Njoj je lijepa riječ draža od skupog iznenađenja.

A useful breakdown is:

• Njoj = to her; dative pronoun
• je = is; 3rd person singular of biti (to be)
• lijepa riječ = a nice/kind word; this is the subject
• draža = dearer / more प्रिय / preferred; comparative adjective used as the predicate
• od skupog iznenađenja = than an expensive surprise; comparison phrase

So the structure is basically:

To her, a kind word is dearer than an expensive surprise.

In more natural English: She prefers a kind word to an expensive surprise.

Because Croatian uses the dative after adjectives like drag / draži when something is dear or preferable to someone.

• ona = she; nominative
• njoj = to her; dative

Here the sentence does not mean she is...
It means something is dearer to her.

So:

• Ona je... = She is...
• Njoj je... draže/draža... = To her, ... is dearer / preferred

Both are dative forms meaning to her, but they are used differently.

• joj = short, unstressed clitic form
• njoj = full, stressed form

Using njoj often gives emphasis or contrast, as in to her specifically.

So this sentence can suggest something like:

• To her, a kind word is dearer than an expensive surprise.

A more neutral version would often be:

• Lijepa riječ joj je draža od skupog iznenađenja.

So njoj is not wrong at all; it is just more emphatic.

Because je is a clitic, and Croatian clitics normally go in second position in the clause.

In this sentence, the first element is Njoj, so the clitic je comes right after it:

• Njoj je ...

This is a very common Croatian pattern. English speakers often expect words to stay close to their English equivalents, but Croatian word order is more flexible, while clitics still follow their own placement rules.

Because draža agrees with riječ, which is:

• feminine
• singular

The adjective must match the noun it refers to.

Forms of the comparative are:

• draži = masculine singular
• draža = feminine singular
• draže = neuter singular

Since riječ is feminine singular, the sentence needs draža.

Yes. Draža is the feminine singular comparative of drag.

• drag = dear, beloved, pleasant
• draži / draža / draže = dearer, more preferred

In sentences like this, draži often means not just dearer emotionally, but also more welcome or preferred.

So draža here is very naturally understood as:

• dearer
• more valued
• preferred

Croatian often forms comparisons with:

• comparative adjective + od
  • genitive

So:

• draža od... = dearer than...

This is the standard pattern.
Here:

• draža od skupog iznenađenja = dearer than an expensive surprise

There is also another way to compare in Croatian with nego, but with adjectives like this, od + genitive is very common and natural.

Because after od in this comparative structure, Croatian uses the genitive.

The dictionary forms are:

• skupo iznenađenje = an expensive surprise
  
  • skupo = neuter singular nominative
  • iznenađenje = neuter singular nominative

After od, both change to genitive singular:

• skupog iznenađenja

So the ending changes are caused by the case required after od.

Literally, yes:

• lijepa = beautiful, nice
• riječ = word

But in this expression, lijepa riječ usually means something more like:

• a kind word
• a nice word
• a warm or thoughtful thing said to someone

So it is often slightly idiomatic in meaning.
In this sentence, a kind word is usually the best English sense.

Yes. Croatian word order is fairly flexible, as long as the grammar and clitic placement are correct.

For example, you could also say:

• Lijepa riječ joj je draža od skupog iznenađenja.
• Draža joj je lijepa riječ od skupog iznenađenja.

These versions are grammatically possible, but the emphasis changes.

The original sentence begins with Njoj, which puts focus on to her. That can imply contrast, such as:

• maybe other people prefer gifts,
• but she values kind words more.

Because Croatian has no articles.

English needs articles:

• a kind word
• the expensive surprise

Croatian usually expresses definiteness through context, word order, or other clues, not with separate words like a or the.

So lijepa riječ can mean:

• a kind word
• the kind word

depending on context. In this sentence, English naturally uses a kind word.

Yes. Riječ is the subject.

You can tell because:

• draža is feminine singular
• it agrees with riječ, which is feminine singular

Meanwhile njoj is in the dative, so it cannot be the subject here. It is the person affected: to her.

This is a common thing in Croatian: the subject does not always come first.

Yes, very naturally.

A literal translation is:

• To her, a kind word is dearer than an expensive surprise.

But a very natural English translation is:

• She prefers a kind word to an expensive surprise.

That is often the best way to understand this structure in everyday English, even though Croatian uses the adjective draža rather than a verb meaning prefer.