Croatian Alphabet and Pronunciation Guide for English Speakers

Overview of the Croatian Alphabet

The Croatian alphabet consists of 30 letters and is based on the Latin script. It includes several special characters with diacritics that represent unique sounds not found in English. Understanding these letters and their pronunciation is essential for learning Croatian effectively.

Letters in the Croatian Alphabet

The Croatian alphabet includes the following letters: A, B, C, Č, Ć, D, Dž, Đ, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, Lj, M, N, Nj, O, P, R, S, Š, T, U, V, Z, Ž. Some letters like Dž, Lj, and Nj are considered single letters despite being two characters.

Special Characters and Diacritics

Croatian uses several letters with diacritics to represent specific sounds: Č (pronounced like 'ch' in 'chocolate'), Ć (a softer 'ch' sound), Đ (similar to 'j' in 'juice'), Š (like 'sh' in 'shoe'), and Ž (like 's' in 'measure'). These are distinct letters and not variations of C, D, S, or Z.

Pronunciation Guide for English Speakers

Croatian pronunciation is largely phonetic, meaning words are pronounced as they are written. However, some sounds may be unfamiliar to English speakers. Below is a guide to help you pronounce Croatian letters correctly.

Vowels

Croatian has five vowels: A, E, I, O, U. Each vowel has a consistent pronunciation:

• A – pronounced as /a/ like 'a' in 'father'
• E – pronounced as /e/ like 'e' in 'bed'
• I – pronounced as /i/ like 'ee' in 'see'
• O – pronounced as /o/ like 'o' in 'more'
• U – pronounced as /u/ like 'oo' in 'boot'

Consonants with Special Pronunciations

Here are some consonants that may be new or pronounced differently from English:

• C – pronounced as /ts/ like 'ts' in 'cats'
• Č – pronounced as /tʃ/ like 'ch' in 'chocolate'
• Ć – pronounced as a softer /tɕ/, similar to 't' in 'tune' (British English)
• Dž – pronounced as /dʒ/ like 'j' in 'jungle'
• Đ – pronounced as /dʑ/, similar to 'j' in 'juice' but softer
• Lj – pronounced as /ʎ/, similar to 'lli' in 'million'
• Nj – pronounced as /ɲ/, like 'ny' in 'canyon'
• Š – pronounced as /ʃ/ like 'sh' in 'shoe'
• Ž – pronounced as /ʒ/ like 's' in 'measure'

Pronunciation Tips

Stress in Croatian words usually falls on the first syllable, and vowels are pronounced clearly and distinctly. Unlike English, Croatian does not have silent letters, so each letter is pronounced.

Common Croatian Words and Their Pronunciations