How to say ‘sorry’ in Turkish
In Turkish
Özür dilerim
Pronunciation: uo-ZUUR dee-LEH-reem
Capital letters mark the stressed syllable.
- Meaning
- I apologize. / I'm truly sorry.
In a sentence
Geç kaldım. Özür dilerim!
I’m late. I apologize!
Real life
When you’ll use it
The sincere sorry — stronger than pardon.
The Polite Essentials
Please, thank you, excuse me, okay — these little words carry you through cafés, taxis, shops and dinners even before you can build sentences.
Culture note
Apology, the Warm Way
Being a little late is human in Türkiye — what matters is the warmth of the repair. Özür dilerim lands sincerely; between close friends you’ll also hear kusura bakma (‘don’t take offense’) — recognize it as the casual cousin. Either way, the answer is usually a wave of the hand and a fresh çay.
Keep going
Phrases that travel with it
Learn it in LaleFrom one phrase to real conversations
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