Serbian, Croatian and Bosnian

Serbian (српски), Croatian (Hrvatski) and Bosnian (Bosanski) are closely related, mutually intelligible Southern Slavonic languages formerly known collectively as Serbo-Croat. They have about 18.5 million speakers, mainly in Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro.

The division between Croats and Serbs originates in the 11th century, when both groups converted to Christianity. The Serbs aligned themselves with Constantinople and the Eastern Orthodox church and adopted the Cyrillic alphabet though also use the Latin alphabet, while the Croats favoured the Roman Catholic church and the Glagolitic alphabet. The Latin alphabet was gradually adopted by the Croats, though they continued to use Glagolitic for religious writings until the 19th century. After the Turkish conquest of Serbia and Bosnia, Islam spread to parts of Bosnia and the Arabic script was sometimes used.

Today Croatian is written with the Latin alphabet, Serbian is written mainly with the Cyrillic alphabet, though the Latin alphabet is sometimes used, and Bosnian uses both alphabets.

Serbian contains many loan words from Greek and Turkish and continues to borrow new words from various languages. Croatian contains many words of Latin and German origin but many new Croatian words are created by combining and adapting existing ones.

Latin and Cyrillic alphabets in Croatian alphabetic order

Croatian and Serbian alphabets with Croatian alphabetic order

Cyrillic and Latin alphabets in Serbian alphabetic order

Cyrillic alphabet as used for Serbian with Latin transliteration as used for Croatian

Arabic alphabet for Bosnian (Arabica/Alhamijado/Adzamijski)

The version of the Arabic alphabet shown below used to be used to write Bosnian sometimes.

Arabic alphabet for Bosnian

Croatian sample text

Sva ljudska bića rađaju se slobodna i jednaka u dostojanstvu i pravima. Ona su obdarena razumom i sviješću i trebaju jedna prema drugima postupati u duhu bratstva.

Serbian sample text

Cвa људскa бићa рaђajу сe слoбoднa и jeднaкa у дoстojaнству и прaвимa. Oнa су oбдaрeнa рaзумoм и свeшћу и трeбa jeдни прeмa другимa дa пoступajу у духу брaтствa.

Listen to a recording of this text by Robert Todorić

Bosnian sample text in the Cyrillic alphabet

Cвa љyдскa бићa paђajy сe слoбoднa и jeднaкa y дoстojaнствy и пpaвимa. Oнa сy oбдapeнa paзyмoм и свиjeшћy и тpeбa дa jeднo пpeмa дpyгoмe пoстyпajy y дyхy бpaтствa.

Bosnian sample text in the Latin alphabet

Sva ljudska bića rađaju se slobodna i jednaka u dostojanstvu i pravima. Ona su obdarena razumom i sviješću i treba da jedno prema drugome postupaju u duhu bratstva.

Bosnian sample text in the Arabic alphabet

Translation

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

Longer sample text (Tower of Babel) in Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian

Useful phrases in Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian

Croatian, Serbian and Bosnian language learning materials