Lumi KidsTurkish for kids
Turkish is read exactly the way it is written, which makes it a friendly language to keep up at home. Here are the 64 first words of Lumi Kids with Lumi's voice and a say-it guide for English speakers, plus the six letters English does not have.
Guides
- How to Raise a Bilingual Child: Methods That Fit Real Familieskeeping the family's language alive
- Best Age to Learn a Second Language: A Guide for Parentswhat research says about starting age
- Best Language Learning Apps for Kids in 2026: Parent's Guidehow to choose an app for a 4- to 9-year-old
Why Turkish?
Most children who learn Turkish in the US, the UK, Canada or Australia have Turkish-speaking family. For them, Turkish is the language of grandparents, summer visits and family celebrations, and keeping it going at home keeps those conversations possible.
Turkish is a rewarding language to start with because the spelling is completely regular: once your child knows the 29 letters, they can read any word aloud. Six letters are new for English speakers, and each has one sound.
The grammar works like building blocks: endings are added one after another. Ev is a house, evim my house, evimde in my house. Children enjoy playing with these endings once they hear the pattern.
The 64 first Turkish words
These are the 64 words of the Seed level, eight worlds of eight words, each with a short sentence. Tap a card and Lumi says the word; the orange line is a say-it guide in English spelling, with the stressed syllable in capitals. The guide gets you close; Lumi's voice is the real thing. Most Turkish words are stressed on the last syllable.
Tap a card and Lumi says the word; ▶ next to a sentence reads it, and “Play all in order” plays a whole group. Voices: Lumi (AI-generated voice).
8 words · 8 sentences
Hello World · Merhaba Dünya
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| Merhaba, ben Lumi! | Hello, I am Lumi! | |
| Hoşça kal, görüşürüz! | Goodbye, see you! | |
| Evet, seviyorum! | Yes, I like it! | |
| Hayır, teşekkürler. | No, thank you. | |
| Çok teşekkür ederim! | Thank you very much! | |
| Lütfen bana yardım et. | Please help me. | |
| Sen benim arkadaşımsın. | You are my friend. | |
| Günaydın, Lumi! | Good morning, Lumi! |
8 words · 8 sentences
Colors · Renkler
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| Elma kırmızı. | The apple is red. | |
| Gökyüzü mavi. | The sky is blue. | |
| Güneş sarı. | The sun is yellow. | |
| Kurbağa yeşil. | The frog is green. | |
| Turuncuyu seviyorum. | I like orange. | |
| Üzümler mor. | The grapes are purple. | |
| Domuz pembe. | The pig is pink. | |
| Bulut beyaz. | The cloud is white. |
8 words · 8 sentences
Numbers · Sayılar
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| Bir elmam var. | I have one apple. | |
| İki ördek görüyorum. | I see two ducks. | |
| Üç balon! | Three balloons! | |
| Dört kek. | Four cupcakes. | |
| Beş yıldız! | Five stars! | |
| Altı çilek. | Six strawberries. | |
| Yedi balık. | Seven fish. | |
| Sekiz çiçek. | Eight flowers. |
8 words · 8 sentences
Animals · Hayvanlar
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| Kedi miyav der. | The cat says meow. | |
| Köpek mutlu. | The dog is happy. | |
| Kuş uçabilir. | The bird can fly. | |
| Balık yüzebilir. | The fish can swim. | |
| At büyük. | The horse is big. | |
| İnek möö der. | The cow says moo. | |
| Aslan güçlü. | The lion is strong. | |
| Tavşan zıplar. | The rabbit jumps. |
8 words · 8 sentences
My Family · Ailem
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| Annemi seviyorum. | I love my mom. | |
| Babam uzun. | My dad is tall. | |
| Kız kardeşim nazik. | My sister is kind. | |
| Erkek kardeşim oynuyor. | My brother plays. | |
| Büyükannem kurabiye yapar. | Grandma bakes cookies. | |
| Büyükbabam hikaye anlatır. | Grandpa tells stories. | |
| Bebek küçük. | The baby is small. | |
| Bu benim ailem. | This is my family. |
8 words · 8 sentences
Food · Yiyecekler
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| Elma yiyorum. | I eat an apple. | |
| Muz sarı. | The banana is yellow. | |
| Ekmeği severim. | I like bread. | |
| Süt içerim. | I drink milk. | |
| Kahvaltıda yumurta. | An egg for breakfast. | |
| Peynir çok lezzetli. | Cheese is yummy. | |
| Su istiyorum lütfen. | I want water, please. | |
| Doğum günü pastası! | Happy birthday cake! |
8 words · 8 sentences
My Body · Vücudum
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| Kafana dokun. | Touch your head. | |
| İki gözüm var. | I have two eyes. | |
| Bu benim burnum. | This is my nose. | |
| Ağzını aç. | Open your mouth. | |
| Kulaklarımla duyarım. | I hear with my ears. | |
| Ellerini çırp! | Clap your hands! | |
| Ayaklarını vur! | Stomp your feet! | |
| Saçım kıvırcık. | My hair is curly. |
8 words · 8 sentences
Toys & Home · Oyuncaklar ve Evim
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| Topa vururum. | I kick the ball. | |
| Araba hızlı. | The car is fast. | |
| Bebeğimle oynarım. | I play with my doll. | |
| Kitap okurum. | I read a book. | |
| Oyuncak ayıma sarılırım. | I hug my teddy bear. | |
| Yatağımda uyurum. | I sleep in my bed. | |
| Sandalyeye otur. | Sit on the chair. | |
| Bu benim evim. | This is my house. |
New sounds
| Sound or letter | What to know |
|---|---|
| ı (no dot) | A short "uh" made with the lips spread: kırmızı (kuhr-muh-ZUH), red. |
| ş and ç | ş is "sh" (beş, BESH), ç is "ch" (üç, EWCH). |
| c | Always like j in "jam": turuncu (too-roon-JOO), orange. |
| ğ (soft g) | Not said on its own; it lengthens the vowel before it: ağız (ah-UHZ), mouth. |
| ö and ü | Like French eu and u: round your lips and say "eh" or "ee": köpek (dog), süt (milk). |
| Vowel harmony | Endings change their vowel to match the word: evler (houses) but kuşlar (birds). |
Practice at home
- Grandparents first. Ask Turkish-speaking relatives to speak only Turkish with your child, on visits and video calls. Even short daily calls help.
- Fixed phrases. Günaydın in the morning, afiyet olsun at meals, iyi geceler at bedtime.
- Read early. Because Turkish is spelled the way it sounds, many children enjoy reading simple Turkish words once they know the letters.
How Lumi teaches it
In Lumi Kids your child starts at Seed, the first of four levels (Seed, Sprout, Sapling and Tree, 72 worlds in all). The 64 words on this page are Seed's eight worlds. Every world has at least six exercises: learn the words, listen and tap, card match, true or false, listen in order and talk with Lumi; higher levels add sentence building, stories and role play. Lumi explains in English and says the new words in standard Turkish.
From age 7 the app adds reading and spelling in Turkish.
Seed and Sprout are free, with 60 seconds of live talk to try. Lumi Plus unlocks Sapling and Tree and adds 10 minutes of live talk a week: $14.99 a month or $119.99 a year, and the yearly plan starts with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers (App Store US, checked October 5, 2026). Before live talk is turned on, the app tells you, the parent, that Lumi is an AI. Lumi Kids does not record or store your child's voice. More about the app.
Sources
Facts on this page come from these pages (checked October 5, 2026) and from the app itself.
- App Store (US): Lumi Kids: Learn Languages (October 5, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
Is Turkish hard for English-speaking kids?
The sounds are easy to learn and the spelling is regular. The new part is grammar: endings stacked on words and vowels that change to match. Children pick up the patterns by hearing them often.
Our child understands Turkish but answers in English. What helps?
This is very common. Make Turkish necessary in a few daily moments, such as with grandparents, at meals or at bedtime, and praise every Turkish answer. Our guide to raising a bilingual child has more ideas.
What are the six extra Turkish letters?
ç (ch), ğ (soft g, lengthens the vowel), ı (a short uh), ö and ü (rounded vowels) and ş (sh). Turkish has no q, w or x.
Turkish with Lumi, a few minutes a day
Your child hears every word in Turkish, plays with it and then speaks with Lumi. The first two levels are free.
