kulaktaki

Kulaktaki is a Turkish grammatical form rather than a standalone vocabulary item. It is created from the noun kulak (ear) together with the locative suffix -da (in/on/at) and the demonstrative/relative suffix -ki, producing kulaktaki meaning “the one in the ear” or simply “in the ear.” The combination functions as an adjective or determiner that specifies a noun by location.

In use, kulaktaki attaches to a head noun to form a noun phrase that denotes something located in the ear. It is commonly found in everyday and technical Turkish to describe objects or anatomical parts related to the ear. Examples include kulaktaki cihaz (a device in the ear) and kulaktaki kemikler (the bones in the ear). The form can be plural or take additional suffixes according to Turkish agreement rules, as in kulaktaki parçalar (the parts in the ear).

Etymology and grammar: kulaktaki belongs to a family of suffixes built from a base noun plus a locative element and the -ki demonstrative; other examples in Turkish include evdeki and sokaktaki. This -ki suffix serves to point to “the one in/at X,” turning a location into a definite relative reference within a noun phrase. The exact pronunciation and spelling reflect Turkish vowel harmony and consonant assimilation rules, with -daki representing the combination of -da and -ki after a noun ending in a consonant.

Notes: kulaktaki is not a separate lexical item but a productive morphological form used to describe or specify things associated with the ear. It is encountered across medical, anatomical, and descriptive Turkish texts.

See also: Turkish grammar, locative case (-da/-de), the -ki suffix.