zeka

Zeka is a Turkish noun meaning intelligence, intellect, or cleverness. It designates cognitive ability—the capacity to learn, reason, and solve problems, and to adapt to new situations. The term can describe a person’s mental sharpness as well as the general notion of mind.

Usage in Turkish ranges from everyday speech to technical contexts. For example, one might say “Çok zekisin” to compliment someone’s quickness, or refer to a “zeka testi” as an intelligence test. Turkish sources often mention “zekâ puanı” as an IQ score and “zeka oyunları” as brain games. In formal writing, the variant “zekâ” with a circumflex can appear, but “zeka” is standard in most modern usage.

Relation and context help situate the term within broader language use. Zeka is conceptually linked to related Turkish terms such as akıl (reason), zihin (mind), and maharet (skill). The word appears across education, psychology, media, and popular culture, reflecting both scientific discourse and everyday language. It is used within Turkish-speaking communities and in other Turkic languages with similar forms, illustrating shared cultural and linguistic associations with mental ability.

Notes: Zeka is not a single fixed measurement of intelligence. IQ tests aim to quantify certain cognitive abilities, but they do not capture all aspects of intelligence, such as creativity or motivation. Discussions of zeka often intersect with topics in genetics, environment, education, and social context.