what is it?
The suffix -CA is a derivational suffix that attaches to nouns and adjectives to produce three related meanings: (1) manner adverbs describing how an action is done (e.g. yavaşça 'slowly'), (2) '-ish' or 'like a …' forms that characterise behaviour (e.g. çocukça 'childishly / in a childlike way'), and (3) language names used adverbially (e.g. Türkçe 'Turkish / in Turkish'). The same single form covers both the name of the language and the adverbial meaning 'in that language'.
when to use it
Manner adverbs. Add -CA to an adjective or noun to say how something is done. The result replaces a phrase like 'in a … way' or 'with …'.
'-ish' / 'like a …' characterisations. Add -CA to a noun denoting a person or group to describe behaviour that resembles that person or group (e.g. kardeşçe 'like brothers / in a brotherly way').
Language names and 'in [language]'. -CA attaches to a nationality or people name to form the language name. The same form is used adverbially to mean 'in [that language]'. No extra word or case suffix is needed.
formation
The suffix has four vowel-harmonised shapes: -ca, -ce, -ça, -çe. The vowel follows standard two-way back/front harmony (a/e). The consonant is -c- after voiced sounds (vowels and voiced consonants) and -ç- after voiceless consonants (ç, f, h, k, p, s, ş, t). This is the same consonant-mutation rule seen elsewhere in Turkish morphology.
| stem | ends in | suffix | output form | meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yavaş | voiceless ş | -ça | yavaşça | slowly |
| sessiz | voiced z | -ce | sessizce | silently |
| kardeş | voiceless ş | -çe | kardeşçe | like brothers |
| çocuk | voiceless k | -ça | çocukça | childishly |
| Türk | voiceless k | -çe | Türkçe | Turkish / in Turkish |
| İngiliz | voiced z | -ce | İngilizce | English / in English |
Vowel selection in brief: back vowels (a, ı, o, u) in the stem → -a; front vowels (e, i, ö, ü) → -e. Consonant selection: voiceless final consonant → -ç-; voiced final sound → -c-.
examples in context
common pitfalls
Wrong vowel in the suffix. The vowel must match the last vowel of the stem. yavaş has a back vowel (a), so the suffix is -ça, not *-çe. Writing *yavaşçe is incorrect.
Using -c- after a voiceless consonant. After a voiceless stem-final consonant the suffix consonant must be -ç-, not -c-. yavaş ends in voiceless ş, so the correct form is yavaşça, not *yavaşca. Check the final consonant of the stem before choosing the suffix shape.
Adding an extra word or case for 'in [language]'. The bare -CA form is already both the language name and the adverb meaning 'in that language'. Türkçe konuş means 'speak in Turkish' — there is no need to add a postposition, a case suffix, or a separate word like *Türkçe'de or *Türkçe olarak in this adverbial use.
Three sentences, graded here. Nothing is saved and no account is needed.
Bu haber sitesi makalelerini hem Türkçe hem de ___ yayımlıyor. (Almanca)
Fill in the blank with the correct form of the word in parentheses.