A Practical Breakdown Of Serbian Family Vocabulary
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Learning how to talk about your family is a core part of early language acquisition.
In Serbian, family vocabulary is highly specific and carries a lot of cultural importance.
You’ll notice right away that we have different words for relatives depending on which side of the family they come from.
This guide will break down the essential family terms so you can confidently describe your family tree.
If you want to practice these words in real conversations, you can use Talk In Serbian to build your speaking skills.
Table of contents:
Immediate family in Serbian
The word for family in Serbian is porodica.
Your immediate family is known as your uža porodica.
Learning these core members is very straightforward because the translations line up directly with English.
Here are the words for your most immediate family members.
| English | Serbian |
|---|---|
| Parents | Roditelji |
| Mother | Majka |
| Father | Otac |
| Children | Deca |
| Son | Sin |
| Daughter | Ćerka |
| Brother | Brat |
| Sister | Sestra |
When talking affectionately, Serbians also use informal terms for parents.
You’ll often hear people say mama (mom) and tata (dad).
Grandparents and grandchildren
Extended family is called šira porodica.
Grandparents play a massive role in Serbian household dynamics.
It’s very common for grandparents to live with or very close to their grandchildren.
| English | Serbian |
|---|---|
| Grandmother | Baba / Baka |
| Grandfather | Deda |
| Grandson | Unuk |
| Granddaughter | Unuka |
| Grandchildren | Unuci |
The word baka is a slightly more affectionate version of baba.
Aunts, uncles, and cousins
This is where Serbian family vocabulary becomes very unique.
Serbian distinguishes exactly how an aunt or uncle is related to you.
We use completely different words for your mother’s brother and your father’s brother.
We also have specific words for the people they marry.
| English | Serbian | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Stric | Paternal uncle | Your father’s brother |
| Strina | Aunt (by marriage) | The wife of your stric |
| Ujak | Maternal uncle | Your mother’s brother |
| Ujna | Aunt (by marriage) | The wife of your ujak |
| Tetka | Aunt | Your mother’s or father’s sister |
| Teča | Uncle (by marriage) | The husband of your tetka |
Serbian also doesn’t have a single, universal word for “cousin”.
Instead, you refer to your cousins literally as “brother from an aunt” or “sister from an uncle”.
If your male cousin is the son of your father’s brother, he’s your brat od strica.
If your female cousin is the daughter of your mother’s sister, she’s your sestra od tetke.
This system ensures that everyone knows exactly how a relative fits into the family tree.
In-laws and spouses
Talking about your spouse is very simple.
A husband is muž or suprug, and a wife is žena or supruga.
However, describing your spouse’s parents brings back the classic Serbian specificity.
The words for mothers-in-law and fathers-in-law change depending on whose parents they are.
| English | Serbian | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Svekrva | Mother-in-law | The husband’s mother |
| Svekar | Father-in-law | The husband’s father |
| Tašta | Mother-in-law | The wife’s mother |
| Tast | Father-in-law | The wife’s father |
There are even more specific terms for brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law (like dever, zaova, šurak, and svastika).
You don’t need to memorize all of these right away as a beginner.
Focus entirely on the immediate family and spouses first.
Useful phrases for talking about family
When you meet native speakers, they’ll likely ask you questions about your family.
Here are a few common sentences and questions you can use to navigate these conversations.
Imaš li braće ili sestara?
Imam jednog brata i dve sestre.
Da li si oženjen?
Da li si udata?
Nisam u braku.
Da li imate dece?
Ovo je moja porodica.
Take your time practicing these categories one by one.
Start with your immediate family, move on to grandparents, and tackle the specific aunt and uncle titles last.
