somut

Somut is a Turkish adjective meaning tangible or concrete. It is used to describe things that can be perceived by the senses or verified through experience, as opposed to abstract concepts that exist in thought rather than in physical form. The term encompasses physical objects, observable phenomena, and evidential realities.

In Turkish usage, somut is often paired with its antonym soyut (abstract). The distinction is common in daily language, education, philosophy, law, and cognitive psychology. Phrases such as somut gerçekler (concrete facts), somut deliller or somut kanıtlar (tangible evidence), and somut örnek (a concrete example) illustrate typical applications. The adjective frequently precedes the noun in standard Turkish word order, as in somut kanıtlar, while it may also function predicatively in sentences like O, somut bir örnek değildir (He is not a concrete example).

Linguistically, somut can appear in compound forms related to making things concrete, such as somutlaştırmak (to concretize) and somutlaştırma (the act of concretizing). In educational and psychological contexts, the term is used to contrast concrete thinking with soyut düşünme (abstract thinking), highlighting different cognitive approaches to problem-solving and learning.

Cultural and disciplinary variations exist in emphasis. In law and science, somut concepts frequently underpin arguments and evidence, whereas in philosophy and linguistics the term helps delineate debates about the nature of reality, perception, and representation. Overall, somut serves as a core descriptor for material, perceivable, and verifiable aspects of experience within Turkish discourse.