Family vocabulary looks like a beginner topic, but Croatian packs three genuine grammar surprises into it. First, Croatian distinguishes your maternal uncle from your paternal uncle with two unrelated words (ujak vs. stric) — a precision English lost. Second, the word for „brothers," braća, is a collective noun that declines like a feminine singular even though it refers to a group of men. Third, „daughter," kći, is one of the most irregular nouns in the language. This page gives you the kinship words you actually use, and flags the grammar inside each so the surprises do not catch you out later.
The core family
| Croatian | English | Register / note |
|---|---|---|
| majka / mama | mother / mum | majka neutral, mama (informal) |
| otac / tata | father / dad | otac neutral, tata (informal) |
| brat | brother | plural is the collective „braća" |
| sestra | sister | regular feminine |
| sin | son | regular masculine |
| kći | daughter | irregular: kćer, kćeri… |
| djed | grandfather | also „djedica" |
| baka | grandmother | also „baba" (regional/colloquial) |
Moja mama i tata žive u Splitu.
My mum and dad live in Split. — 'mama/tata' are the everyday informal words.
Imam jednog brata i dvije sestre.
I have one brother and two sisters. — 'brata' (accusative of brat), 'sestre' (paucal after 'dvije').
Baka i djed čuvaju unuke vikendom.
Grandma and grandpa look after the grandchildren on weekends. — 'baka', 'djed'.
kći — an irregular daughter
kći („daughter") is genuinely irregular and worth memorising as a set. The nominative is kći, but almost every other form is built on the stem kćer-: accusative kćer, genitive kćeri, dative/locative kćeri. You will hear kćer far more often than the bare nominative kći, because daughters are usually being talked about (objects, possessions), not used as subjects.
| Case | Singular |
|---|---|
| nominative | kći |
| accusative | kćer |
| genitive | kćeri |
| dative / locative | kćeri |
| instrumental | kćeri / kćerju |
Imaju sina i kćer.
They have a son and a daughter. — accusative 'kćer', not 'kći'.
Dao je kuću svojoj kćeri.
He gave the house to his daughter. — dative 'kćeri'.
braća — the collective brothers
This is the showpiece. braća („brothers") is not an ordinary plural — it is a collective noun. Despite meaning „several men," it declines as a feminine singular: it ends in -a and takes feminine-singular adjective endings (moja braća, not moji braća). Verb agreement is the one wobbly spot — strict standard usage keeps it singular (braća je), but in everyday speech the plural (braća su) is at least as common by sense agreement.
Moja braća su visoka.
My brothers are tall. — 'braća' takes the feminine-singular adjective 'visoka' (not masculine plural 'visoki').
Sva moja braća žive u inozemstvu.
All my brothers live abroad. — 'sva' (fem. sg.) agrees with the collective 'braća'.
Volim svoju braću.
I love my brothers. — accusative 'braću' (like a feminine -a noun: braća → braću).
The deeper point — that grammatical gender and natural sex can diverge — is treated on gender from meaning.
Uncles and aunts: the maternal/paternal split
Croatian is more precise than English here. There is no single word for „uncle"; you must say whose side:
| Croatian | English | Which side |
|---|---|---|
| ujak | uncle | mother's brother |
| stric | uncle | father's brother |
| tetak | uncle (by marriage) | husband of an aunt (tetka) |
| teta / tetka | aunt | either side (mother's or father's sister) |
| ujna | aunt | wife of the ujak |
| strina | aunt | wife of the stric |
Moj ujak, mamin brat, ima brod.
My uncle, my mum's brother, has a boat. — 'ujak' = specifically the maternal uncle.
Ljeti idemo kod strica na selo.
In summer we go to my (paternal) uncle's place in the countryside. — 'stric' = father's brother; 'kod' + genitive 'strica'.
Teta Marija dolazi na ručak.
Aunt Marija is coming to lunch. — 'teta/tetka' covers an aunt on either side.
Cousins, partners, and relationship milestones
| Croatian | English | Register |
|---|---|---|
| bratić | (male) cousin | neutral |
| sestrična | (female) cousin | neutral |
| suprug / supruga | husband / wife | (formal) |
| muž / žena | husband / wife | (informal) — everyday |
| dečko / cura | boyfriend / girlfriend | (informal) |
| zaruke | engagement | neutral — plural-only noun |
| vjenčanje | wedding | neutral |
Moj dečko i ja smo zajedno tri godine.
My boyfriend and I have been together three years. — 'dečko', casual word for boyfriend.
Zaruke su bile prošli mjesec, vjenčanje je na jesen.
The engagement was last month, the wedding is in autumn. — 'zaruke' (plural-only), 'vjenčanje'.
Upoznala sam njegovu suprugu na vjenčanju.
I met his wife at the wedding. — formal 'supruga'; informal speech would use 'žena'.
Possessive adjectives for family
To say „mum's," „dad's," „my brother's," Croatian usually prefers a possessive adjective built from the kin noun over a genitive: mama → mamin („mum's"), tata → tatin („dad's"), brat → bratov („brother's"), sestra → sestrin („sister's"). These adjectives agree in gender, number, and case with the thing possessed.
To je mamin auto.
That's mum's car. — possessive adjective 'mamin' (from mama), agreeing with masculine 'auto'.
Posudio sam bratov bicikl.
I borrowed my brother's bike. — 'bratov' (from brat) agreeing with 'bicikl'.
Sestrina haljina mi savršeno pristaje.
My sister's dress fits me perfectly. — 'sestrina' (from sestra) agreeing with feminine 'haljina'.
The full set of rules — when to use mamin versus the genitive mame — is on possessive adjectives.
Common Mistakes
❌ Moja braća su visoki.
Wrong agreement — collective 'braća' takes the feminine-singular adjective: 'visoka', not masculine plural 'visoki'.
✅ Moja braća su visoka.
My brothers are tall. — feminine-singular 'visoka' with collective 'braća'.
❌ Moj stric, mamin brat. (ako je s majčine strane)
Wrong side — your mother's brother is 'ujak'; 'stric' is your father's brother.
✅ Moj ujak, mamin brat.
My uncle, my mum's brother. — 'ujak' for the maternal uncle.
❌ Imaju sina i kći.
Wrong case — the direct object needs accusative 'kćer', not nominative 'kći'.
✅ Imaju sina i kćer.
They have a son and a daughter. — accusative 'kćer'.
❌ To je auto od mame.
Clumsy — Croatian prefers the possessive adjective 'mamin auto' over a 'od' + genitive phrase here.
✅ To je mamin auto.
That's mum's car. — possessive adjective 'mamin'.
Key Takeaways
- Everyday family words have a neutral and an informal twin: majka/mama, otac/tata, suprug/muž, supruga/žena.
- kći („daughter") is irregular — the working stem is kćer-: accusative kćer, genitive/dative/locative kćeri. You'll hear kćer most.
- braća („brothers") is a collective noun: it declines and takes adjectives as a feminine singular (moja braća, visoka — never moji braća, visoki), like djeca and gospoda. The verb wavers: standard braća je, colloquial braća su.
- Croatian splits „uncle" by side: ujak (mother's brother) vs. stric (father's brother); aunts: teta/tetka, with ujna / strina for the uncles' wives.
- For „mum's," „brother's," prefer the possessive adjective (mamin, bratov, sestrin) agreeing with the possessed noun.
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