{"id":4016,"date":"2021-10-14T00:00:43","date_gmt":"2021-10-14T00:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/?p=4016"},"modified":"2026-06-15T16:24:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T16:24:41","slug":"croatian-alphabet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/croatian-alphabet\/","title":{"rendered":"A, B, C\u2026 and \u010c! Croatian Alphabet: All You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Croatian has the reputation of being a very challenging language. With 3 genders, 7 cases, 3 dialects and an endless number of sub-dialects, it\u2019s easy to see why so many people find this language\u00a0frightening.<\/p>\n<p>However,\u00a0it\u2019s Croatian special letters (as well as its strange lack of vowels\u00a0in some words!) that make\u00a0Croatian such a difficult language. That is why, today, we have decided to help those who want to learn Croatian with a detailed guide to the Croatian alphabet.<\/p>\n<p>But first, let us give you\u00a0some good news.<\/p>\n<p>In the Croatian alphabet, each character represents a single sound. This means that, with a little practice and perseverance, learning how to pronounce Croatian words is a fairly simple task.\u00a0To perfect your Croatian pronunciation, you should\u00a0bear this in mind:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;\">\n<li>Croatians enunciate every single sound very clearly.<\/li>\n<li>There are no silent letters.<\/li>\n<li>Letters always have the same pronunciation: there are no special consonant clusters that combine to create a new sound.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 22px; text-align: center;\"><a style=\"color: #0082cb;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com\/online-classes-inquiry.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u2192Sign Up Now: Free Trial Tamil Lesson With a Native Speaker Teacher!\u2190<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Now that you know the basics\u00a0of how Croatian pronunciation\u00a0works, you\u2019re ready to delve into the Croatian alphabet!<\/p>\n<h2>A<\/h2>\n<p>The first letter in the Croatian alphabet sounds like the \u201ca\u201d in \u201cpast\u201d. You can hear this sound in the Croatian word <em>centar <\/em>(centre).<\/p>\n<h2>B<\/h2>\n<p>A familiar \u201cb\u201d sound like the one we find in English \u201cbed\u201d or \u201cbet\u201d, this sound occurs in the word for \u201cgrandma\u201d: <em>baka<\/em>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4018\" style=\"width: 505px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4018\" class=\"wp-image-4018\" src=\"https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/portrait-senior-european-woman-with-curly-grey-hair-keeps-hand-rim-spectacles-keeps-lips-rounded-dressed-fashionable-clothes-min-700x467.jpg\" alt=\"A grandma, exeplifying the letter b of the Croatian alphabet.\" width=\"495\" height=\"330\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/portrait-senior-european-woman-with-curly-grey-hair-keeps-hand-rim-spectacles-keeps-lips-rounded-dressed-fashionable-clothes-min-700x467.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/portrait-senior-european-woman-with-curly-grey-hair-keeps-hand-rim-spectacles-keeps-lips-rounded-dressed-fashionable-clothes-min-250x167.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/portrait-senior-european-woman-with-curly-grey-hair-keeps-hand-rim-spectacles-keeps-lips-rounded-dressed-fashionable-clothes-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/portrait-senior-european-woman-with-curly-grey-hair-keeps-hand-rim-spectacles-keeps-lips-rounded-dressed-fashionable-clothes-min-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/portrait-senior-european-woman-with-curly-grey-hair-keeps-hand-rim-spectacles-keeps-lips-rounded-dressed-fashionable-clothes-min-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/portrait-senior-european-woman-with-curly-grey-hair-keeps-hand-rim-spectacles-keeps-lips-rounded-dressed-fashionable-clothes-min-120x80.jpg 120w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 495px) 100vw, 495px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4018\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.freepik.com\/photos\/woman\">Woman photo created by wayhomestudio &#8211; www.freepik.com<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<h2>C<\/h2>\n<p>Though the Croatian alphabet has no special combinations of letters that merge to create a new sound, there are letters that sound like two English letters put together.<\/p>\n<p>Such is the case of C, which sounds like the \u201cts\u201d ending in \u201cpets\u201d. In Croatian, this sound appears in <em>bicikl <\/em>(bike).<\/p>\n<h2>\u010c vs. \u0106<\/h2>\n<p>In the Croatian alphabet, \u010d is often called hard \u010d (<em>tvrdo \u010d<\/em>), while \u0107 is its soft counterpart (<em>meko \u0107<\/em>).<\/p>\n<p>The main difference between these two sounds is how hard they are pronounced.<\/p>\n<p>While \u010c sounds like the strong \u201cch\u201d sound in \u201cchat\u201d, \u0106 is a weaker version of the same sound whose closest equivalent in English would be the sound \u201ct\u201d when in the word\u00a0\u201ctuna\u201d (tjuna)<\/p>\n<p>Want to learn Croatian pronunciation with a fun tongue-twister? Memorise this one to practice the difference between \u010c and \u0106.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u010cetiri \u010dav\u010di\u0107a na \u010dun\u010di\u0107u \u010du\u010de\u0107i ciju\u010du.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>English: Four small jackdaws on a boat whistle while they crouch.<\/p>\n<h2>D<\/h2>\n<p>Another familiar sound, D is just like the English \u201cd\u201d sound in \u201cdo\u201d or \u201cday\u201d. And they said it was impossible to learn Croatian!<\/p>\n<h2>D\u017e vs. \u0110<\/h2>\n<p>D\u017e and \u0110 is the second pair of hard\/soft letters in the Croatian alphabet. D\u017e sounds like \u201cj\u201d in \u201cjudge\u201d, only harder, as if you were talking to someone who is slightly deaf. As regards \u0110, it has no exact English equivalent, but it\u2019s similar to the \u201cd\u201d sound in the British pronunciation of \u201cdune\u201d (djune).<\/p>\n<p>From an anatomical perspective, to produce Croatian\u2019s two soft sounds (\u0107, \u0111), the front part of your tongue should go right behind your front teeth. On the other hand, to get the \u201chard\u201d (\u010d, d\u017e) sounds right, the tongue should be further back, closer to the hard palate.<\/p>\n<h2>E<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cE\u201d is one of the most stable letters in English, and it is pronounced exactly the same in Croatian, i.e., as we pronounce it words like \u201cegg\u201d or \u201cled\u201d. In Croatian, it can be heard in the word <em>meso<\/em>\u00a0(meat).<\/p>\n<h2>F<\/h2>\n<p>Wanna know how easy Croatian can get? Then,\u00a0let us just say that\u00a0Croatian F is pronounced exactly like English F, and that you can find it in the Croatian word <em>film <\/em>which means\u2026 well, film.<\/p>\n<h2>G<\/h2>\n<p>Unlike English G, Croatian G has only sound, that of the word \u201cgame\u201d. It can be heard in words like <em>gara\u017ea <\/em>(garage).<\/p>\n<h2>H<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cH\u201d is one of the few letters in the Croatian alphabet that doesn\u2019t have an English counterpart. Its closest equivalent is the \u201cH\u201d in \u201cheaven\u201d but you should make it stronger, as if the sound were\u00a0stuck in your mouth. In Croatian, it appears in words like <em>duhan <\/em>(tobacco).<\/p>\n<h2>I<\/h2>\n<p>Croatian \u201cI\u201d is the long sound we find in English words like \u201ceast\u201d. The word \u201cinternet\u201d, in Croatian, is said with this long vowel rather than with our short \u201cI\u201d sound.<\/p>\n<h2>J<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cJ\u201d, in Croatian, sounds like the \u201cy\u201d in \u201cyou\u201d or \u201cyes\u201d. It appears in the word <em>jabuka<\/em>\u00a0(apple).<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4019\" style=\"width: 505px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4019\" class=\"wp-image-4019\" src=\"https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/front-view-fresh-red-apples-ripe-mellow-fruits-white-desk-fruit-color-tree-fresh-plant-red-min-700x467.jpg\" alt=\"5 red apples, also jabuka, which starts with J in the Croatian alphabet.\" width=\"495\" height=\"330\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/front-view-fresh-red-apples-ripe-mellow-fruits-white-desk-fruit-color-tree-fresh-plant-red-min-700x467.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/front-view-fresh-red-apples-ripe-mellow-fruits-white-desk-fruit-color-tree-fresh-plant-red-min-250x167.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/front-view-fresh-red-apples-ripe-mellow-fruits-white-desk-fruit-color-tree-fresh-plant-red-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/front-view-fresh-red-apples-ripe-mellow-fruits-white-desk-fruit-color-tree-fresh-plant-red-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/front-view-fresh-red-apples-ripe-mellow-fruits-white-desk-fruit-color-tree-fresh-plant-red-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/front-view-fresh-red-apples-ripe-mellow-fruits-white-desk-fruit-color-tree-fresh-plant-red-min-120x80.jpg 120w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 495px) 100vw, 495px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4019\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.freepik.com\/photos\/tree\">Tree photo created by KamranAydinov &#8211; www.freepik.com<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<h2>K<\/h2>\n<p>Croatian \u201cK\u201d poses no surprises to English speakers. It\u2019s always pronounced \/k\/, as in <em>kino<\/em>\u00a0(cinema).<\/p>\n<h2>L<\/h2>\n<p>Croatian \u201cL\u201d is another familiar sound. It sounds like the initial sound in the English word \u201clove\u201d. You can hear this sound in the word <em>mlijkeko <\/em>(milk).<\/p>\n<h2>Lj<\/h2>\n<p>A couple of Croatian letters consist of two familiar letters written put together. This is one of them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLj\u201d may seem weird, but we actually use it quite a lot when we say things like mil<em>lio<\/em>n, pavi<em>lio<\/em>n and vermi<em>lio<\/em>n. In Croatian, this sound appears in the word <em>ljubav <\/em>(love).<\/p>\n<p>However, if you still feel unsure about it, you can practice it with a nice tongue twister.<\/p>\n<p><em>Ljubim Ljubu i Ljubu i ljuljam se.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>English: I kiss Ljubo and Ljuba and then walk off.<\/p>\n<h2>M<\/h2>\n<p>After a difficult sound, a familiar one. \u201cM\u201d is the same both in Croatian and in English. You can find this sound in the Croatian word for \u201csea\u201d: <em>more<\/em>.<\/p>\n<h2>N<\/h2>\n<p>Croatian \u201cN\u201d is just as easy. It\u2019s the same \u201cN\u201d we use all the time to say things like \u201cnice\u201d and \u201cnose\u201d. In Croatian, it can be heard in the word for \u201cmoney\u201d: <em>novac<\/em>.<\/p>\n<h2>Nj<\/h2>\n<p>Just like \u201cLj\u201d, \u201cNj\u201d is one of those characters that look like two English letters put together. Its sound is like the one in \u201cca<em>nyo<\/em>n\u201d or \u201ccompa<em>nio<\/em>n\u201d. You can hear it in Croatian words like Njema\u010dka (Germany).<\/p>\n<h2>O<\/h2>\n<p>Croatian \u201cO\u201d is like an open English \u201cO\u201d, not unlike how we\u00a0would say \u201copera\u201d which, by the way, is also a Croatian word.<\/p>\n<h2>P<\/h2>\n<p>Another familiar sound for English speakers, \u201cP\u201d is the sound we know from \u201cpick\u201d, and can be heard in the Croatian word for \u201cfinger\u201d: <em>prst<\/em>.<\/p>\n<h2>R<\/h2>\n<p>Croatian \u201cR\u201d is a rolled consonant also called \u201crhotic R\u201d. It\u2019s the kind of \u201cR\u201d that makes the Scottish accent so distinct. It occurs in the word \u201cword\u201d: <em>rije\u010d.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>S<\/h2>\n<p>Again, Croatian \u201cS\u201d, is a sound we know very well, from words like \u201csalad\u201d or \u201csenses\u201d. By the way, the Croatian word for \u201csalad\u201d, <em>salata<\/em>, also contains this sound.<\/p>\n<h2>\u0160<\/h2>\n<p>It might look threatening, but \u0160 is anything but. It sounds like the \u201csh\u201d in \u201cshort\u201d, and the best thing about is that its sound never changes, regardless of what position it has in the word.<\/p>\n<p>In Croatian, people use it all the time when they say <em>\u0161kola <\/em>(school).<\/p>\n<p>Though this sound is quite easy to produce for English speakers, it is easy to confuse it with \u201c\u0106\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Repeat the tongue twister below a few times to make sure you got them right.<\/p>\n<p><em>Na \u0161triku se su\u0161i \u0161osi\u0107.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>English: A miniskirt is drying on the washing line.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4020\" style=\"width: 505px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4020\" class=\"wp-image-4020\" src=\"https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/serious-thoughtful-clever-scientific-worker-wears-spectacles-has-beard-curves-lower-lip-min-700x467.jpg\" alt=\"Pensive man thinking about the Croatian alpabet.\" width=\"495\" height=\"330\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/serious-thoughtful-clever-scientific-worker-wears-spectacles-has-beard-curves-lower-lip-min-700x467.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/serious-thoughtful-clever-scientific-worker-wears-spectacles-has-beard-curves-lower-lip-min-250x167.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/serious-thoughtful-clever-scientific-worker-wears-spectacles-has-beard-curves-lower-lip-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/serious-thoughtful-clever-scientific-worker-wears-spectacles-has-beard-curves-lower-lip-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/serious-thoughtful-clever-scientific-worker-wears-spectacles-has-beard-curves-lower-lip-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/serious-thoughtful-clever-scientific-worker-wears-spectacles-has-beard-curves-lower-lip-min-120x80.jpg 120w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 495px) 100vw, 495px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4020\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.freepik.com\/photos\/hair\">Hair photo created by wayhomestudio &#8211; www.freepik.com<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<h2>T<\/h2>\n<p>Want more easy Croatian sounds? Let\u2019s go with \u201cT\u201d, which is just like its English counterpart. In Croatian, you can find it in the word for silence: <em>ti\u0161ina <\/em><\/p>\n<h2>U<\/h2>\n<p>Similar to an English long \u201cU\u201d (like in \u201cshoot\u201d). U appears in <em>uho<\/em>, which means \u201cear\u201d.<\/p>\n<h2>V<\/h2>\n<p>Almost identical to our own \u201cV\u201d, Croatian V appears in the word <em>vrijeme<\/em>, which means time or weather.<\/p>\n<h2>Z<\/h2>\n<p>Croatian \u201cZ\u201d is just like the sound we have in words like \u201czoo\u201d and \u201czest\u201d. In Croatian, it appears in the word <em>zima <\/em>(winter).<\/p>\n<h2>\u017d<\/h2>\n<p>Is the last word in the Croatian alphabet the one that will give you a headache?<\/p>\n<p>No,\u00a0it\u2019s not.<\/p>\n<p>This inoffensive letter is just like the one we use to say \u201cpleasure\u201d or \u201cmeasure\u201d. In Croatian, it appears in the word <em>\u017eaba<\/em>, which means \u201cfrog\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Check out the following video to hear a native Croatian speaker pronounce the most difficult letters in the Croatian alphabet:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: block; margin: auto;\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Hg4w4Lkyvwc\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Perfect, now you\u2019re ready to start reciting the alphabet and reading out loud in Croatian!<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 22px; text-align: center;\"><a style=\"color: #0082cb;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com\/online-classes-inquiry.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u2192Sign Up Now: Free Trial Tamil Lesson With a Native Speaker Teacher!\u2190<\/a><\/p>\n<p>And if you want to go beyond the Croatian alphabet\u00a0and learn Croatian with a native tutor,\u00a0explore our Free Trial Croatian Classes\u00a0and get your first lesson at no cost. We\u2019ll match you with a professional tutor who will prepare a course tailored to your needs and interests. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/contact-us.php\"><u>Contact us now<\/u><\/a>\u00a0to get started!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Croatian has the reputation of being a very challenging language. With 3 genders, 7 cases, 3 dialects&#8230;","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":4020,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[648,700],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-croatian","category-learning-resources"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4016"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/47"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4016"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4016\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4022,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4016\/revisions\/4022"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4020"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}