Everyday Croatian Words You Didn’t Know Are Foreign

Many everyday Croatian words actually come from other languages. Below are the most common loanwords.

🇹🇷 From Turkish

Due to centuries of Ottoman contact, Croatian adopted many Turkish words, especially for food and household items.

• Examples:

  
  

  • alat — tool

  • bakar — copper

  • dućan — shop / store

  • džep — pocket

  • čarapa — sock

  • čizme — boots

  • jastuk — pillow

  • jogurt — yogurt

  • kutija — box

  • majmun — monkey

  • pamuk — cotton

  • papuče — slippers

  • rakija — fruit brandy

  • sapun — soap

  • sat — clock / watch

  • šećer — sugar

  • tava — frying pan

  
  
  
  

(Many of these came through Turkish but ultimately from Arabic or Persian.)

🇭🇺 From Hungarian

Hungarian left a smaller but noticeable mark.

Examples:

• cipela — shoe

• gazda — boss / landlord / owner

• gulaš — goulash stew

• gumb — button

• kočija — carriage

• lopov — thief

• palačinke — pancakes / crêpes

• soba — room

🇮🇹 From Italian

Italian influence is strong in music, trade, the coast, and food.

Examples:

• akvarel — watercolor

• banka — bank

• barka — small boat (dialectal)

• bevanda — wine mixed with water

• feta — slice (dialectal)

• kušin — pillow (dialectal)

• kužina — kitchen (dialectal)

• kupola — dome

• laguna — lagoon

• mandolina — mandolin

• marenda — snack / light meal

• panceta — pancetta

• partitura — musical score

• pjat — plate (dialectal)

• regata — regatta

• skalini — stairs (dialectal)

• tramontana — north wind

• valuta — currency

🇩🇪 From German

German had a huge impact, especially during the Austro-Hungarian period.

Examples:

• auspuh — exhaust (car)

• bista — bust (sculpture)

• cigla — brick

• cilj — goal

• cukar, cuker — sugar (colloquial)

• deka — blanket

• griz — semolina

• keks — cookie

• kifla — bread roll / croissant-type roll

• kofer, kufer — suitcase

• krafna — doughnut

• remen — belt

• ruksak — backpack

• senf — mustard

• tegla — jar

• vaga — scale

• šlag — whipped cream

• šnicel, šnicla — schnitzel / cutlet

• štrudel, štrudla — strudel

• šunka — ham

Croatian vocabulary is like a historical map — every empire and trade route left a few words behind.