halk

Halk is a Turkish noun meaning the people or the public, referring to the general population or ordinary citizens. It emphasizes the collective rather than the individual and is used across many contexts from everyday speech to formal discourse. The term has Turkic roots and is cognate with similar words in related languages; in Turkish, it appears in terms that describe culture and society, such as halk edebiyatı (folk literature), halk müziği (folk music), and halk oyunları (folk dances).

In modern Turkish, halk appears in a wide range of compounds and phrases, including halk sağlığı (public health), halk arasında (among the people), and halkın (the people’s). It also appears in the proper name of political organizations, most notably Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi (Republican People’s Party), one of Turkey’s major political parties.

Usage notes: halk typically refers to the broader population rather than a specific demographic, and can carry connotations of tradition or national culture when paired with terms like edebiyatı or müziği. In scholarly writing, researchers distinguish “halk” from “kitle” (mass) or “toplum” (society) depending on nuance.