Basic Croatian Phrases for Travelers: A Quick Guide

Updated: July 2026

When visiting a foreign country it is helpful and polite to learn a few basic phrases. Most Croatians speak at least a basic level of English, but they appreciate the effort that goes into learning a bit of their language before a trip.

Below are the most useful Croatian phrases for greetings, dining, shopping, and getting around.

The Croatian Alphabet

he Croatian alphabet has 30 letters and is very similar to the English alphabet. Most consonants are pronounced similarly to their English counterparts. Vowels are short, except for the i, which is long, like the “ee” in tree.

A few rules to keep in mind:

There are no special letter combinations that create one sound
Each letter represents a single sound
Every letter is clearly enunciated
There are no silent letters

Letter	Phonetic Sound Example
A	past
B	bat
C	hats
Č	chalk
Ć	mature
D	day
Dž	fudge
Đ	schedule
E	let
F	film
G	game
H	heaven
I	tree
J	yes
K	cut
L	love
Lj	million
M	mice
N	nice
Nj	canyon
O	opera
P	pick
R	fritz – rolled r
S	sound
Š	shut
T	time
U	soon
V	vest
Z	zest
Ž	pleasure

Number	Croatian Word
1	jedan
2	dva
3	tri
4	četiri
5	pet
6	šest
7	sedam
8	osam
9	devet
10	deset
20	dvadeset
30	trideset
40	četrdeset
50	pedeset
60	šezdeset
70	sedamdeset
80	osamdeset
90	devetdeset
100	sto
1000	tisuća

Greetings

bok · hi / bye
dobar dan · good day
dobro jutro · good morning
dobra večer · good evening
doviđenja · goodbye
laku noć · good night
Kako si? ·How are you?
Kako se zoveš? · What’a your name?
drago mi je · nice to meet you

Good Manners

hvala · thank you
hvala lijepa · thank you very much
hvala puno · thanks a lot
oprpstite / oprosti · excuse me
žao mi je · I’m sorry
molim · please
ne · no
da · yes
izvoli / izvolite · you’re welcome

Need Help

upomoć · cry for help
bolnica · hospital
hitna pomoć · ambulance
Možete li mi pomoći? · Can you help me?
U pomoć! · Help!
požar · fire
stani · stop
pozovite policiju · call the police
pustite me na miru · go away

Bar / Restaurant

živjeli / uzdravlje · cheers
dobar tek · bon apetit
račun · bill
Gdje je toalet? · Where’s the toilet?
Ja sam vegetarijanac · I’m a vegetarian
doručak · breakfast
ručak · lunch
večera · dinner
voda · water
vino · wine
bijelo · white
crveno · red
sve je bilo odlično · that was great
jelovnik · menu
zadrżite · keep the change
Ja želim · I want
Kada se otvara? · When does it open?
Kada se zatvara? · When does it close?
kava · coffee
s mlijekom · with milk
sa šećerom · with sugar
pivo · beer
cola · coke
stol za · table for

A little vocabulary goes a long way once the food arrives too. If pizza is on the agenda in Split, Bakra: Where Locals Go to Grab a Sensational Pizza in Split is worth knowing before ordering.

Love

Volim te · I love you
jako si lijepa · you are very beautiful
Mogu li te poljubiti? · May I kiss you?

Directions

lijevo · left
desno · right
Kako ču doci do…? · How do I get to the…?
Możete li mi reci gdje je …? · Could you tell me where…?
ravno · straight
ovdje · here
tamo · there

Shopping

Koliko je to? · How much is this?
Żelim platiti · I want to buy this
Koliko košta? · How much does it cost?

Locations

željeznička stanica · train station
autobusna stanica · bus station
aerodrom / zračna luka · airport
muzej · museum
hotel · hotel
dućan · grocery store
bankomat · ATM
plaža · beach
park · park
taxi · taxi

Hotel

rezervacija · reservation
prtljaga · luggage
recepcija · reception
ključ · key
restoran · restaurant
soba · room
ručnik · towel

Adriatic Close

Most Croatians will have a reasonable understanding of English, so getting by without a single word of Croatian is entirely possible. Still, learning a few phrases is a respectful, easy way to connect, and it tends to be met with real appreciation.

For help with pronunciation, visit this website.

Planning a wider Croatia trip? Croatian Slang covers the informal side of the language, and Cruising the Dalmatian Coast covers destinations where these phrases come in handy along the way.

— izzy

Additional information on travel in Croatia: