Turkish · The Rakı Table
Şerefe!
sheh-reh-FEH · /ʃeɾeˈfe/
Cheers!
1/5 Grandma-safe
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"To (your) honor"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
The toast — glasses up, "şerefe!" At a rakı table (the sacred institution of Turkish drinking) toasts are frequent and warm; you clink low, meet eyes, and the mood is unhurried and communal, not rowdy. "Sağlığına" (to your health) is the gentler alternative. Note: many Turks don't drink at all, so read the table before you pour — offering alcohol to a non-drinker is a clumsy move.
Heard in the wild
Hadi, şerefe! Sağlığımıza.
Come on, cheers! To our health.
Where it lands
Turkey-wide; drinking contexts
Quick answers
- What does "Şerefe!" mean?
- In Turkish, "Şerefe!" means "Cheers!". Literally it's "To (your) honor". The toast — glasses up, "şerefe!" At a rakı table (the sacred institution of Turkish drinking) toasts are frequent and warm; you clink low, meet eyes, and the mood is unhurried and communal, not rowdy. "Sağlığına" (to your health) is the gentler alternative. Note: many Turks don't drink at all, so read the table before you pour — offering alcohol to a non-drinker is a clumsy move.
- Is "Şerefe!" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 1/5 (Grandma-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. mild, playful; fine on daytime TV.
- How do you pronounce "Şerefe!"?
- Say it "sheh-reh-FEH" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ʃeɾeˈfe.
Related in Turkish
Aferin! ah-feh-REEN Well done! / Good job! / Attaboy! Kral! KRAHL You're the man! / Legend! / Boss! Efsane! ef-sah-NEH Legendary! / Awesome! / Epic! Harika! hah-ree-KAH Wonderful! / Fantastic! / Great! Bomba gibi! bom-BAH gee-bee Amazing / smoking hot / in top form Fondip! fon-DEEP Bottoms up! / Down it in one!
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "A rude toast".
- French Cul sec ! Bottoms up! / Down it in one!
- German Prost! Cheers!
- Greek γεια μας Cheers! — the standard toast.
- Italian Cin cin! Cheers!
- Japanese 一気 Chug! Chug! / down it in one!
- Korean 짠! Cheers! — the toast is the sound effect itself.
- Polish na zdrowie! Cheers! — the standard toast (and also 'bless you' after a sneeze).
- Portuguese Cachaça Cachaça — Brazilian sugarcane liquor; slang for booze/a drinking habit
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