The Croatian Alphabet

Who Speaks Croatian?

Croatian is a South Slavic language primarily spoken in Croatia, but it’s also widely understood in Bosnia, Serbia, and Montenegro. It’s the official language of Croatia, so if you’re traveling or communicating with people from any of these neighboring countries, you’ll find it easy to understand each other.

What About Dialects?

Although Croatia is relatively small, it has three main dialects. A person from northern Croatia might struggle to understand someone from the island of Lastovo simply because they’re speaking a different dialect!

Here’s a quick breakdown:

• Čakavian: Spoken along the Croatian coast, on many islands, and in the Lika region.
• Kajkavian: Spoken in northern and northwestern Croatia.
• Štokavian: The most widely spoken, covering most of the country.

In our guide, we focus on the standard literary language, which is based on the New Štokavian Ijekavian pronunciation. Your family or friends might use a different variant at home, though—ask them about it and see how their vocabulary differs!

The Croatian Alphabet

The Croatian alphabet has 30 letters, but don’t worry—there’s no tricky “q,” “w,” “x,” or “y” here! Instead, we have some extra letters that make Croatian unique:

Additional Croatian letters:

• č
• ć
• dž
• đ
• lj
• nj
• š
• ž

Here’s a guide to help you get familiar with Croatian pronunciation:

Letter	Pronunciation	Example	Translation
A	/a/ (“past”)	centar	center
B	/b/ (“bat”)	baka	grandma
C	/ts/ (“hats“)	bicikl	bike
Č	/tʃ/ (“chalk”)	čokolada	chocolate
Ć	/tɕ/ (“church”)	noć	night
D	/d/ (“day”)	dan	day
Dž	/dʒ/ (“fudge”)	džep	pocket
Đ	/dʑ/ (“schedule” – American English)	đavao	devil
E	/e/ (“let”)	meso	meat
F	/f/ (“film”)	film	film
G	/ɡ/ (“game”)	garaža	garage
H	/x/ (“heaven”)	duhan	tobacco
I	/i/ (“east”)	internet	internet
J	/j/ (“yes”)	jabuka	apple
K	/k/ (“cut”)	kino	cinema
L	/l/ (“love”)	mlijeko	milk
Lj	/ʎ/ (“million”)	ljubav	love
M	/m/ (“mice”)	more	sea
N	/n/ (“nice”)	novac	money
Nj	/ɲ/ (“canyon”)	Njemačka	Germany
O	/o/ (“opera”)	opera	opera
P	/p/ (“pick”)	prst	finger
R	/r/ (“Fritz” – rolled “r”)	prst	finger
S	/s/ (“sound”)	salata	salad, lettuce
Š	/ʃ/ (“shut”)	škola	school
T	/t/ (“time”)	tišina	silence
U	/u/ (“shoot”)	uho	ear
V	/ʋ/ (“vest”)	vrijeme	time, weather
Z	/z/ (“zest”)	zima	winter
Ž	/ʒ/ (“measure”)	žaba	frog

Special Croatian Sounds

Let’s look at some special Croatian letters and their unique sounds. Don’t worry – they might seem tricky at first, but with some practice, you’ll get the hang of it.

One Letter, Two Characters: nj, lj, and dž

Three of the Croatian letters are combinations of two familiar letters (digraphs), and they work together to create unique sounds:

• nj: pronounced like “ni” in “minion”
• lj: sounds like “lli” in “million”
• dž: similar to “j” in “joy” (but with a slightly harder sound)

Even though these are combinations, they are considered single letters in Croatian. For example:

• ljeto (→ summer) has four letters (not five, because “lj” counts as one).
• njiva (→ field) has four letters, 
• and džep (→ pocket) has three.

Spot the Difference: č ≠ ć and dž ≠ đ

One common area of confusion for Croatian learners is the difference between some similar-looking letters: č vs ć and dž vs đ. It can be tricky at first, but once you understand the distinction, it becomes much easier to pronounce.

The Letters č and ć

• č is the “hard” version, sounding like “ch” in “charm.”
• ć is “soft,” and though it doesn’t have a direct English equivalent, it’s close to the “t” sound in British English “tune” (pronounced like “ty”).

The Letters dž and đ

• dž sounds like “j” in “joy,” but with a harder tone.

đ doesn’t have a direct English equivalent but is somewhat like the “d” in British English “duke” or the “d” in American English “schedule” (pronounced “dy”).

While it’s important to recognize these differences, it’s worth noting some Croatian speakers don’t make a strong distinction between the sounds in everyday speech. But it’s always helpful to practice getting them right!

Last But Not Least: š and ž

No confusion here! These sounds are easy to remember:

• š sounds like “sh” in “shoe.”
• ž sounds like “s” in “measure.”

Pronouncing Croatian

One of the best things about Croatian is that it’s a phonetic language. Every letter represents a single sound, and there are no silent letters. Once you learn the basic sounds, you’ll find Croatian words pretty easy to pronounce.

With a solid understanding of Croatian pronunciation and reading, you’ve taken an essential first step toward speaking and understanding the language more easily. This foundation will help you communicate more naturally as you continue learning.