Kendin

Kendin is a Turkish reflexive pronoun used to refer back to the subject in a sentence, roughly translating to “yourself” or “oneself” in English. It is part of a family of kendi pronouns that express reflexive or intensive meaning, including kendim, kendin, kendisi, kendimiz, kendiniz, and kendileri. Kendin functions both as a stand‑alone pronoun and as the base for forms with suffixes that indicate person and case, such as kendini (yourself as a direct object), kendine (to yourself), or kendinle (with yourself).

In usage, kendin is commonly employed to emphasize the person performing an action or to indicate reflexive action. It appears in imperative or declarative sentences and often replaces a repeated subject for clarity or emphasis. Examples include Kendin karar ver (You decide for yourself) and Kendini geliştirmek için çalışıyor (He is working to develop himself). The reflexive sense can also be extended in phrases like Kendinden emin ol (Be confident in yourself) or Kendini bil (Know yourself).

Etymologically, kend is a Turkish root meaning “self,” and kendin and related forms are built with personal suffixes to indicate first, second, or third person and possessive/case relations. This system allows Turkish speakers to convey reflexivity without separate possessive pronouns, and it is distinct from non-reflexive pronouns like sen (you) or o (he/she).

See also: Turkish pronouns, reflexive verbs, kendisi, kendi.