hayatta

Hayatta is a Turkish adverb meaning in life, alive, or in existence. It derives from hayat, meaning life, combined with the locative suffix -ta, producing the sense of being in life or existing. In everyday usage, hayatta describes a current state of being or the condition of remaining alive.

Common usages include fixed expressions and compound verbs. For example, o hâlâ hayatta mı? translates to “Is he still alive?” and insanlar hayatta kalmaya çalışıyor translates as “people are trying to survive.” The related verb phrases hayatta kalmak (to survive) and hayatta olmak (to be alive) are standard in Turkish. Hayatta kalma is a noun form referring to the act or process of surviving.

In Turkish, hayatta can appear in various contexts beyond literal life and death, including metaphorical senses such as persistence or ongoing relevance in difficult circumstances. Because it is a basic adverb tied to existence, hayatta is frequent in everyday speech, journalism, and literature, where contrasts between life and death or between presence and absence are common rhetorical devices.

See also: hayat, kalmak, hayatta kalmak.