how come turkey changed its spelling to Türkiye

Quick Scoop

Turkey didn’t really “change its spelling” in Turkish — it has long been called Türkiye by Turkish speakers. What changed in recent years is that the Turkish government asked international bodies and foreign governments to use Türkiye in English and official communications.

Why the change happened

• National identity: The government wanted the country’s own Turkish-language name to be used internationally.

• Avoiding the bird association: Officials also said they wanted to reduce confusion with the English word “turkey,” which is the name of a bird and can carry awkward associations.

• Rebranding and image: Reporting on the move described it as a broader branding effort to present the country in a more distinctly Turkish way.

What actually changed

The shift was mainly about English usage , not a brand-new national name. Türkiye has been the country’s name in Turkish since the modern republic was founded in 1923, while “Turkey” was the long-used English form.

In practice

The United Nations approved the request in 2022, and the U.S. State Department followed in 2023.

In short: Türkiye is the country’s own name; “Turkey” was the older English spelling.

Bottom line

So the spelling shift happened because Turkey wanted the world to use its native name , and partly to avoid the bird-related confusion that comes with the English word “turkey.”