Capitalization Rules in Croatian for English Speakers

Understanding Capitalization in Croatian

Capitalization in Croatian follows specific rules that differ from English. Knowing these rules helps learners write correctly and understand formal and informal texts.

When to Capitalize in Croatian

In Croatian, capitalization is generally more conservative than in English. Here are the main cases when you should capitalize:

• The first word of a sentence.
• Proper nouns such as names of people, places, and organizations.
• Days of the week, months, and holidays are not capitalized unless they start a sentence.
• Titles of books, movies, and works are capitalized only on the first word and proper nouns within the title.
• Nationalities and languages are not capitalized unless they are part of a proper noun.

Common Differences from English Capitalization

English speakers often capitalize words like days of the week and languages, but in Croatian, these are written in lowercase unless they begin a sentence.

Notice that days like ponedjeljak and languages like hrvatski jezik are not capitalized in Croatian.

Capitalization in Titles and Headings

Unlike English, Croatian titles and headings capitalize only the first word and any proper nouns. For example:

Here, only the first word and proper nouns are capitalized, while other words remain lowercase.

Capitalization of Nationalities and Languages

Nationalities and languages are written in lowercase in Croatian unless they are part of a proper noun or at the beginning of a sentence.

Summary of Croatian Capitalization Rules

1. Capitalize the first word of a sentence.
2. Capitalize proper nouns (names of people, places, organizations).
3. Do not capitalize days of the week, months, or languages unless at the start of a sentence.
4. In titles, capitalize only the first word and proper nouns.
5. Nationalities and languages are lowercase unless part of a proper noun or sentence start.