Croatian turns nouns and verbs into adjectives with a small set of highly productive suffixes, and — exactly like the noun suffixes — each one carries a reliable meaning. Knowing that -ski makes a relational adjective ("pertaining to"), -an a quality adjective, -ov/-ev/-in a possessive, and -ljiv/-iv a capability adjective means you can decode an unfamiliar adjective on sight and, just as usefully, build the one you need from a noun you already know. This page sorts the high-frequency adjective suffixes by job — relational, quality, material, possessive, and capability — and flags the sound changes and the fleeting -a- that trip learners up.
Relational -ski: "pertaining to"
The single most productive adjective suffix is -ski, which builds a relational adjective — one that links the noun to a source rather than describing a quality. Grad "city" → gradski "urban, city-"; Hrvat "a Croat" → hrvatski "Croatian." Because of regular sound changes at the join, the suffix surfaces as -ski, -čki, or -ški depending on the final consonant of the stem.
| Base | Adjective | Surface form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| grad (city) | gradski | -ski | urban, city- |
| Hrvat (a Croat) | hrvatski | -ski | Croatian |
| ljudi (people) | ljudski | -ski | human |
| Francuz (Frenchman) | francuski | -ski | French |
| vojnik (soldier) | vojnički | -čki (k+s → čk) | military, soldierly |
| Čeh (a Czech) | češki | -ški (h+s → šk) | Czech |
The surface changes are not random: a stem-final k or c fuses with the -s- into čk (vojnik → vojnički, junak → junački), and a stem-final h fuses into šk (Čeh → češki, trbuh → trbušni shows the related pattern). This is the same palatalization machinery described on the jotation page.
Gradski prijevoz u Zagrebu je dosta dobar.
Public (city) transport in Zagreb is pretty good. — relational 'gradski' from 'grad'.
Učim hrvatski već dvije godine.
I've been learning Croatian for two years now. — 'hrvatski' used as the noun for the language itself.
To nije ljudski, tako se ne postupa s ljudima.
That's not humane, you don't treat people that way. — relational 'ljudski' from 'ljudi'.
The -ski adjective has two special properties worth singling out. First, it declines in the definite (soft) pattern only — there is no separate indefinite form, so you never say hrvatsk the way you can say nov alongside novi. Second, the neuter singular doubles as an adverb, especially with languages: govoriti hrvatski "to speak Croatian," pisati francuski "to write in French." The full declension and the language-name usage get their own treatment on the relational -ski page.
Možeš li to reći engleski? Ne razumijem te.
Can you say that in English? I don't understand you. — the neuter '-ski' form 'engleski' works as the adverb 'in English'.
Quality -an: the workhorse descriptive suffix
The suffix -an turns a noun (or root) into a quality adjective: pamet "intelligence" → pametan "intelligent," važan "important" (the noun važnost "importance" runs the other way, built back off the adjective), ljubav "love" → ljubazan "kind, polite." This is the everyday "describes a property" suffix, and it hides a crucial trap: the -a- is a fleeting -a-. It appears only in the masculine nominative singular and drops everywhere else.
| Masculine sg. | Feminine sg. | Neuter sg. | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| pametan | pametna | pametno | intelligent |
| važan | važna | važno | important |
| ljubazan | ljubazna | ljubazno | kind, polite |
| gladan | gladna | gladno | hungry |
| sretan | sretna | sretno | happy |
On je jako pametan, ali pomalo lijen.
He's very smart, but a bit lazy. — masculine 'pametan' keeps the fleeting -a-.
Ovo je važna odluka, ne žuri.
This is an important decision, don't rush. — feminine 'važna': the -a- of 'važan' has dropped.
Bila je vrlo ljubazna prema nama.
She was very kind to us. — feminine 'ljubazna' from 'ljubazan'.
Material -en / -an: "made of"
To say what something is made of, Croatian uses -en (and a few in -an that look identical to the quality type). Drvo "wood" → drven "wooden"; staklo "glass" → staklen "glass-, made of glass"; zlato "gold" → zlatan "golden." These behave like ordinary adjectives and agree normally.
| Base noun | Material adjective | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| drvo (wood) | drven, drvena, drveno | wooden |
| staklo (glass) | staklen, staklena | glass, of glass |
| zlato (gold) | zlatan, zlatna | golden, of gold |
| vuna (wool) | vunen, vunena | woollen |
| kamen (stone) | kamen, kamena | stone, of stone |
Sjedili smo za starim drvenim stolom.
We sat at an old wooden table. — material 'drven' from 'drvo', instrumental here.
Dobila je zlatan prsten za rođendan.
She got a gold ring for her birthday. — material 'zlatan' from 'zlato'; note the fleeting -a- (zlatan → zlatna).
Note that zlatan carries the fleeting -a- (zlatan → zlatna → zlatno) exactly like the quality -an type, while drven, staklen, vunen do not — their -en is stable.
Possessive -ov / -ev / -in: "belonging to one person"
A noun naming a single, specific person or animal forms a possessive adjective with -ov/-ev (from masculine names/nouns) or -in (from feminine ones in -a): otac "father" → očev "father's"; Marko → Markov "Marko's"; sestra "sister" → sestrin "sister's." The choice between -ov and -ev follows the hard/soft consonant split — -ev after a soft consonant (Ante → Antin is -in, but kralj "king" → kraljev).
| Owner | Possessive adjective | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Marko (m.) | Markov | Marko's |
| otac (m., soft č) | očev | father's |
| kralj (m., soft) | kraljev | the king's |
| sestra (f.) | sestrin | sister's |
| mama (f.) | mamin | mum's |
Markov auto je opet u kvaru.
Marko's car has broken down again. — possessive 'Markov' from 'Marko'.
Sjeli smo u sestrinu sobu da popričamo.
We sat in my sister's room to chat. — possessive 'sestrin' from 'sestra', accusative.
These possessive adjectives are only available for single, definite owners; for plural or non-specific owners Croatian switches to the possessive genitive (soba mojih sestara "my sisters' room"). When to use the adjective and when the genitive is decided on the possessive adjectives page.
Capability -ljiv / -iv: "-able"
To express that something can undergo an action — English -able/-ible — Croatian uses -ljiv and -iv, usually built on a verb. Čitati "to read" → čitljiv "legible"; piti "to drink" → pitak "drinkable, palatable"; moći "to be able" → moguć "possible." The -ljiv type often also describes a tendency or disposition (plašljiv "easily frightened, timid"; strpljiv "patient").
| Base | Adjective | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| čitati (to read) | čitljiv | legible |
| razumjeti (to understand) | razumljiv | understandable |
| strpjeti se (to be patient) | strpljiv | patient |
| plašiti (to frighten) | plašljiv | timid, easily scared |
| moći (to be able) | moguć | possible |
Tvoj rukopis uopće nije čitljiv.
Your handwriting isn't legible at all. — capability 'čitljiv' from 'čitati'.
Njegovo objašnjenje bilo je jasno i razumljivo.
His explanation was clear and understandable. — '-ljiv' adjective 'razumljiv'.
Je li uopće moguće stići na vrijeme?
Is it even possible to arrive on time? — 'moguć' (from 'moći') ends in the soft -ć, declining in the soft pattern.
Notice the -lj- in čitljiv, razumljiv, strpljiv: the suffix is genuinely -ljiv, and where a labial or l sits before it you get the palatal cluster. The closely related moguć shows the t/k → ć outcome of jotation. Both alternations belong to the same system covered on the jotation page.
Common Mistakes
❌ Ovo je važan odluka.
Incorrect — the noun 'odluka' is feminine, so the adjective drops the fleeting -a-: 'važna odluka'.
✅ Ovo je važna odluka.
This is an important decision. — feminine agreement, fleeting -a- dropped.
❌ Bio je vrlo ljubazan žena.
Incorrect — 'žena' is feminine, so 'ljubazna', not the masculine 'ljubazan'.
✅ Bila je vrlo ljubazna žena.
She was a very kind woman. — feminine 'ljubazna' with feminine 'bila'.
❌ Govorim u hrvatskom.
Incorrect — to say 'I speak Croatian' you use the bare neuter -ski adverb: 'Govorim hrvatski', no preposition.
✅ Govorim hrvatski.
I speak Croatian. — the neuter '-ski' form as adverb.
❌ To je Marka auto.
Incorrect — to say 'Marko's car' use the possessive adjective 'Markov', not the genitive of the name placed before: 'Markov auto'.
✅ To je Markov auto.
That's Marko's car. — possessive adjective '-ov'.
❌ Rukopis ti je čitliv.
Incorrect — the suffix is '-ljiv', not '-iv', after this stem: 'čitljiv'.
✅ Rukopis ti je čitljiv.
Your handwriting is legible. — '-ljiv' with the palatal cluster.
Key Takeaways
- Relational -ski/-čki/-ški = "pertaining to" (gradski, hrvatski, ljudski, francuski, vojnički, češki). It declines only in the soft/definite pattern, and its neuter doubles as an adverb (govoriti hrvatski).
- Quality -an describes a property (pametan, važan, ljubazan) and carries a fleeting -a-: present only in the masculine singular, dropped everywhere else (važan → važna → važno).
- Material -en / -an = "made of" (drven, staklen, vunen; zlatan — which also has the fleeting -a-).
- Possessive -ov/-ev/-in = "belonging to one named person" (Markov, očev, kraljev, sestrin, mamin); use the genitive for plural or vague owners.
- Capability -ljiv/-iv = "-able / disposed to" (čitljiv, razumljiv, strpljiv, plašljiv, moguć); watch the -lj- cluster and the jotation in moguć.
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Start learning Croatian→Related Topics
- Noun-Forming SuffixesB1 — Agent, abstract, and instrument suffixes.
- How Croatian Builds WordsB1 — Prefixes, suffixes, and the productive derivation patterns.
- Relational Adjectives in -skiB1 — The -ski/-čki/-ški 'pertaining to' adjectives that classify rather than describe.
- Possessive Adjectives (Markov, majčin)A2 — Deriving 'X's' adjectives from names and kin nouns.
- Jotation (jotacija)B2 — The consonant + j fusion behind comparatives, passive participles, and verbal nouns.
- Verbal PrefixesB1 — How prefixes perfectivise, direct, and coin new verbs.