay.
Is it wrong to say Turkey?
No. Turkey remains standard, widely understood English and is not considered offensive. Türkiye is the official name for formal and published use, and Turkish government and tourism material uses it consistently, but in ordinary conversation either name is acceptable.
Are people from Türkiye still called Turkish?
Yes. The demonym and the adjective remain Turkish, the people are Turks, and the language is Turkish. Only the country name changed, not any derived word.
How do you write Türkiye without the special character?
Write Turkiye. That ASCII spelling is accepted in booking systems, forms and URLs that cannot handle the umlaut. On Windows type Alt+0252 for ü; on macOS press Option+u then u.
Did anything change for visas or passports?
No. The ISO country codes TR and TUR, the currency code TRY, all airport codes and the e-visa system are unchanged. Existing passports, stamps and bookings referring to Turkey remain fully valid.