çayr

Çayr, usually written as Çayır in Turkish, is a toponym and surname originating from the Turkish word çayır, meaning meadow or pasture. The term is native to Turkish and appears in place names across Turkish-speaking regions, reflecting a landscape-based naming tradition in rural areas.

As a geographic name, Çayır typically designates villages, hamlets, or rural districts that historically bordered or consisted of meadowlands. In Turkey, many small settlements bear the name Çayır, a common pattern in toponymy where natural features such as fields, pastures, or watercourses influence place names. The term also appears in Azerbaijani and other Turkic languages with similar meanings, and accordingly occurs in place names outside Turkey where Turkic-speaking communities have settled.

Çayır is also found as a surname in Turkey and among Turkish-speaking communities. In different orthographies, especially where diacritics are not used, Çayır may appear as Çayr or other variants. As a family name, it may be associated with regional origins or ancestral ties to a meadowland landscape.

In literature and folklore, çayır functions as the generic term for a grass-covered field and is often used symbolically to evoke pastoral scenery, rural life, or the Turkish countryside.

See also: Çayır (disambiguation) for a list of places named Çayır.