Wikijunior:Languages/Croatian

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What writing system(s) does this language use?

The Croatian language is written in its own version of the Latin alphabet, like English. Unlike English, however, Croatian does not have the letters Q, W,Y and X.

Croatian has some letters which are not found or differently pronounced in English:

• Č (is pronounced as ch in church)
• Ć (is pronounced similar to Č, but a little bit softer)
• Đ (is pronounced as j in jacket)
• DŽ (is pronounced as G in George)
• Š (is pronounced as sh in ship)
• Ž (is pronounced as s in measure)
• LJ (is pronounced as ll in million)
• NJ (is pronounced as n in monument)
• J (is pronounced as y in yes)
• C (is pronounced as ts in boots)

Croatian alphabet has 30 letters.

How many people speak this language?

Around 5 to 7 million people speak Croatian (click here to learn about Croatia). Most Croatian speakers live in Croatia but many also live in Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Serbia and other countries.

Where is this language spoken?

Croatian is spoken in Croatia, and in some parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, particularly the south-west.

What is the history of this language?

The Croatian language belongs to the group of languages that are called Slavic. These languages have many commonalities, some of which are similar word roots and similar grammar. It is for this reason why scientists think that all Slavic languages originated from one Protoslavic language, that people spoke a long time ago (before 1000 A.D.) As time passed, the language spread, and people in different countries began to speak it differently.

Who are some famous authors or poets in this language?

Marko Marulić, Antun Vrančić, Ivan Česmički, Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić, Tin Ujević, Antun Gustav Matoš, Dobriša Cesarić.

What are some basic words in this language that I can learn?

English	Croatian
I	ja
you	ti
Hello!	Bok! Zdravo!
Good day. Good afternoon.	Dobar dan.
Good night.	Laku noć.
Good evening.	Dobra večer.
How are you?	Kako si?
Goodbye.	Do viđenja.
Bye!	Bok!
See you.	Vidimo se.
Do you speak English?	Govorite li engleski?
elephant	slon
cat	mačka
dog	pas
cow	krava

What is a simple song/poem/story that I can learn in this language?

Croatian:

Sretan rođendan ti, sretan rođendan ti, sretan rođendan dragi Marko, sretan rođendan ti.

English:

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Mark, happy birthday to you.